Families participated in the first Autism Flight Day in Saskatoon

At 6 a.m. Saturday morning, families gathered at Saskatoon’s John G. Diefenbaker International Airport for Autism Aviation Day. Air Canada selects six to eight airports each year to host the event, which teaches kids about the ins and outs of traveling through airports. This year marks the first time Air Canada has partnered with Autism Services of Saskatoon to host this program.

“This is a very valuable relationship because it gives all families the opportunity to see how their children operate through the airport and by doing so, the airport has the opportunity to make those adaptations,” said Alex Scott, director of family programs for Autism Services in Saskatoon.

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Going to the airport can be stressful in itself, and can be overwhelming for those on the spectrum.

“Everyone is on their own journey, when you have a child who is on the autism spectrum, you can’t lump autism together,” Scott said. “Every person has their own sensitivity to their environment, their problems are different, their skills are different.”

In the morning, participants must complete check-in procedures and go through security to help build their confidence in the airport environment. They then boarded the plane for a short trip over Saskatoon to see what it was like to be in the air.

Watch the video above to see the kids’ reactions after completing their first flight.