Special Assistance

You may be required to bring along a travel companion for your own safety and comfort on board. The main role of a travel companion would be to assist in the case of an emergency, especially in the case of aircraft evacuation.

Is a travel companion required?

• If the passenger has a severe mental condition that prevents him/her from understanding safety instructions or applying them.

• When a passenger is both blind and deaf, thereby making communication with the crew impossible.

• If the passenger has a motor-based disability that physically prevents him/her from participating in his/her own evacuation.

Most paraplegics, amputees and people with paralysis can travel without a travel companion. However, a travel companion would be mandatory for most quadriplegics.

We advise you to take a travel companion if you require personal assistance with eating, drinking, or accessing the lavatory, as our crew are unable to assist in these cases due to other inflight duties.

Please note that a kid who is disabled or who has reduced mobility will not be permitted to travel as an unaccompanied minor.

Is a medical clearance needed ?

It is your responsibility as a passenger to check if medical clearance is required.

Evidence of medical clearance must be provided before travel in the following instances:

• When an oxygen bottle with an oxygen flow rating of more than 2 litres/minute is needed;

• If you require extraordinary medical assistance during the flight;

• If you have a contagious diseasePlease note:Air Belgium also recommends that you check with your physician if you are pregnant, have had recent surgery or are wearing a cast.

At the airport

Special assistance is available at all airports. We can help you with check-in and with your baggage (including mobility devices) :

• by escorting you to the gate (with transport if needed);

• with boarding the aircraft (right up to your seat if needed);

• with disembarkation;

• with retrieval of baggage (including mobility devices).

Check-in

If you require special assistance, please make sure you arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before your flight's scheduled departure time.

Online check-in is not possible if you are travelling with a wheelchair, or an assistance animal. Our check-in agent will be happy to welcome you at the Air Belgium dedicated counter.

A person who has reserved special assistance may travel with 2 personal mobility devices free of charge as part of checked baggage allowance. A personal mobility device may be a wheelchair, mobility scooter, other personal transporter or walking aid - either manual or electric.

Passengers should ensure that they abide by all requirements concerning the transport of their mobility device. For more information about regulations, please contact [email protected].

Boarding

When you have reserved special assistance, a team member will escort you to the departure gate. You will find seats in the waiting area reserved for passengers with reduced mobility.

We are happy to provide priority boarding, which means that you board first and receive a personal welcome from the crew who will also go through the safety instructions with you.

On board

Air Belgium will provide you with a seat that is most suitable for the type of assistance you require. It is possible for you to make a seat request, however for safety reason emergency exit seats are not available if you require assistance.

Mobility devices such as wheelchairs or walking aids must be checked in to the hold. Crutches and walking sticks are allowed to be carried in the cabin.

If required, a crew member can assist you to and from the lavatory, and back into your seat. They are unable to assist you whilst using the lavatory.

Arrival

Upon arrival at your destination,once all passengers have left the plane, a member of our assistance team will help you to disembark. They will accompany you through immigration and collect baggage for you from the baggage hall.

Once you have your baggage, we will be happy to escort you to the arrivals hall.

We can provide assistance to meet a variety of needs. We recommend that you request the type or level of assistance that you need no later than 72 hours before your departure, so that we can do our best to provide you with a comfortable and trouble-free flying experience.

Motor-based disability

You are permitted, within your free baggage allowance, to bring 2 mobility devices with you, such as a manual or electric wheelchair. If your device is electric powered, Air Belgium will advise you of the regulations when you contact our team to reserve a space in the hold for your mobility device. Please ensure that you reserve your space at least 72 hours before your flight.

On the day of your departure, please present at the check-in counter no later than 2 hours before your flight's departure, to allow time for the acceptance of your wheelchair or other device.

Please check the regulations for the transportation of mobility devices on our website.

Sensory-based disability

Visual impairment

Air Belgium can arrange assistance for passengers who are visually impaired or blind. A travel companion is not needed in most cases.

If you are traveling alone, we will provide you with an assistant who will help you during check-in, bring you to the gate and help you to board the flight.

Once on board, our crew will welcome you and explain the safety aspects of your aircraft. You'll be informed about your surroundings, such as your seat position and the location of the lavatories and exit doors. Our crew members can help you to get to and from the lavatory but are unable to assist you whilst using the lavatory.

After arrival at your destination, our team can meet you and retrieve your luggage from the baggage hall.

Travelling with a guide dog or assistance animal

Guide dogs are welcome on board Air Belgium flights. You can bring your guide dog with you, free of charge, provided the following conditions are met:

• Hygiene requirements are adhered to in the departure and arrival halls, and on board

• A dog tag or harness must be clearly visible so as to show the animal's function as a guide dog

• The dog may travel without a muzzle

• It must remain leashed at all times

• The dog must be well-behaved in all circumstances

Your guide dog may not occupy a seat and is forbidden from occupying the space near the emergency exits. We will do our best to give you the most suitable seat - with space in front for the dog.

Please note:

Remember that you are transporting the animal into another country, so please ensure that you have all necessary documents and evidence of vaccinations in your possession when travelling.

