Why Airlines Need Modern, Accessible Self-Service Kiosks: A Blueprint for Scalability and Growth

Executive Summary

Every day, millions of people pass through airports—navigating traffic, waiting in security lines, and rushing to make tight connections. TSA recently screened a record 3.13 million passengers in a single day, underscoring the sustained growth in passenger volume across U.S. airports. To handle this demand efficiently, airlines have expanded their use of automation: self-service check-in, bag drop, boarding, and mobile-first processing have become standard across major hubs.

But modernization hasn’t been consistent. Accessibility still varies widely across touchpoints, vendors, operating systems, and terminals. As a result, a blind or low vision traveler’s independence often depends more on which kiosk they approach than on the airport’s overall digital strategy.

If airlines want self-service systems that actually scale, accessibility has to scale with them. Modernizing the passenger journey now requires modernizing accessibility and treating it as an operational priority, not a one-off pilot.

This white paper explores:

The challenge of accessible kiosk deployment and why scaling has proven difficult
Why multimodal accessibility has become the modern standard for airport kiosks
Why compliance-only approaches fail to create usable, consistent user experiences
A practical blueprint for airline-wide accessible kiosk modernization
How Vispero—creator of the only screen reader designed for kiosks—enables this transformation

When airlines align proven assistive technology with a structured, scalable accessibility program, they create self-service systems that are reliable, compliant, and independently usable, even in the busiest airports.

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The Accessibility Challenge in Self-Service Kiosk Deployments

Airline self-service has modernized rapidly, but accessibility has not kept pace. Many kiosks still fail to support blind and low vision travelers in real airport conditions: glare that obscures screens, loud ambient noise, crowded spaces, and the pressure of tight departure windows. When accessibility breaks, the impact cascades. Each inaccessible interaction creates downstream friction: longer assistance times at kiosks, increased staffing demands and call-center escalations, and slower passenger throughput. The core benefits of automation, speed, independence, and cost reduction, are steadily eroded. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the global population, experience a significant disability. When you include friends and family who make travel decisions together, the disability market represents over $8 trillion in annual disposable income. For airlines, inaccessible kiosks don’t just reduce passenger independence; they limit participation from a massive consumer segment and undermine the value of self-service investments. At the same time, expectations are rising, as many travelers now assume digital interactions will be intuitive and accessible. A synthesis of DOT data found that in 2022, travelers filed 1,693 disability-related complaints against U.S. airlines, a 200% surge from 2019. These trends reflect a large-scale underlying issue: the current approach to accessibility wasn’t built to scale. Fragmentation is the core barrier. Airlines operate kiosks from multiple vendors, running different operating systems, UI frameworks, and interaction models. As a result, accessibility features that work in one location may fail in another. The result is pockets of accessibility rather than a predictable, systemwide experience. A robust deployment of accessible kiosks requires a foundation that works across diverse software and hardware, airports, and environments.

Multimodal Accessibility: The Modern Standard for Accessible Kiosks

Multimodal accessibility redefines how people interact with self-service systems in demanding environments like airports. Instead of relying on a single interaction method, multimodal design provides multiple input and output options, allowing each traveler to complete tasks using the approach that works best for them. It is the most practical way to ensure independent use for blind and low vision travelers (as well as travelers with other disabilities) and to support the broad range of situational needs in busy airports.

Input modalities

Tactile buttons: Physical, tactilely discernible controls help blind and low vision travelers operate key functions and assist people with limited dexterity or difficulty interacting with touchscreens.

Output modalities

Screen reader integration: Converts on-screen information into speech so blind users can fully navigate menus, confirm selections, and complete transactions.
Audio cues and guidance: Provide supplemental information and notifications to help users who may miss visual changes or alerts.
Multilingual text and visual displays: Critical in international hubs where travelers rely on clear language support to make time-sensitive decisions.
Haptic feedback: Offers tactile confirmation of actions (e.g., a vibration when a button is pressed), improving confidence and reducing input errors.

Why it matters

Multimodal accessibility is the most reliable way to deliver consistent, independent user experiences. When kiosks share a common accessibility foundation, airlines can deliver predictable, usable interactions for every traveler at every touchpoint in every terminal.

From pilot programs to policy: how to scale multimodal design

Many transit authorities, including airlines, have recognized the need for more accessible kiosk systems, and responded with well-intentioned pilot programs. These initiatives often yield promising results, however, there’s a disconnect between small-scale innovation and system-wide integration. The result is that promising pilots stall before becoming operational policy, leaving core systems unchanged. To make multimodal accessibility sustainable, airlines need to do more than test new ideas.

Compliance is the Minimum: Operational Accessibility is the Goal

Airlines operate under a complex, evolving set of accessibility requirements that directly impact the design and deployment of airport kiosks. In the U.S., Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act require public entities, including airports, to deliver accessible digital services. For airlines specifically, the Air Carrier Access Act requires that automated kiosks used for check-in, boarding, and other passenger services be accessible to travelers with disabilities. Organizations that receive federal funding or participate in federal procurement must conform with Section 508, which sets technical accessibility standards for software and hardware used in public-facing systems. Globally, expectations continue to rise. The European Accessibility Act, now in effect, applies accessibility mandates to private-sector service providers and device manufacturers, including those supplying self-service terminals. Under the EAA, inaccessible kiosks can limit market access, create procurement barriers, or expose organizations to formal sanctions. Across these regulations, a clear pattern is emerging. Standards are converging on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and international requirements such as EN 301 549, which include explicit criteria for software interfaces and self-service devices. As a result, airlines can no longer treat accessibility as a box-checking exercise. Regulators are already holding organizations accountable. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a record $50 million penalty against a major airline for systemic failures in disability-related services. Airlines can achieve the letter of the law without delivering a usable or scalable experience for travelers. That’s where compliance alone breaks down. Like safety or security, accessibility must be measurable, repeatable, and operationalized across every touchpoint. While meeting the minimum may keep you out of immediate regulatory trouble, treating accessibility as an operational discipline is what creates consistent, independent use for every passenger.

