Virgin Atlantic partners with deaf Gladiators star Jodie Ounsley to highlight commitment to BSL-trained crew
Virgin Atlantic, the only UK airline to offer British Sign Language (BSL) trained cabin crew, has released a new film to mark International Week of Deaf People.
To showcase its service, the airline invited deaf Gladiators star Jodie Ounsley and deaf twin content creators Hermon and Heroda Berhane on a flight from London Heathrow to Washington.
The film captures the BSL-trained crew delivering the airline’s signature warm welcome in BSL, assisting with onboard navigation, relaying important announcements, and supporting passengers with accessible in-flight entertainment.
“Knowing that airlines like Virgin Atlantic can provide specially trained crew with the awareness and understanding to make me feel comfortable on board is really empowering” – Jodie Ounsley
Jodie, who appears as Fury on BBC’s Gladiators and was an interviewer for Channel 4’s coverage of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, commented: “Until recently I didn’t feel confident enough to fly on my own, but knowing that airlines like Virgin Atlantic can provide specially trained crew with the awareness and understanding to make me feel comfortable on board is really empowering.
“It’s amazing to see the feedback myself, Hermon and Heroda provided is going to help make the experience of flying even better for deaf travellers in the future. I can’t hear without my cochlear implant, so things like increasing the availability of accessible movies and TV will mean I can enjoy even more entertainment on board.”
Virgin Atlantic working with the Royal National Institute for Deaf People
The airline has committed to ongoing BSL training and increasing subtitle options on in-flight entertainment. It will also improve service clarity, provide better links to special assistance within its ‘My Booking’ platform, and introduce Sign Live, an on-demand BSL interpreter for customer service teams, ensuring support throughout the journey.
Virgin Atlantic has been working with national hearing loss charity Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) to uncover new research around travelling for the community.
The research found more than half (58%) worry about communicating with cabin crew when they fly, while nine in 10 feel concerned about missing announcements and key information.
The survey found that 81% of respondents support deaf awareness training as a standard across the aviation industry. Additionally, 21% would welcome BSL training, 79% want input from people with hearing loss to shape policies, and 83% favour the introduction of technological support for deaf and hard of hearing passengers.
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