CAA Guidance for Airports on Supporting Hidden Disabilities (CAP 1411)
Accessible airport announcements and disruption information for passengers who cannot rely on audible PA
What this is
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the UK's designated enforcement body for Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 at airports (see the separate datasheet). CAP 1411, “CAA guidance for airports on providing assistance to people with hidden disabilities” (December 2016, still current), is specifically about hidden disabilities — including autism, dementia, learning disabilities, anxiety and other mental health conditions, and hearing loss — rather than accessibility guidance in general. It sets out in detail how airports should handle pre-travel information, announcements, visual information design and security communication for passengers with these conditions. We cite it here because its content on making announcements accessible is directly relevant, not because it is the CAA's general accessibility guidance for all disabilities.
Who it applies to
UK airport operators and their assistance-service providers.
What kind of instrument this is
Non-binding regulatory guidance issued by the CAA. It interprets and gives practical effect to the binding duties in Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 rather than creating new binding obligations itself — but the CAA does use guidance like this when assessing airport compliance and publishing accessibility performance reports.
Specific requirements relevant to announcements and accessible communication
- Chapter 2, paragraphs 11–12 (Pre-travel information) — assistance information should be presented “in a clear and easy to understand way” on websites and in accessible formats, with booking systems able to capture free-text messages beyond standard assistance codes.
- Paragraph 14 (Security communication) — airports must clearly explain what actions may be required for security screening, including close visual and physical examination, using pictures and prior communication.
- Paragraph 15 — airports must enable passengers to “receive communication of information needed to take flights in accessible formats”; provision must be made for people who are less able to use visual displays, generally met with audible announcements or in-person communication.
- Paragraph 16 — provision must also be made for those less able to rely on audible announcements: airports should design and position visual displays so they are easily readable by people with hearing loss, use clear pictograms throughout, and ensure signage is clearly visible to support wayfinding.
What organisations are expected to do
- Present pre-travel and assistance information clearly and accessibly, and explain security procedures in advance.
- Make flight announcement information available in accessible formats, not audio-only.
- Design visual information and signage to be genuinely readable and well-positioned.
Which requirements AnnounceAgain can help address
Paragraph 16's principle — that provision must be made for passengers “less able to rely on audible announcements” — is the closest match to what AnnounceAgain does: converting spoken PA content (boarding calls, delays, gate changes, disruption updates) into an accessible visual format. Paragraph 16 itself calls for positioned, fixed visual displays, which AnnounceAgain does not provide (see section 8); AnnounceAgain is a complementary, personal-device channel working toward the same underlying goal, alongside the more general accessible-formats principle in paragraph 15.
How AnnounceAgain addresses them
- Automatically transcribes terminal and gate PA announcements — including disruption updates — into text, giving passengers who cannot use or rely on a fixed visual display an alternative, personal-device-based channel.
- Provides translation, supporting passengers whose needs go beyond a single spoken or written language.
- Lets passengers replay a missed or misheard announcement — especially useful during fast-moving disruption, when multiple gate or time changes happen in quick succession.
Requirements AnnounceAgain does not satisfy by itself
- Does not address pre-travel booking or assistance-request systems (paragraphs 11–12).
- Does not handle security-screening communication (paragraph 14).
- Does not itself provide the fixed, well-positioned visual display infrastructure described in paragraph 16 — it is a complementary personal-device channel, not a replacement for airport-wide visual information systems.
Requirements needing certified hardware or other measures
- Fixed flight information display screens and their positioning/readability design (paragraph 16).
- Assistance booking and case-management systems (paragraphs 11–12).
- Staff training for security and hidden-disability communication (paragraph 14 and related CAP 1411 content).