Two Florida blind women, Camille Tate and Sherri Brun, were set to fly from New Orleans to Orlando back in mid-July. Little did they know that they would be left behind by Southwest Airlines, which later apologized and offered $100 in credit as compensation for the missed flight.
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As reported by Fox 35, the incident occurred on July 14. Both women were to board Southwest Flight 2637, scheduled to fly from New Orleans to Orlando. Tate and Brun waited at their gate for a whopping five hours, since their flight was delayed.
However, when they finally boarded the plane, they were surprised to learn that they were the only two passengers inside. As per Bun, someone told them at that moment that they were the only ones inside because the airline had forgotten about them.
Turns out, almost all the other passengers of Flight 2637 were rebooked on another flight. They had departed from a nearby gate from where Tate and Brun were waiting. However, no one told the blind women about the other flight, and they were left stranded for hours.
“Nobody at B6 told us anything. Nobody came to get us at B4. The time passed,” Brun said.
“That airplane took off, and our boarding pass had not been swiped,” Tate said, referencing the rebooked flight.
Forgotten, Compensated?
WSVN reported that Southwest Airlines realized what had happened when the rebooked plane landed in Florida. As a result, they sent the plane back to New Orleans, where the women finally boarded the desolate flight.
Camille Tate and Sherri Brun, after suffering this inconvenience, believe that the airline needs to improve the way it communicates and assists people with disabilities such as theirs.
“The way they help their customers that require additional assistance needs to change. There needs to be follow through,” Brun said.
“There needs to be some improvement in how they communicate with their passengers, especially those that have disabilities,” Tate added.
As compensation, both women were offered a $100 voucher for their flight delay. However, as per Fox 35, citing a Southwest Airlines statement, since they ended up completing the trip, they are not entitled to a full refund.
The statement continued, saying that customers must identify themselves and specify the assistance they will require to a Southwest employee. This must be done when they arrive at an airport, at any connection points, and after landing at their destination.
Furthermore, the airline specified that its employees are responsible for ensuring that all passengers who need assistance reach their new gates in the case of a gate change.
“We apologize for the inconvenience,” the statement concluded. “Southwest is always looking for ways to improve our Customers’ travel experiences, and we’re active in the airline industry in sharing best practices about how to best accommodate Passengers with disabilities.”