Stranded: Two visually impaired women claim Southwest Airlines abandoned them after a lengthy flight delay
In an unfortunate incident, Southwest Airlines left two blind passengers, Sherri Brun and Camille Tate, behind at the airport following a nearly five-hour flight delay in New Orleans.
On July 14, the women were travelling from Louisiana to Florida on Southwest Airlines. However, their planned flight experienced a significant delay, and during this time, the plane that they were originally scheduled to be on took off without their boarding pass being swiped.
The women, realising they had been left behind at the airport, discovered they were the only two passengers on the Orlando-bound flight. Despite being the sole passengers, they were not informed about an earlier flight that most other passengers were rebooked on.
Southwest initially denied forgetting them, claiming that they were not re-booked on an earlier flight and their assigned gate did not change. However, the airline's records show that the women flew to Orlando on the same plane that was parked at their original gate.
Following the public exposure of this event, Southwest acknowledged a need to improve how it assists passengers requiring additional assistance. The airline emphasized that passengers must identify their assistance needs at multiple points, and employees are responsible for assisting them during gate changes.
Both women expressed a need for Southwest to improve its communication with passengers who require extra assistance. Camille Tate stated, "There needs to be some improvement in how they communicate with their passengers, especially those who have disabilities." Sherri Brun echoed this sentiment, stating, "There needs to be follow-through."
The women claim that no one at the gate informed them about the earlier flight. Tate added, "There needs to be a system in place to ensure that passengers with disabilities are not overlooked or left behind."
In response to the incident, Southwest issued $100 vouchers as compensation for the delayed travel. However, the women did not qualify for full refunds as they completed the original flight.
The U.S. Department of Transportation mandates prompt, effective communication for visually impaired passengers under the Air Carrier Access Act. Southwest failed to meet this standard in this case.
Following the incident, Southwest Airlines apologized for the flight delay and committed to sharing industry best practices to better accommodate passengers with disabilities. The airline aims to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.
[1] WSVN (2021). Southwest leaves 2 blind passengers behind at New Orleans airport. [online] Available at: https://wsvn.com/news/local/southwest-leaves-2-blind-passengers-behind-at-new-orleans-airport/
[2] The Hill (2021). Southwest Airlines leaves two blind passengers behind at New Orleans airport. [online] Available at: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/568435-southwest-airlines-leaves-two-blind-passengers-behind-at-new-orleans
[3] CNN (2021). Southwest Airlines leaves two blind passengers behind at New Orleans airport. [online] Available at: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/southwest-airlines-leaves-blind-passengers-behind-new-orleans-airport/index.html
[4] USA Today (2021). Southwest Airlines leaves two blind passengers behind at New Orleans airport. [online] Available at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2021/07/16/southwest-airlines-leaves-two-blind-passengers-behind-new-orleans-airport/8004825002/
