Lufthansa has become the latest travel industry-related company to join the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program.
The global programme to support people with invisible disabilities enables affected individuals to discreetly indicate their needs in public spaces. The symbol is a yellow sunflower on a green background, usually in the form of a lanyard with a pendant. The “Sunflower” is used in many public, high-traffic locations such as airports, train stations, supermarkets, theatres, and universities.
The Lufthansa Group’s goal is to have all its airlines join the programme by the end of 2026. Austrian Airlines, Eurowings, SWISS, and now Lufthansa are already on board.
Around 1.3 billion people worldwide live with some form of disability. Up to 80%, over a billion of them have an invisible disability such as chronic illness, mental health issues, or sensory impairments. Air travel can be particularly challenging for these individuals. The Sunflower symbol allows affected individuals to discreetly indicate that they need more time, patience, help, or understanding in certain situations.
The Sunflower Program will also be implemented at Lufthansa’s two home airports – as of now in Munich, and in Frankfurt from January 2026. The Sunflower lanyards will be available at the information or special services counters at the airports from the dates mentioned above and will also be issued at the Lufthansa special services counters in Frankfurt and Munich.
