by Donald Wood
Last updated: 4:00 AM ET, Thu April 21, 2016
Photo courtesy of Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have teamed up with autism advocacy group The Arc to launch the facility's first multisensory room for customers on the autism spectrum.
According to Delta's official website, the multi-sensory room can be found on the Atlanta airport's F Concourse, and the facility features a mini ball pit, bubbling water sculpture, a tactile activity panel and other activities designed to help calm children before or after a flight.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on April 12, and Delta hosted a tour with pilots and flight attendants accompanying children and their parents through the multi-sensory room and aboard a Boeing 777.
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Atlanta airport customer service managing director Jon Edwards spoke about the addition of the multi-sensory room, saying, "Today Delta follows through with a commitment we made a year ago to ensure our customers traveling with children on the autism spectrum can experience the airport in a comfortable environment."
Delta First Officer Erich Riese is the father of a nine-year-old son on the autism spectrum, and he shared the following tips for parents, via the airline's official website, including preparing children for the upcoming trip by reminding them of it regularly, booking a window seat near the front of the aircraft, packing a small carry-on bag containing comforts from home and boarding last as it minimizes the time spent on the airplane.
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The opening of the multi-sensory room is part of a series of events scheduled for April that are meant to help raise awareness for autism during National Autism Awareness Month.
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