Twenty-two students from two Philippine learning centers walked through immigration counters, security lanes, and a mock boarding gate at Clark International Airport this week, part of a program Emirates runs to make air travel less daunting for children on the autism spectrum.
The session drew participants from Hand Prints School of Progressive Education and Beyond Play Learning Center, along with eight teachers and the children’s parents and guardians. Over roughly three hours, the group moved step by step through the airport, beginning at check-in and continuing to a simulated gate boarding, with airline staff and airport partners explaining what happens at each point and taking questions from families.
Emirates positions the exercise as a way to strip away the unpredictability that often makes airports difficult for neurodiverse travelers. The noise, crowds, and unfamiliar procedures can overwhelm a child encountering them for the first time; rehearsing the sequence beforehand lets both the child and their caregivers know what is coming.
Pulling off the walkthrough required several agencies to coordinate. Clark International Airport’s customer service staff, border control officers, the Office for Transportation Security, and Emirates’ ground handling partner each handled their portion of the journey so families could experience it end to end.
“Making travel more inclusive starts long before a customer boards a flight. It means recognising that every traveller experiences the airport differently and working with our partners to make travel more accessible. We’re pleased to bring the Travel Rehearsal programme to Clark and hope it encourages more families to see travel as something they can enjoy together,” said Khalid Al Zarooni, Emirates’ Country Manager for the Philippines.
The Clark rehearsal is the airline’s second in the Philippines, coming after a June session in Cebu. Emirates has staged more than 40 of these walkthroughs since April 2025 across its network, reaching airports in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia, and the Americas alongside its Dubai base, in cities from Accra and Athens to Sydney, Toronto, and Vienna.
Emirates earned its designation as the first Autism-Certified Airline after more than 35,000 of its cabin crew and ground staff went through specialized training covering autism, sensory sensitivities, and the practical steps for assisting passengers with accessible travel needs.
