--- title: Why Airline Mobile Sites Still Fail Blind Travelers at Check-In description: Blind traveler Michael Taylor shares why airline mobile check-in still fails screen reader users—and what airlines can do to fix it. image: https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Airline%20Blog%201.png --- - [skip to menu](https://blog.usablenet.com/why-airline-mobile-sites-still-fail-blind-travelers-at-check-in#nav) - [skip to content](https://blog.usablenet.com/why-airline-mobile-sites-still-fail-blind-travelers-at-check-in#main-content) - [skip to footer](https://blog.usablenet.com/why-airline-mobile-sites-still-fail-blind-travelers-at-check-in#footer) Test the accessibility of your website for free! Try UsableNet AQA. 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But for those of us who use screen readers, that convenience can disappear in an instant. I'm blind and use a screen reader daily. I write about accessibility not from a technical lens, but from the real-world perspective of someone navigating everyday tasks with assistive tech. In this post, I'll share what happened when I tried to check in for a flight on an airline's mobile website—and why these failures are more common than you think. ## Check-In Should Be Simple—But It Wasn't Like most travelers, I got an email inviting me to check in for an upcoming flight. I opened the airline's mobile site on my phone, expecting a quick process. But what should've taken two minutes turned into a frustrating series of barriers—none of which would affect a sighted user. ## Screen Reader Failures on the Login Page The first problem appeared immediately: incorrectly labeled form fields. My screen reader didn't say "Last Name" or "Confirmation Number." Instead, it simply announced "edit text" with no context. I had to guess which field was which. Once I got past that page, I encountered an even bigger issue. ## A Button That Didn't Work After entering my details, I tried to tap the "Continue" button. It looked like a button—but it wasn't coded as one. Because it wasn't a proper HTML element, my screen reader couldn't activate it. I tapped repeatedly, but nothing happened. Eventually, I gave up and switched to a desktop browser, where I managed to complete check-in with even more trial and error. This type of barrier happens constantly when mobile sites are designed visually but not tested with assistive tech. ## Dropdown Menus and Date Pickers That Don't Respond On other airline sites, I've run into broken dropdowns and calendar widgets that leave me stuck. I can hear the field exists, but I can't interact with it. No keyboard support. No screen reader support. No way to continue. When your entire travel process depends on completing check-in, these moments aren't just frustrating—they're a failure of digital inclusion. ## Why It Matters: Compliance Isn't the Same as Usability The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) requires airlines to deliver accessible services, but meeting regulatory standards alone doesn’t guarantee a seamless digital experience for travelers with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that people with disabilities took more than 27 million trips in 2019, and since then, accessibility-related complaints in air travel have more than doubled. When an airline’s check-in site is inaccessible, it’s not just a technical issue—it represents a significant breakdown in customer service and digital inclusion. ## What Airlines Can Do to Improve If you're designing or testing airline check-in experiences, here's what you need to prioritize: - Use proper HTML labels for all form fields - Ensure buttons are coded as interactive elements - Avoid or fix custom date pickers that trap screen reader users - Test real scenarios with assistive technology—not just automated tools ## Accessibility Checklist: Airline Check-In Want a quick reference for evaluating your airline's mobile site? **Checklist:** - Are all form fields labeled with clear, descriptive text? - Can users activate all buttons and links using screen readers? - Do dropdowns and calendars support keyboard and assistive tech navigation? - Is the check-in flow tested with actual screen reader users? - Is the site WCAG 2.2 AA compliant and usable in practice? ## More from This Series **Start here**: [Making a Hotel Reservation as a Blind Guest](https://blog.usablenet.com/making-a-hotel-reservation-with-a-screen-reader) **Next post**: [Using an Airline Mobile App as a Blind Traveler](https://blog.usablenet.com/using-an-airline-mobile-app-as-a-blind-traveler) ## A Better Approach to Accessibility If your digital experiences create the same barriers repeatedly, even after audits, it may be time to rethink your approach. UsableNet Assistive supports continuous accessibility with fewer internal bottlenecks.  To learn more, contact us. [![Illustration of people improving web accessibility and button to watch a demo ](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3280432/b09930d2-18e9-4a5e-be9c-74e854e489a1.