Nashiah Sharyan and her husband hope one day to travel to Yemen so their children can visit their grandparents. While traveling by air can cause anxiety for nearly anyone these days, flying creates even more challenges for autistic individuals and families traveling with children on the spectrum.
To help autistic people and their families manage these challenges,
Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM),
Delta Airlines, and the
Detroit Metropolitan Airport partner to host On Board for Autism events that prepare them to successfully take a flight. Families with autistic children and adults can take a practice trip that starts in the parking structure, proceeds through TSA, introduces the terminal, traverses the jet bridge, and ends with buckling securely in the seat of a real airplane.
Sharyan shares that this spring’s On Board for Autism event helped her autistic son get used to waiting in lines, being in crowds, and being around people outside his family. He especially enjoyed getting on the plane and sitting in his seat.
“I was able to see how he would behave in such environments,” Sharyan says. “Seeing people and mixing with them, waiting in line, sitting in the airplane chair. All of it was a great experience. Everything was amazing, and I was happy to be a part of it.”
The whole family appreciated the inclusive and welcoming treatment that made them feel so comfortable. They hope this experience will make that future flight to Yemen easier.
“Flying can be a real challenge for autistic individuals, mainly because it can be so overwhelming,” says Joanna Lofton, AAoM outreach manager and community resource specialist. “We are so fortunate to be able to partner with DTW and Delta and that they recognize the importance of creating the opportunity for autistic individuals to experience the airport and the airplane environment.”
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Volunteers guide participants through the terminal ticket desk, luggage check, and TSA.
DTW has also updated its Edward H. McNamara Terminal with a
multi-sensory room, where autistic individuals and others who feel overwhelmed can take a quiet break. DTW’s
Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program provides passengers with lanyards or wristbands that discreetly identify them as needing special attention or additional assistance for those who choose to wear them.
Lofton explains that autism influences every individual’s sensory systems differently. An airport full of people moving around amplified by a cacophony of different sounds, smells, and lighting can be overwhelming.
“It can be overwhelming to anyone navigating the environment. The demands to follow the airport rules can easily cause a meltdown for autistic individuals. Waiting in those long lines or complying with TSA requests can also be difficult,” she says. “It can be so hard for any family to prepare to take a flight, but when you have an autistic child or adult, the preparation, traveling to the airport, and maneuvering the flight can be even harder. The anxiety alone, oftentimes, makes parents feel it’s just not worth it.”
Specifically designed for travelers using Detroit Metro Airport, On Board for Autism enlists volunteers who walk autistic individuals and their families through a simulated airport and boarding experience. Starting at the parking garage, AAoM volunteers meet the participants and guide them through the airport terminals, with stops at the ticket desk, luggage check, and all the way through TSA screening. TSA staff are provided details on each of the participants prior to this test run. Next, AAoM volunteers accompany the participants to their gate where they actually board a Delta plane, staffed with flight attendants and a pilot, who are also volunteering their time.
“They are pre-registered, so the airline staff and the airport staff know to expect them. They get to take their time — no one's rushing them with unreasonable expectations,” Lofton says. “Once they get on that plane and get in their seats, we're helping them with that seat belt, and the airplane staff is explaining what to expect when flying. They get the entire experience. The only thing that we don't do is leave the ground.”
The pilot who routinely volunteers flies in from Indiana to take part, then flies back so he can make his scheduled evening flight.
“Many of the volunteers have autistic family members, so it's more a labor of love,” Lofton says.. “We have some of the nicest, genuine people participating every year.”
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Joanna Lofton, center, and volunteers at the April 26, 2025 event.
The Tresick family — Joe, Amy, and their nonverbal five- and six-year-old autistic sons Joseph and Joshua — loved the opportunity to make a practice run to the airport in a way they could never have done on their own.
“Parking at the airport, going through the gate, the ticket counter, walking through the TSA, and having our children experience that was a tremendous help,” Joe Tresick says. “Walking through the airport, seeing those sites, we were able to see their tolerances when it comes to transportation, sitting, and then even getting on the airplane.”
One of the boys is extremely sensitive to new places and experiences.
“Just getting into the doors of the airport from the parking structure was a win for us,” says Amy Tresick. “If nothing else good went on that day, that still would have been a win in our eyes because he struggles with that kind of stuff.”
The boys had fun in the terminal, cashing in the complementary food vouchers, and trying the people mover. But when it came time to buckle into the airplane seat, loud sobs erupted from the more sensitive son.
“Seeing how he was going to react with different things and going through the entire process helps us to be able to support him,” she says. “It might take us a couple more practice rounds to actually go through with it. This gave us the exposure … without buying airline tickets.”
The Tresicks would like to see more On Board for Autism events being offered so they could participate a couple more times. The family travels to Florida every year to visit extended family and looks forward to the day when they can fly instead of piling in the car for a 19-hour drive.
“This is just the first step in broadening the horizon for individuals,” Lofton says. “If they can get on the plane and learn to fly comfortably, they can go anywhere in the world — and that makes a difference in their lives and their families. It boosts their confidence and gives them the opportunity to be more included in society. And the anxiety of the families — you can see the relief and joy.”
Learn more about AAoM’s current initiatives at
aaomi.org or
info@aaomi.org.
Estelle Slootmaker spends most workdays as a freelance journalist and editor. You can contact her at Estelle.Slootmaker@gmail.com or www.constellations.biz.
Photos courtesy AAoM.
Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) was founded with the vision that people with autism will lead lives that meet their greatest potential. AAoM leads efforts to raise expectations and expand opportunities for people touched by autism across the lifespan.