Air travel should be an accessible experience for everyone. That’s the principle behind SAPHIR—an acronym that stands for Service d’Assistance aux Personnes en situation de Handicap pour les Informations et les Réservations (Assistance Service for Persons with Disabilities for Information and Reservations). This bespoke, complimentary program from Air France is designed to make flying simple, comfortable, and stress-free for passengers with reduced mobility or disabilities.
Launched in 2001, Air France was the first airline globally to offer such a free, dedicated assistance service. For over two decades, the airline has successfully assisted nearly 600,000 customers annually with this specialized support.
Seamless Care from Start to Finish
The SAPHIR service is not just about assistance at the gate; it provides end-to-end care throughout the entire customer journey:
- Before the Flight: SAPHIR agents offer crucial support with booking, ticket issuance, and transportation arrangements. Critically, to ensure all arrangements are in place, a request for assistance must be made at least 48 hours before departure. This can be done directly through the Air France official website or via a dedicated phone number.
- Expert Team: The customer relations center sales advisors are specially trained by medical specialists to address a wide range of needs related to motor and sensory difficulties, ensuring an informed and empathetic response to customer inquiries.
- During the Journey: From the moment a customer arrives at the airport until they retrieve their bags at their destination, the support continues. This includes assistance with check-in, navigating security, boarding, settling into the seat, and disembarking the aircraft. On board, Air France aircraft are equipped with amenities like accessible restrooms on long-haul and some medium-haul flights, and all aircraft carry an onboard wheelchair designed for aisle use.
- Travel Companion Policy: For safety, particularly during an emergency evacuation, Air France may require a travel companion for certain passengers, such as those with certain mental disabilities or those who are both blind and deaf.
The SAPHIR Card: Simplifying Future Travel
To streamline the process for repeat travelers, Air France offers the SAPHIR card. This free card allows passengers to create a profile that stores essential information about their assistance needs and details of any medical equipment they carry, whether in the cabin or the hold. With this profile in place, booking subsequent flights becomes easier and faster, as their specific requirements are already on file.
The SAPHIR service is currently available to customers in France and 20 other countries, making accessible travel a reality for a significant portion of Air France’s global network.
Conclusion
Air France’s commitment to making air travel accessible shines through its SAPHIR program. By providing dedicated, expert-backed support from the moment of booking through to arrival, and by developing tools like the SAPHIR card, the airline is setting a high standard for inclusive travel. It ensures that passengers with disabilities are not merely accommodated, but are provided with care and comfort, turning what can be a logistical challenge into a seamless part of their journey.
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Disclaimer
The Air France SAPHIR program services, requirements (such as the 48-hour notice), and availability in different countries are subject to the official policies of Air France and relevant local regulations. All travel is subject to applicable terms and conditions. For the most accurate and up-to-date details on the SAPHIR service, required forms, and contact information, passengers must consult the official Air France website (https://www.airfrance.com/).
