Autism and Flying - A Thank You to US Airways

usairways-7 Traveling with children can be difficult. Traveling with a child on the spectrum can be even more so.

Last month marked a big milestone for us. US Airways officially become American Airlines, my son’s favorite airline. In the past 3 years we have recorded over 350,000 miles collectively on US Airways, and for over a year my son has been so excited about “The New American.”

Don’t get too excited. This isn’t anything like Brooke Saward’s incredible World of Wanderlust journey but rather (mostly) necessary commuting. A simple “you do what you have to do” as a parent. In our case, however, cars won’t do; we need planes.

From what started as a “Let’s see how this works” 3 years ago to a regular routine, US Airways has become an integral part of our life. This could have turned out many different ways but over these 350,000 miles we have seen nothing but friendship from the staff of US Airways.

From the check-in staff to the Flight Attendants to the Pilots, there have been so many moments to be thankful for and so many great memories made. Just a few include:

The Amazing Gabby who gave my son a “really shiny airplane pin” he wears proudly on his book bag every day.
The Awesome Francine from Paris who always has patience to chat and ask about his day.
The Pilots out of St. Maarten who gave him his own travel book.
The Club staff who always great him with a smile and welcome him back (even if they don’t know his name).
His favorite Flight Attendant in the whole wide world (a title which can be bought with warm chocolate chip cookies).
The TSA agents who play along with his stories.

It takes a village to raise a child (any child) and having a son on the spectrum has its own special challenges. While the American Airlines merger is complete with US Airways, I do want to send a very special thanks to the staff of US Airways, who made the last 3 years of consistent air travel full of incredible memories. Words really cannot express my gratitude enough.

To all the Flight Attendants, Check-in Staff, Club Staff, Pilots, TSA employees and everyone involved with helping us create this book of memories and making our lives a lot easier….