NEED TO KNOW
- Southwest Airlines responded to two blind women’s claims that they were forgotten when an earlier flight to Florida was being arranged for passengers amid a 5-hour delay
- On Monday, July 14, Camille Tate and Sherri Brun were the only two people onboard Southwest flight 2637 after all other passengers took the alternative journey
- “The way they help their customers who require extra assistance needs to change,” Brun said of Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines denied allegations that they “forgot” about two blind women when booking passengers onto an alternative flight from New Orleans to Florida amid a 5-hour delay.
On Monday, July 14, Camille Tate and Sherri Brun were booked to sit together on Southwest flight 2637. As both friends are blind, the pair was unable to see information about their flight having been delayed, and they allege there was poor communication from airline staff, Fox News 35 and WSVN 7 News reported.
When their flight finally took off after around 5 hours of waiting, Tate and Brun discovered that they were the only people on the almost 2-hour journey from Louisiana to Orlando, as all other passengers had been rebooked onto an earlier Southwest flight.
“You’re the only two people on this flight because they forgot about you,” Brun recalled, per WSVN 7 News.
Southwest Airlines said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that claims the two women were forgotten are “inaccurate,” while confirming that the women were scheduled for flight 2637.
They added that the duo were given $100 vouchers as compensation for the “almost five-hour” delay they encountered.
“Many of the Customers on that flight were accommodated on another MCO-bound flight that left a little earlier from a nearby gate,” the Southwest Airlines statement reads. “We attempted to locate the two Customers, but were unable to find them in time to rebook them on that flight. Our records show they flew to MCO on the airplane that had been parked at their original gate.”
Tate and Brun allege that they were sitting by their assigned gate and checking the Southwest app for updates throughout their wait to board the plane.
“Nobody at B6 told us anything, nobody came to get us at B4,” Brun said, per Fox News 35. “The time passed.”
Speaking of the alternative flight they could’ve taken, Tate added, “That airplane took off, and our boarding pass had not been swiped.”
The friends have alleged that the situation is evidence that Southwest Airlines needs to improve the service it provides to passengers.
“The way they help their customers who require extra assistance needs to change,” Brun said, per Fox News 35. “There needs to be follow-through.”
“There needs to be some improvement in how they communicate with their passengers, especially those who have disabilities,” Tate added, according to the outlet.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
According to Southwest Airlines, they have a Disability-Related Accommodations section on their help center, where blind customers can access assistance from “airport curb to and from gates and between gates for connecting flights.” Customers are instructed to identify themselves to Southwest staff when they arrive at the airport and any connection points.
“In the event of a gate change, our employees are responsible for ensuring all customers who need assistance reach the new gate,” the Southwest Airlines statement read.
“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,” the airline concluded.
When approached by PEOPLE, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport directed questions about the incident to Southwest.
Read the full article here
