Two blind women left at airport gate after Southwest Airlines 'forgot' about them
Two blind passengers were allegedly 'forgotten about' by an airline.
Last month, friends Sherri Brun and Camille Tate were travelling back from New Orleans to their hometown of Orlando, Florida, when their July 14 flight ended up being delayed by five hours.
Sherri and Camille waited at the gate after discovering the news of the delay and are said to have continuously checked the Southwest Airlines app (with which they were travelling) for any updates.
Ultimately, they boarded the flight back to Orlando some hours later, but were shocked to discover they were the only two passengers on board. Why? Because the airline supposedly 'forgot' about Sherri and Camille.
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Speaking to FOX 35 Orlando, Sherri said that they were told: "You’re the only two people on this flight because they forgot about you."
It turns out that the other non-handicapped passengers who were supposed to be on the same flight as Sherri and Camille had been re-booked onto other earlier flights to Orlando, which departed from a nearby gate.
Meanwhile, Sherri and Camille remained stranded at the original gate and were unaware of an alternative flight they could have taken.
The pair have shared their experience in the hopes of changing how disabled passengers are treated.
"The way they help their customers that require additional assistance needs to change. There needs to be follow through," said Sherri.
Camille added: "There needs to be some improvement in how they communicate with their passengers especially those that have disabilities."
Southwest Airlines is said to have offered both women a $100 voucher as an apology for the inconvenience caused. Elsewhere, the airline has issued a statement addressing the matter.
Its full response read, per FOX 35: "The Customers were scheduled on Flight 2637. Although it ran almost five hours late that day, it remained their same flight number throughout.
"We issued the $100 vouchers as compensation for the delayed travel, but a refund is not available if a Customer actually completes the flight.
"It appears the confusion about a plane coming back to get them might be because many of the Customers on that flight were accommodated on another MCO-bound flight that left a little earlier from a nearby gate.
"These two Customers were not re-booked on that flight, so their assigned gate never changed. Our records show they flew to MCO on the airplane that had been parked at their original gate."
It continued: "As far as accessibility policies, all of our information is found on the Disability-Related Accommodations section of the Help Center.
"For Customers who are blind, escort and navigation assistance is available from the airport curb to and from gates and between gates for connecting flights.
"To receive assistance, Customers must identify themselves and the type of assistance they require to a Southwest Employee when they arrive at the airport, at any connection points, and when they land at their destination. In the event of a gate change, our Employees are responsible for ensuring all Customers who need assistance reach the new gate.
"We apologize for the inconvenience. 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."
UNILAD has approached Southwest Airlines for additional comment.
Niamh Shackleton