Hearing impairment

If you have a hearing impairment or are deaf and you are travelling alone, we will provide you with an assistant who will help you during check-in, bring you to the gate and help you to board the flight.

Once on board, our crew will welcome you and explain the safety aspects of your aircraft.

After arrival at your destination, our team can meet you and retrieve your luggage from the baggage hall.

Mentaly disability

Passengers with a mental disability can travel alone as long as they can understand and implement the safety instructions of our crew members.

We are aware that travelling alone can be quite stressful and complex, and someone with a mental disability may have difficulty dealing with this situation.

If the person travelling is likely to get stressed, or suffers from memory loss or disorientation, we strongly recommend that he/she travels with a companion.

Respiratory difficulties

Respiratory devices

When a respiratory device is needed for your travel, please notify us at least 72 hours before your flight, to ensure that you will be able to take your device on board.

Only approved portable oxygen concentrator are permitted on board. Please check if your oxygen generator is approved for our aircrafts.

If further details are required you can refer to this website or contact [email protected]

• AirSep FreeStyle
• AirSep LifeStyle
• AirSep Focus
• AirSep Freestyle 5
• (Caire) SeQual eQuinox / Oxywell (model 4000)
• Delphi RS-00400 / Oxus RS-00400
• DeVilbiss Healthcare iGo
• Inogen One
• Inogen One G2
• lnogen One G3
• lnova Labs LifeChoice Activox
• International Biophysics LifeChoice / lnova Labs LifeChoice
• Invacare XPO2 / XPO100
• Invacare Solo 2
• Oxylife Independence
• Oxygen Concentrator
• Precision Medical EasyPulse
• Respironics EverGo
• Respironics SimplyGo
• Sequal Eclipse
• SeQual SAROS
• VBox Trooper

Be advised to bring spare batteries with you, but please check the limits on lithium batteries.

Personal oxygen tanks

If you require your own personal oxygen tank, you must notify Air Belgium at least 72 hours before your flight's scheduled departure via [email protected]

Other disabilities

Passengers who are paralysed or missing arms

If you are paralysed or missing one or two arms, but can manage your needs on the flight by yourself, you are welcome to travel without a travel companion.

We can provide all necessary assistance at the airport.

Please note that whilst on board, our Cabin Crew can assit you with your baggage but cannot assist you with eating, or taking medication and they are unable to give any assistance in the lavatory. If you require this assistance, then you will need a travel companion.

Body brace or brace seat

If you need to use a body brace or a brace seat for your flight, we require that you notify Air Belgium at least 72 hours before scheduled departure.

Are you pregnant? Congratulations!

You are free to travel if you have complication free pregnancy up to the 36 week . We recommend you to contact your physician if you are pregnant and wish to travel with us.

No medical clearance needed

You can travel up to 4 weeks before your estimated date of delivery if:

• Your health is normal

• You have no history of premature birth

• The pregnancy has been complication-free

Please note that you may need to present, if required, a recent medical certificate reporting the expected due date.

From the 28th week of pregnancy, it is advisable to have a current letter from a physician, written no later than 8 days before your travel. This letter should confirm that your pregnancy is complication-free, that you are fit to travel, and it must state the expected due date.

Medical clearance needed

If you your pregnancy is not complications free, you must obtain medical clearance.

If you are expecting a multiple birth or have passed your 28th week, you will also need to obtain medical clearance. This should take the form of a letter from a physician stating your due date, and that you are fit to travel. It should be dated no later than 8 days before you travel.

Important information

Please note that you may be refused boarding in the absence of medical clearance documents confirming your due date, if the Commander has any doubts about your fitness to travel.You are welcome to make a seat request, but be aware that pregnant women are not eligible to sit beside an emergency exit.

Tips for flying during pregnancy

Air Belgium wishes to make you as comfortable and safe as possible, so please read our tips for traveling when pregnant:

• Consult your physician for advice and medical clearance documents

• Don't go through X-ray screening at security. Consult security staff for check-in without the X-ray

• Wear compression stockings to assist your blood circulation

• If not needed, don't take heavy hand luggage with you

• Attach the seat belt below your belly

• Choose an aisle seat, as it makes it easier to get up or walk

• Drink lots of water and avoid carbonated beverages

• Avoid large meals

At Air Belgium, we want make your travel as comfortable as possible. If you are of large build, you can book an extra seat. We recommend that you book this seat when you purchase your ticket, or at least 72 hours before your flight - otherwise we cannot guarantee the availability of 2 adjoining seats.

Please contact our Call Center to book your seat.

This extra seat is for your comfort and will be charged at a regular fare - however it doesn't include any baggage allowance.

Because of our obligations to the safety of all passengers, a passenger may be denied boarding if a second seat is required and not purchased. On departure from and arrival at airports in non-EU member countries, Air Belgium applies the regulations in force in the country in question.

Air Belgium abides by the regulations in force in the non-EU member countries that it departs from or arrives in. For all departures or arrivals at airports within the European Union, Air Belgium, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006, may refuse to carry a passenger with reduced mobility only in certain circumstances:

• In order to meet applicable safety requirements

• If the size of the aircraft or its doors makes the embarkation or carriage of that person physically impossible