Wheelchair & Special Assistance Services
Ground Operations & Airport Services › Airport & Gate Management · 19 L4 steps · 6 phases · 9 decision gates · Updated 2026-03-19 14:12
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Process Flow Diagram (BPMN)
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L4 Process Steps
| Step | Step Name | Role / Swim Lane | System | Input | Output | KPI | Dec? | Exc? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phase 1 1.1 |
Ingest WCHR/WCHC/WCHS/WCHB SSR codes from PNR | Reservations Agent / Check-in Agent | Amadeus Altéa PSS | Passenger booking request or PNR with special assistance SSR codes | SSR codes attached to PNR and transmitted to ground handling agents via SITA Type B message | SSR capture rate ≥99% of passengers self-identifying as requiring assistance | N | N |
| 1.2 | Validate SSR codes against IATA AIRIMP definitions | Ground Services Coordinator | Amadeus Altéa PSS | SSR codes from PNR (WCHR, WCHC, WCHB, WCHS, DEAF, BLND, UMNR) | Validated or corrected SSR categorisation confirmed in PNR | SSR validation accuracy ≥98% completed ≥24 hours before scheduled departure | Y | N |
| 1.3 | Flag MEDA/OXYG/LEGL cases for medical clearance | Ground Services Supervisor | Amadeus Altéa PSS + MedAire Medical Clearance Portal | SSR codes including MEDA (medical case), OXYG (oxygen), LEGL (stretcher), INCAD | Medical clearance decision or deferral notice attached to PNR | Medical clearance decision issued ≤4 hours before departure; MEDA clearance rate tracked monthly | Y | Y |
Phase 2 2.1 |
Generate special assistance manifest for flight | Ground Services Coordinator | SITA Airport Management System (AMS) | Finalised SSR list pushed from Amadeus Altéa PSS, flight departure schedule | Special assistance manifest: pax count by category, seat numbers, mobility device details | Manifest accuracy ≥97% verified at gate against actual presenting passengers | N | N |
| 2.2 | Allocate wheelchair equipment and trained staff | Ground Operations Manager | SITA Airport Management System (AMS) + Workforce Management System (Jeppesen Crew Management) | Special assistance manifest, available equipment inventory, staff roster | Staff assignments confirmed, wheelchair and aisle chair allocation per flight logged in AMS | WCHR equipment availability ≥99.5% at departure time; staff-to-WCHR ratio ≥1:3 | Y | N |
| 2.3 | Brief check-in, gate, and lounge staff on SSR pax | Ground Services Supervisor | SITA Airport Management System (AMS) + Airline Ops Communication App | Staff duty roster, special assistance manifest, gate assignments | Pre-departure briefing confirmed, staff aware of individual passenger needs and mobility restrictions | Briefing completion ≥90 minutes before scheduled departure for all WCHR flights | N | N |
Phase 3 3.1 |
Meet and greet passenger at curbside or check-in | Special Assistance Agent | SITA Airport Management System (AMS) + Amadeus Altéa PSS | Passenger arrival at airport, WCHR manifest from Phase 2 | Passenger confirmed on manifest, escort service initiated and logged in AMS | Meet-and-greet wait time ≤5 minutes from passenger arrival notification; missed meet rate <1% | N | Y |
| 3.2 | Process priority check-in and accessible seat assignment | Special Assistance Agent / Check-in Agent | Amadeus Altéa PSS | PNR, validated SSR category, mobility device dimensions and weight | Boarding pass issued, bulkhead or aisle seat assigned, mobility device tagged for gate-check or cargo | Priority check-in processing time ≤10 minutes; accessible seat assignment compliance ≥100% | Y | N |
| 3.3 | Escort passenger through security checkpoint | Special Assistance Agent | SITA Airport Management System (AMS) + TSA PreCheck / Airport Security System | Boarding pass, passenger with personal mobility device | Passenger cleared through security, mobility device screened and returned, security escort time logged | Security escort completion ≤20 minutes; extended screening incidents <5% of WCHR escorts | N | Y |
Phase 4 4.1 |
Pre-board WCHR passengers ahead of general boarding | Gate Agent | Amadeus Altéa PSS (boarding control) + SITA Airport Management System (AMS) | WCHR manifest, gate assignment, boarding gate opening time | WCHR passengers boarded before general boarding commences, boarding scan logged in Altéa | Pre-boarding initiation ≥20 minutes before scheduled departure; WCHR pre-board completion rate ≥98% | N | Y |
