Access-air-bility mission: air travel for all

Round & About

Surrey pilot James Boyce and co-founder Llinos Edwards are leading a national effort to make air travel more accessible

A new accessibility movement with Surrey roots is gaining national momentum. James Boyce, a Camberley-based airline pilot, and Llinos Edwards, a disability advocate with lived experience, have launched Access-air-bility (accessairbility.com): a research-driven initiative dedicated to improving air travel for people with disabilities through real stories and lived experience. 

The project began from a very personal place. James was inspired by his girlfriend, Millie Bridger, a passionate disability advocate who loves to travel, and her experiences – the joys, the challenges, and everything in between – highlighted how inconsistent and unpredictable flying can be. James began to explore the issue more deeply during his MBA, where he researched how the disability assistance service at a major UK airport could be improved. 

Around the same time, Llinos was navigating her own barriers as a passenger with lived experience of disability. Her insight brought a second vital perspective: the reality of travelling when systems fall short. Together, James and Llinos recognised that change would only come if the aviation industry truly listened to the people who use, and deliver, assisted-travel services every day. 

Access-air-bility focuses on collecting these experiences. The team is building the UK’s largest dataset of real stories from people with disabilities, those who travel with or support them, and airline and airport staff who see the system from the inside. Whether someone has a single memorable experience, a moment of excellent support, or an incident that made travel difficult, each contribution offers valuable insight into what works and what needs to change. 

The initiative has already been recognised nationally. Access-air-bility has received a grant from The Open University Creator Fund, was shortlisted in the Santander X competition, and earned a Greater London Enterprise Award for Accessible Air Travel Innovation. These milestones underline the growing momentum behind the movement. 

At its core, Access-air-bility remains local, human, and community-led. James and Llinos believe the stories shared by people across Surrey can help shape a national picture of what accessible aviation should look like: predictable, empowering, and designed with dignity in mind. 

People with lived experience of disability, those who have travelled with or supported people with disabilities, and anyone working within airlines or airports are warmly invited to share their experiences at accessairbility.com to build a fairer, more confident future for everyone who dreams of seeing the world.