Two blind women have accused Southwest Airlines of forgetting about them after they were the only two people to board a flight from New Orleans to Orlando last month.
The two friends, Sherri Brun and Camille Tate, were the only passengers on the July 14 flight, which was delayed nearly five hours, prompting most of the flight's other passengers to be rebooked on an earlier trip.
"You’re the only two people on this flight because they forgot about you," Brun told FOX 35 Orlando. "Nobody at B6 told us anything. Nobody came to get us at B4. The time passed."
Southwest confirmed the delay and issued the women $100 vouchers for compensation, but said there would be no refund since they had completed their travel.
The airline also denied that it failed to provide the proper assistance required under the Air Carrier Access Act.
"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," Southwest said in a statement to FOX 35.
"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," it added.
"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."
Nonetheless, the two women claim the airline didn't do enough.
"There needs to be some improvement in how they communicate with their passengers, especially those that have disabilities," Tate told FOX 35.
The way they help their customers who require additional assistance needs to change. There needs to be follow-through," added Brun.
Southwest did issue an apology, however.
"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."
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