Blind passengers left behind, Southwest airlines issues apology

Southwest Airlines has issued a public apology after two blind passengers were left behind during a rebooking shuffle and only learned later that they had missed an earlier flight to Orlando.

The passengers, Camille Tate and Sherri Brun, eventually travelled on a later flight from New Orleans on July 14 but they were the only two passengers on board, after other ticketed travellers were rebooked on an earlier departure from a nearby gate.

The two friends, who are both blind, said they were never verbally informed of the flight change and could not see rebooking notices, making the situation especially frustrating.

“The way they help their customers [who] require additional assistance needs to change,” Brun said. Tate added: “There needs to be some improvement in how they communicate with passengers, especially those that have disabilities.”

PASSENGERS SAY NO ONE TOLD THEM OF REBOOKING

Brun and Tate were originally scheduled to fly on Southwest Flight 2637 from New Orleans to Orlando, which was delayed by five hours. They waited at the original gate for the entire delay and only realised something was wrong when they eventually boarded and found themselves alone.

“You’re the only two people on this flight because they forgot about you,” Brun recalled being told by staff.

Southwest later confirmed that most other passengers had been rebooked onto a different flight that departed earlier from a nearby gate. But neither Brun nor Tate were moved and no one informed them the rebooking had occurred.

“Nobody told us anything,” Brun said. “Nobody came to get us The time passed.”

Tate said: “That airplane took off and our boarding pass had not been swiped.”

AIRLINE OFFERS VOUCHERS, SAYS IT’S REVIEWING ACCESSIBILITY

Southwest Airlines issued a statement acknowledging the incident and offering an apology to the two passengers. The airline confirmed that Brun and Tate each received a $100 travel voucher but were not eligible for a full refund because they completed their originally scheduled trip.

“We apologise for the inconvenience,” Southwest said. “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.”

– Ends