SOUTHWEST Airlines has outraged two blind women who had to wait five hours for a flight after they were “forgotten” at an airport.
The airline gave just one reason for its poor service – and issued only $100 vouchers as compensation for their traumatic experience.
Sherri Brun (left) and Camille Tate – who are both blind – were the only two passengers aboard their Florida-bound flight[/caption]
Southwest has paid just $100 in compensation for the delay[/caption]
Sherri Brun and Camille Tate told Fox35 that Southwest “forgot about us.”
“I was angry and frustrated,” Tate added.
The close friends suffered a nearly five-hour flight delay in Louisiana as a result of poor communication, they complained.
Their July 14 flights from New Orleans to Orlando were booked for Southwest flight 2637.
But, as both friends are blind, they couldn’t actually see notices informing passengers that their flight was boarding and leaving.
Tate said, “That airplane took off and our boarding pass had not been swiped.
“There needs to be some improvement with how they communicate with their passengers, especially those who have disabilities.”
They had been waiting out the delay in their seats.
Brun added, “Nobody at B6 told us anything, nobody came to get us at B4. The time passed.
“The way they help their customers who require extra assistance needs to be changed, there needs to be follow-through.”
When they finally boarded a plane, they realized they had been left behind at the airport because they were the only two passengers on the Orlando-bound flight.
Brun told the news station that they were told, “You’re the only two people on this flight because they forgot about you.”
Pics of the duo show they were the only passengers aboard the plane.
SW offered each of the women a $100 travel voucher as compensation for their lengthy delay.
SOUTHWEST RESPONDS
The airline has confirmed that their scheduled flight was delayed by almost five hours.
However, SW has denied that the friends were forgotten at the gate.
It explained that Tate and Brun were left behind because they didn’t get “re-booked.”
Sherri Brun said they were told, “you’re the only two people on this flight because they forgot about you”[/caption]
“I was angry and frustrated,” Camille Tate said[/caption]
Southwest denied that Brun and Tate were forgotten at the gate[/caption]
SW also said the airline does have navigation assistance at the New Orleans airport.
The airline said in a statement: “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.”
As a result of the July 14 delay, many other passengers “were accommodated on another MCO-bound flight that left a little earlier from a nearby gate,” according to SW.
It added, “These two customers were not re-booked on that flight, so their assigned gate never changed.
“Our records show that they flew to MCO on the airplane that had been parked at their original gate.”
However, Brun was adamant that no one at the gate told her and Tate about an earlier flight.
A SW spokeperson told Fox, “We have seen inaccurate accounts that suggest we ‘forgot’ the two customers, or that we sent a plane back to get them.
“Neither of these is the case. … The customers were scheduled on flight 2637.
“Although it ran almost five hours late that day, it remained their same flight number throughout.”
The U.S. Sun has contacted SW for further comment.
