Airline mobile apps have become essential tools for travel. They let you check in, choose your seat, download a boarding pass, track gate changes, and manage in-flight services. But for blind travelers like me, they're often a source of frustration instead of convenience.
In 2024 alone, lawsuits against major travel brands highlighted just how widespread mobile accessibility issues still are. That's not surprising to me. I regularly encounter apps that are missing basic screen reader support. This blog continues the story from my recent trip and dives into what went wrong when I tried to use an airline's mobile app.
About Me: Michael Taylor
Before we dive in, here is a little about me: I write about digital accessibility based on real experiences. As a screen reader user, I navigate websites and apps in a completely different way than sighted users. And when digital tools don't account for that, I hit barriers.
Sharing these stories helps developers, designers, and business leaders understand what digital inaccessibility feels like—and what it costs. Because for every user experience that fails someone like me, there's also a brand that loses trust, loyalty, and revenue.
After struggling to check in on the airline's mobile website (see how airline mobile sites still create challenges for blind travelers), I turned to the mobile app. Many brands design their apps to be more mobile-friendly than their websites, so I had hoped this one might be more accessible.
It wasn't.
I downloaded the app, logged in with my frequent flyer number, and tried to check in for my flight. What followed was a frustrating combination of unlabeled elements, broken interactions, and inaccessible navigation.
The app's main screen used icons for navigation. That's fine in theory—if the icons have proper alt text. But in this case, they didn't. My screen reader read each one as just "button," "button," "button."
So I had no way of knowing which button took me to my boarding pass, which one let me check in, or which led to flight info. I had to guess—and each wrong guess meant backing out, waiting for screens to reload, and trying again.
Once I finally guessed right, I still couldn't complete key actions. My screen reader couldn't access all of the content on the check-in screen. Some fields didn't announce their purpose or status. I couldn't tell if I was checked in or not.
There were also areas where I lost the keyboard focus entirely. I'd swipe through the screen with VoiceOver, and the focus would disappear. That meant I had to close the app and start over, hoping I didn't hit the same dead end again.
Like the mobile website, the app used custom-styled drop-down menus for selecting seats and adding bags. I immediately noticed that the developers had not coded these menus to work with a screen reader. When I tried to choose an option, my screen reader announced nothing to me. This issue could have been caught by a member of the disability community when testing with a screen reader.
At one point, I selected what I thought was a seat, only to find out later that I had not saved anything. In the end, I boarded with a middle seat I never intended to choose.
Many digital teams focus heavily on making their websites accessible, which is essential. But in industries like travel, retail, and banking, your mobile app is just as critical.
If a traveler can't access their boarding pass, check in, or view gate changes in your app, they don't have a backup plan. You're locking them out of key parts of the customer journey.
On an airline's mobile site, custom elements and unlabeled controls can block a simple check-in. The same issues often appear in apps, but with even fewer workarounds.
If you're responsible for a mobile app, here are some foundational steps your team can take:
Can an app be accessible if the website isn't?
Technically, yes—but it's rare. Accessibility maturity tends to be consistent across platforms.
What's the fastest way to test app accessibility?
You can turn on VoiceOver or TalkBack and try to complete a key task. If you get stuck, so will your blind customers.
If you're not sure how accessible your mobile app is, a professional iOS/Android audit is the best place to start. UsableNet tests with real assistive-technology workflows and delivers developer-ready findings your team can act on.
UsableNet Assistive is our fully managed solution that improves your live website for people with disabilities—with less lift for your team. We test, fix, and maintain accessibility for you. Request a mobile app audit.