Travelling with the Sunflower Badge

For about half a year now, I have been using my personalized sunflower badge when travelling by plane.

The sunflower badge is part of the Hidden Disabilities Program. The sunflower symbolizes someone living with an impairment that is not immediately apparent. The reasons can be of the most diverse nature. In December 2024, the Hidden Disabilities website listed 912 impairments.

After my cancer this year and the efforts I have made after chemotherapy, I am pleased that the Sunflower program exists.

In terms of travel, experiences vary greatly. From my point of view, this also seems to be related to the fact that the program started in the UK. In December 2024, 280 airports worldwide and, unfortunately, only 18 airlines participate in the program. From a German perspective, participation is disappointing and offers room for improvement.

Airports

• Berlin Brandenburg
• Düsseldorf
• Hamburg
• Stuttgart (soon)

Airlines

• None

My best experiences in terms of recognition and handling have been with British Airways and London Heathrow Airport. At BA and the airport, I was actively approached about the badge and offered help. This is a great help, especially during boarding at a busy airport like Heathrow.

Beyond Heathrow, I have had good support experiences at airports in Aberdeen and Manchester.

My experiences at Berlin-Brandenburg and Düsseldorf airports have been relatively modest.

At BER Airport, my positive experiences have been limited to two situations this year. The first positive experience was at the security check. An employee recognized the lanyard and took me to a separate security checkpoint. My second experience was while boarding a Eurowings flight. An employee of Mobility Services assisting two other passengers saw the Sunflower badge and took me on board during pre-boarding.

The Sunflower Program does not seem to be well known at Düsseldorf Airport. The two airlines I use most often, Eurowings and Lufthansa, do not participate in the program. This is disappointing. I hope to see more commitment here, as the program directly relates to accessibility and inclusion.

In particular, the topics of preboarding and additional time for people who cannot (or can no longer) move as quickly as others are simply neglected at German airports. The reasons for this are manifold. No appropriate space at the gate has been planned for preboarding, and the number of people needed to handle a flight has been reduced to a minimum, just two examples.

On my last flight of the year with Eurowings, a flight attendant approached me about the Sunflower badge, and we talked at length about the Sunflower program and hidden disabilities.

Nevertheless, the Sunflower badge gives me security when I travel and move around airports. I very much hope that the Sunflower program will become more widespread. The program and support are not limited to airports and airlines. If you want to find out more about the support options, you can learn more here: ttps://hdsunflower.com/uk/sunflower-memberships

I will continue to wear the Sunflower badge next year.

Travel safe.