Blind and low vision visitors to Austin have a new accessibility tool to make travel through Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) easier.
The airport recently partnered with Aira Explorer to provide travelers with free, on-demand visual interpreting services throughout the airport. With just a smartphone, travelers can connect with a trained visual interpreter for assistance navigating terminals, locating amenities, reading signs and more.
Whether you’re visiting Austin for a University of Texas football game, South by Southwest, Austin City Limits Music Festival, Circuit of The Americas events or the 2026 National Federation of the Blind National Convention, AUS is working to make the airport experience more accessible for everyone.
Partnering with the Blind Community
Accessibility solutions are most effective when they’re shaped by the people who use them.
Before launching Aira Explorer, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport invited members of Austin’s blindness community to test the service in a real-world setting. Participants included representatives from Austin Lighthouse for the Blind, the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Open Doors Organization, and the Austin chapters of the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind.
Using the Aira Explorer app alongside their white canes, guide dogs and orientation and mobility skills, participants navigated the airport just as they would during a typical trip. They traveled to ticket counters, security checkpoints, gates, restaurants, restrooms and guide dog relief areas while providing valuable feedback on the user experience.
What Is Aira Explorer?
Aira Explorer is an on-demand visual interpreting service for people who are blind or have low vision. Using the Aira Explorer app, users connect with a trained visual interpreter who provides real-time verbal descriptions to help navigate unfamiliar environments, read signs and printed information, locate amenities, and complete other tasks that require access to visual information.
People use Aira for a variety of everyday activities, including traveling, shopping, reading, exploring new places, attending live events and accessing digital information.
At Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Aira Explorer is available free of charge throughout the airport, giving travelers another tool to navigate with greater confidence and independence.
Accessibility Through Collaboration
For Brandon Chesser, an Austin Lighthouse inventory control supervisor and member of the Lighthouse Civic Advisory Panel, the demonstration highlighted how technology can give travelers more control over their airport experience.
What impressed me most was that Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is taking the initiative to provide a service that allows blind travelers to navigate the airport in a more independent way. With Aira, you’re able to explore what the airport has to offer—from restaurants and shops to finding your way to your gate or a restroom—without having to wait for a physical guide.
Brandon Chesser,
Inventory Control Supervisor, Austin Lighthouse for the Blind
As a frequent blind traveler, Brandon said Aira offers greater flexibility and the opportunity to move through the airport at his own pace while still having access to assistance when it’s needed. While he noted the service is still evolving, he believes feedback from users will continue to improve the experience for future travelers.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to accessibility by offering a variety of services and resources for travelers with disabilities. After members of Austin Lighthouse’s Civic Advisory Panel shared feedback about the airport experience, airport representatives visited Austin Lighthouse to learn more about the needs of travelers who are blind or have low vision. They also hosted a Lunch & Learn for employees to introduce existing accessibility services, answer questions and gather additional feedback.
The launch of Aira Explorer is the latest example of that continued collaboration. By listening to travelers with lived experience and sharing information about available resources, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is helping more people travel with confidence and independence.
Learn More
Planning a trip through Austin-Bergstrom International Airport? Explore these resources to learn more about Aira Explorer and the airport’s accessibility services.
🎥 Watch Aira in Action
See how travelers who are blind or have low vision can use Aira Explorer to navigate Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in this short demonstration video.
✈️ Explore Accessibility Services at AUS
Visit the airport’s accessibility page to learn more about Aira Explorer, wheelchair assistance, sensory resources, service animal relief areas and other services available to travelers with disabilities.
📰 Read the Official Announcement
Learn more about the partnership between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Aira Explorer in the airport’s official press release.