Virgin Holidays staff to receive autism-awareness training

Updated
Boeing 747 Virgin Atlantic Airways lands at JFK Airport
Boeing 747 Virgin Atlantic Airways lands at JFK Airport



Virgin Holidays will make travel for families with autistic children easier by offering more autism-friendly packages in the future.

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Sir Richard Branson's firm is set to give staff in specific locations special training and give families information about what to expect, the Independent reports.

The holiday company is working with charity Autism Parent Empower to offer "various initiatives to assist families with autism who wish to travel".

Founder and director of Autism Parent Empower Jo-Ann D'Costa-Manuel told the newspaper she would "love to be able to see in their brochures that they have a little icon that identifies where is autism-friendly."

A Virgin Holidays spokesperson told the Independent that the company wanted to "enhance our provisions for families with autism throughout their entire holiday".

Airline Virgin Atlantic already offers families a training rig which they can visit and experience a check-in area and the environment of a real plane before they travel.

Around 700,000 people in Britain have a form of autism, which affects how they perceive the world and interact with others.

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