Keeping People Moving: Inside PRM Services at Edinburgh Airport

The first passengers arrive before sunrise. By 4:00 am, the operation is already in full swing. Screens are live, requests are coming through, and the team is preparing to support hundreds of journeys across the day.

For Jayne Clouston, this is where her day begins.

Coordinating Support Where It Matters Most

Jayne works as an allocator within the PRM (Passenger with Reduced Mobility) Service Team at Edinburgh Airport. Her role sits at the centre of the operation. She assigns jobs, coordinates colleagues, and keeps services moving in a fast-paced, complex environment.

Each request represents a person who needs support to travel safely and with confidence. That support can vary. Some passengers need guidance through the terminal. Others require full assistance from check-in to boarding, including specialist equipment and trained handling.

Jayne and her fellow allocators manage this in real time, planning the whole day ahead as a priority. As soon as a passenger checks in, any requests are routed to the PRM team’s system, and from there, the team ensures the right support is in place at the right time.

This coordination connects desk hosts, agents, drivers, and managers. Every role matters. Every handover needs to work.

A Frontline Team Built on Trust and Teamwork

The PRM operation at Edinburgh Airport is large and busy, with more than 150 colleagues across several roles and shifts. Despite the scale, the work relies on close teamwork and clear communication.

Frontline colleagues are often the first and most important point of contact. They support passengers at times when they can feel stressed or uncertain. Delays, cancellations, or personal challenges can all add pressure.

Jayne is clear about the role her colleagues play, particularly the agents and drivers, who are the customer-facing role of what they do. They stay calm, listen, and help people through whatever situation they’re in, sharing an approach across the team: practical support delivered with respect and care.

Understanding the Person Behind the Journey

Jayne brings her own lived experience to the role. She lives with Systemic Lupus, a long-term condition that can affect day-to-day life in ways that are not always visible.

That perspective shapes how she sees the work.

This awareness is important in a PRM environment, where no two passengers are the same. The service has to adapt to individual requirements, often at short notice.

For Jayne, that is part of what makes the role meaningful and extremely rewarding: being able to support someone and create a meaningful difference in their journey.

A Service That Relies on Skill and Experience

Supporting PRM passengers requires more than good intentions. Colleagues are trained to handle equipment safely, support passengers with dignity, and manage a wide range of scenarios.

This focus on capability and consistency underpins service delivery. It ensures that passengers receive the right level of care every time.

Technology supports this process, with real-time systems that track requests and help teams respond quickly. However, it is people who make the service work.

Opportunities to Learn and Progress

Jayne’s own journey demonstrates the opportunities available within the operation. She started as an agent, moved into driving, and now works as an allocator, having also stepped into a management role on secondment.

Development is encouraged across the team, and management is praised for supporting experiences throughout different roles and building knowledge outside of your team.

This approach supports both individual development and operational resilience. Colleagues gain broader skills, and the team benefits from greater flexibility.

Making a Difference, Every Day

No two days are the same in PRM services. The pace changes, the challenges vary, and every passenger brings a different story.

For Jayne, that is what makes her role rewarding.

Behind each journey is a team working together to make it possible. From early morning starts to the final boarding call, their focus remains the same: supporting people to travel safely, confidently, and with dignity.

It is work that often goes unseen, but its impact is clear in every successful journey.