- Hong Kong's Plaza Premium Group (PPG) partnered with IBCCES to improve accessibility and services for passengers with disabilities in airports globally.
- Over 3,000 frontline PPG employees will be trained and certified to better assist travelers with hidden disabilities, ensuring high-quality, inclusive service worldwide.
- The partnership includes IBCCES's global Accessibility App listing and on-site inspections to elevate accessibility standards across PPG lounges, hotels, and services.
Hong Kong's Plaza Premium Group (PPG) and the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) have formed a strategic partnership with the goal of promoting higher accessibility and services for airport passengers with mobility issues and disabilities globally.
Under the partnership, more than 3,000 frontline employees of PPG will receive IBCCES training and certification. The training will equip employees to better identify and assist airport passengers with hidden disabilities. Training will commence with lounge leaders in strategic locations, such as Hong Kong, Canada, Malaysia, United Kingdom, and Italy, via classroom training, in addition, lounge managers and supervisors will be trained and certified to recognize and respond to individuals with concealed disabilities. This will be followed by a worldwide rollout that covers the training to all Plaza Premium Group lounges to provide uniform, high-quality assistance to all passengers with varying accessibility needs, reaffirming PPG's dedication to accessibility.
In addition, IBCCES will include as many as 200 of PPG's business units, such as lounges, hotels, restaurants, and airport passenger services, on its international app. IBCCES Accessibility App offers a range of tools and resources that are employed by tens of millions of members who experience accessibility issues and/or have hidden disabilities, as well as families and caregivers.
IBCCES will also perform on-site inspections at partner lounges to evaluate and provide input for improvement in accessibility standards, assisting us in developing more accessible spaces to accommodate passengers with mobility impairments and/or invisible disabilities. Through this alliance, PPG will bring its airport, airline and other aviation partners to IBCCES, allowing IBCCES to use PPG's connections to open doors to airports and airlines globally.
Bora Isbulan, Plaza Premium Group Deputy CEO, stated, "We are pleased to collaborate with IBCCES to enhance our ESG and social responsibility commitment in delivering inclusive and superior hospitality experiences. The partnership is also in line with our mission to make all travellers feel included and cared for every step of the way, making travel better for everyone".
"Our goal is to ensure accessibility is integrated into every part of the travel process not an afterthought", added Myron Pincomb, IBCCES CEO & Board Chairman. "To be working with a global industry leader like Plaza Premium Group enables us to fast-track that goal and influence cultural change across the travel sector on a worldwide scale. This is about making tangible, sustainable difference for millions of international travelers globally".
This collaboration is a major step towards enhancing airport hospitality and addressing increasing demand for accessible services within the aviation industry, aligning with both organisations' commitment towards inclusivity and customer satisfaction.