The Blueprint for Airport-Wide Accessible Kiosk Modernization

Accessibility can’t be validated in a conference room. The greatest challenge airlines face is deploying accessible kiosks across mixed hardware, software, and airport environments. While no two airports are alike, the following is a practical blueprint for scaling accessibility across an entire self-service ecosystem.

1. Test in live airport environments

Kiosks must be tested under real conditions: glare, noise, pressure, and crowding. Testing must include blind and low vision travelers, as well as people with other disabilities or limitations. Task success rates, abandonment points, and environmental frustrations should guide design decisions and identify shortfalls.

2. Engage travelers with disabilities early and continuously

Accessibility breaks down when travelers with disabilities are brought in only at the end. Airlines need structured involvement throughout the design lifecycle: advisory groups, iterative usability testing, and hands-on evaluation with blind and low vision participants. This ensures that accessibility features are intuitive, discoverable, and resilient.

3. Write accessibility requirements into vendor contracts

Contracts should define measurable, testable performance outcomes, including:

Compatibility with screen readers and assistive devices
Success rate for task completion among diverse user groups
Multimodal interface support as a core requirement
Field test results as a precondition for deployment

This creates visible, impactful wins early in the rollout, building support across the organization.

4. Conduct a comprehensive accessibility audit

Before airlines can modernize, they need an accurate view of where accessibility breaks down. A meaningful audit goes beyond checking technical requirements. It evaluates:

Technical accessibility: Compatibility with screen readers, tactile input, audio output, color contrast, focus order, and input redundancy.
Experiential accessibility: Task success, environmental interference, pathway clarity, error recovery, and pain points experienced by users with disabilities.

Airlines should also assess their internal readiness, including whether teams have accessibility processes, governance, and budget to sustain improvements over time. Modernization dies quickly without internal capacity.

5. Prioritize high-impact upgrades

It’s not necessary to overhaul every kiosk at once. Instead, start where the risk and payoff are highest:

High-traffic or time-critical locations such as check-in, bag drop, and boarding
Kiosks running outdated operating systems or lacking multimodal input
Airports serving large senior, international, or high-needs traveler populations
Kiosks with high rates of abandonment or staff intervention

6. Make the business case

For accessibility initiatives to gain traction, they must be tied to tangible business outcomes and measurable benefits:

Operational efficiency: More passengers completing tasks independently means fewer agents tied up in routine assistance.
Reduced training and support burden: Consistent, predictable, accessible interfaces simplify staff onboarding and reduce error-handling time.
Regulatory and contract advantages: Meeting WCAG and EN 301 549 standards reduces compliance exposure and strengthens the airline in airport-authority negotiations and international operations.
Expanded customer base: Accessible systems unlock participation from travelers with disabilities and the broader disability travel market, which represents trillions in global disposable income.

7. Architect for change

Like most technology, kiosk environments change fast, and airlines need systems that can be updated without reworking core interfaces each time. Long-term resilience depends on a modular, maintainable architecture that supports quick updates, integrates new input modes, simplifies troubleshooting, and stays consistent across diverse hardware and software stacks.

Pulling it all together

With the right strategy and partners, accessibility moves from a compliance checkbox to an operational advantage that fosters long-term customer loyalty. And, in turn, accessible kiosks become a scalable system: consistent, maintainable, and independently usable by the travelers who rely on them most.

How JAWS for Kiosk Standardizes Accessible Self-Service

JAWS for Kiosk brings consistency where airlines need it most. As the first and only screen reader purpose-built for public self-service, it delivers secure, speech-guided interactions tailored to kiosk interfaces. The result is a compliant, predictable experience that reduces friction and enables independent use, even in the busiest airports. With more than 30 years of leadership in assistive technology and accessibility implementation, Vispero helps airlines deploy accessibility at scale across mixed hardware, software, and vendor ecosystems. We work with airlines to assess risk in existing kiosk implementations, identify technical and experience gaps, and meet regulatory expectations with clarity and confidence. Our offering includes:

Expert audits of kiosk software to identify accessibility issues
Prototype and co-design support with kiosk manufacturers and integrators
Field usability testing with people with disabilities and diverse traveler populations
Strategic consulting to embed accessibility into organizational culture, RFP requirements, procurement processes, and long-term digital product practices
Industry-leading screen reader software to enable independent navigation and operation by blind and low vision travelers

Accessible kiosks aren’t just a compliance requirement. They strengthen operational efficiency, reduce support costs, and ensure every traveler can navigate your self-service systems independently, fostering long-term customer loyalty. Talk with Vispero’s accessibility experts to evaluate your current kiosk environment and begin building a scalable, multimodal roadmap for your airline.