| 4.2 | Transfer passenger to aisle chair at jet bridge threshold | Special Assistance Agent (Aisle Chair Trained) | SITA Airport Management System (AMS) + Airline Aisle Chair Inventory System | WCHC or WCHB passenger at gate, aisle chair staged at jet bridge | Passenger safely transferred to aisle chair and escorted to assigned seat | Aisle chair transfer completion ≤8 minutes per passenger; transfer injury rate 0% | Y | N |
| 4.3 | Tag, stow, or gate-check personal mobility device | Ramp Agent | Amadeus Altéa PSS (baggage tagging) + SITA Baggage Reconciliation System (BRS) | Personal wheelchair, power scooter, or walker; baggage tag from check-in | Mobility device tagged, stowed gate-check or in cargo hold, recorded in SITA BRS with return location flag | Mobility device stow without damage ≥99.8%; aircraft-door return ≥90% of WCHC/WCHB cases | Y | Y |
| 4.4 | Confirm seating, call bell, and lavatory access briefing | Cabin Crew / Special Assistance Agent | Aircraft Cabin Systems (IFE / Seat Control) + SITA Airport Management System (AMS) | Passenger seated, boarding in progress, pre-departure checklist | Passenger briefed on accessible IFE, call bell, and lavatory access; assistance closure logged in AMS | Passenger safety and accessibility briefing completion 100% before door close | N | N |
Phase 5 5.1 |
Transmit WCHR count and SSR detail to destination station | Departure Station Ground Coordinator | SITA Messaging (Type B / IATA AHM) + Amadeus Altéa PSS (SSR relay) | SSR manifest, confirmed pax list, flight ETA | LDM/PSM/IATA AHM 140 PRM advice message transmitted to destination with WCHR count and categories | SSR transmission to destination ≥60 minutes before ETA; message accuracy ≥99% | N | N |
| 5.2 | Deplane WCHR passengers in coordinated sequence | Cabin Crew + Arrival Special Assistance Agent | SITA Airport Management System (AMS) + Amadeus Altéa PSS | Aircraft at blocks-on, WCHR manifest from arrival station, aisle chair staged at jet bridge | WCHR passengers deplaned safely, arrival assistance confirmed and logged in SITA AMS | WCHR deplaning completion within 15 minutes of blocks-on; missed assist rate <0.5% of WCHR arrivals | Y | Y |
| 5.3 | Return mobility device at aircraft door or baggage claim | Ramp Agent + Special Assistance Agent | SITA Baggage Reconciliation System (BRS) + SITA Airport Management System (AMS) | Tagged mobility device retrieved from cargo hold, arrival WCHR manifest | Device returned to passenger in original condition; damage inspection completed and logged | Device return at aircraft door ≥90% (DOT ACAA requirement); mobility device damage rate <0.1 per 1,000 devices handled | Y | Y |
Phase 6 6.1 |
Log completed assistance events in SITA AMS | Ground Services Coordinator | SITA Airport Management System (AMS) | Assistance completion confirmations from agents, timestamps, staff IDs | Digital event log of WCHR assistance with timestamps, pax IDs, staff IDs, and outcomes | Assistance event logging rate ≥99% within 30 minutes of flight departure or arrival blocks-on | N | N |
| 6.2 | Audit DOT Part 382 / ACAA compliance metrics | Disability Access Compliance Officer | Tableau / Power BI (Compliance Dashboard) + SITA AMS Data Export | Assistance event logs, complaint records, mobility device damage and delay reports | Monthly DOT Part 382 compliance scorecard, gap analysis, corrective action register | DOT ACAA complaint rate <0.5 per 10,000 passengers; mobility device damage claims <0.1%; complaint resolution within 30 days ≥95% | Y | N |
| 6.3 | Escalate unresolved complaints to CX and Regulatory Affairs | Customer Experience Manager / Regulatory Affairs Director | Salesforce Service Cloud (CRM) + SITA Airport Management System (AMS) | Open DOT/ACAA complaints, device damage claims, missed assist incident reports | Escalation ticket created in Salesforce, root cause analysis completed, process improvement recommendation issued | Complaint resolution within 30 days ≥95% (DOT Part 382 §382.155 requirement); repeat incident rate reduction target ≥20% quarter-over-quarter | N | Y |
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