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3280432/b09930d2-18e9-4a5e-be9c-74e854e489a1) ![Michael Taylor](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Michael%20Taylor-4.jpg) ### [Michael Taylor](https://blog.usablenet.com/author/michael-taylor) I am a regular contributor to the UsableNet blog on digital accessibility. I develop, write, and edit content for the company blog related to my experiences with digital accessibility. I explore various areas of the digital world and combine my unique perspective as a screen reader user with my fun and creative writing style to deliver an informative and engaging final product. My goal is to advance the company's marketing initiatives while also raising awareness about digital accessibility and how it affects the lives of real-world assistive technology users. My work covers everything from common accessibility challenges to robust and accessible design to tutorial-like content for specific web elements. - - - - ### Related posts ![Hotel Website Accessibility: Check-in, Messaging, and In-Stay Barriers for Blind Guests](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Beachside-min.jpg) [Hotel Website Accessibility: Check-in, Messaging, and In-Stay Barriers for Blind Guests](https://blog.usablenet.com/hotel-website-accessibility-check-in-and-in-stay-barriers-for-blind-guests) Jul 15, 2026 ![Hotel Website Accessibility: Browsing Room Options](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Beachside-min.jpg) [Hotel Website Accessibility: Browsing Room Options](https://blog.usablenet.com/hotel-website-accessibility-browsing-room-options) Jul 14, 2026 ![Inside the 2026 Midyear Numbers: The ADA continues to be the ONLY true enforcement around](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Registration%20-%20Midyear%20Report.png) [Inside the 2026 Midyear Numbers: The ADA continues to be the ONLY true enforcement around](https://blog.usablenet.com/inside-the-2026-midyear-numbers-where-digital-accessibility-litigation-is-going) Jul 8, 2026 ![Real Estate Website Accessibility: Property Listing Pages and Screen Readers](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Real%20Estate%20Website%20Accessibility%20-%20Property%20Listing%20Pages%20and%20Screen%20Readers%201200%20x%20630.png) [Real Estate Website Accessibility: Property Listing Pages and Screen Readers](https://blog.usablenet.com/real-estate-website-accessibility-property-listing-pages-and-screen-readers) Jul 7, 2026 ### Sign Up for the UsableNet Blog ### Recent Posts ![feature image](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Beachside-min.jpg) [Hotel Website Accessibility: Check-in, Messaging, and In-Stay Barriers for Blind Guests](https://blog.usablenet.com/hotel-website-accessibility-check-in-and-in-stay-barriers-for-blind-guests) Jul 15, 2026 ![feature image](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Beachside-min.jpg) [Hotel Website Accessibility: Browsing Room Options](https://blog.usablenet.com/hotel-website-accessibility-browsing-room-options) Jul 14, 2026 ![feature image](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Registration%20-%20Midyear%20Report.png) [Inside the 2026 Midyear Numbers: The ADA continues to be the ONLY true enforcement around](https://blog.usablenet.com/inside-the-2026-midyear-numbers-where-digital-accessibility-litigation-is-going) Jul 8, 2026 ### Posts by Topic - [Web Accessibility (311)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/web-accessibility) - [User Experience (113)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/user-experience) - [ADA Lawsuits (45)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/ada-lawsuits) - [ADA Website Compliance (38)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/ada-website-compliance) - [European Accessibility Act (34)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/european-accessibility-act) - [Mobile Web (30)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/mobile-web) - [Mobile Apps (27)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/mobile-apps) - [Retail (27)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/retail) ![](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Consultation%20Icon.svg) Need to improve digital usability, accessibility or performance? 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Stay up-to-date on our insights, the latest tech news and digital trends. ![International Association of Accessibility Professionals logo](https://blog.usablenet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SaaS%20Theme/2023%20Header%20and%20Footer/IAAP-logo.png?width=150&height=81&name=IAAP-logo.png) © 2026 UsableNet Inc. ![International Association of Accessibility Professionals logo](https://blog.usablenet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SaaS%20Theme/2023%20Header%20and%20Footer/IAAP-logo.png?width=150&height=81&name=IAAP-logo.png) © 2026 UsableNet Inc. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Michael Taylor", "url" : "https://blog.usablenet.com/author/michael-taylor" }, "dateModified" : "2025-08-25T13:55:14.767Z", "datePublished" : "2025-08-21T05:30:00.000Z", "headline" : "Why Airline Mobile Sites Still Fail Blind Travelers at Check-In", "image" : [ "https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Airline%20Blog%201.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.usablenet.com/why-airline-mobile-sites-still-fail-blind-travelers-at-check-in", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/UsableNet%20Logo_Black.png" }, "name" : "UsableNet Inc." } } ```