Southwest Airlines late last week issued a breach of contract apology after a deeply distressing incident. Disregarding their needs, two blind passengers— Camille Tate and Sherri Brun —were abandoned while their flight took off from New Orleans to Orlando. On July 14, the airline’s flight 2637 was delayed five hours. Little did they know at the time, but two women took for granted the moment as the last two passengers remaining on the tarmac ready to board.
Credit where credit is due, the airline was very prompt to act after the incident. They rebooked every other passenger left on that flight on an earlier flight to Orlando. However, Tate and Brun were not included in this rebooking and continued to be on the wrong flight without knowledge that an alternative flight existed. According to Brun, they were informed that “You’re the only two people on this flight because they forgot about you.” This admission of the error has prompted new questions regarding how the airline treats its entire disabled customer base.
Brun said he was disappointed that no one came to help. “Nobody came to get us … The time passed,” she stated. Tate agreed with her, elaborating that they lacked their boarding passes scanned prior to the plane lifting off. “That airplane took off and our boarding pass had not been swiped,” she said.
In response to the incident, Southwest Airlines proactively granted each passenger a $100 travel voucher. They made clear that passengers were not entitled to a full refund because they had in fact taken their originally planned flight to completion. A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines stated that the airline is continuously seeking ways to improve customers’ travel experiences, particularly for those with disabilities.
The airline has agreed to hold the industry accountable by sharing best practices to ensure that all airline passengers with disabilities are treated with respect. Tate emphasized the need for better communication in these scenarios, stating, “There needs to be some improvement in how they communicate with passengers, especially those that have disabilities.”
While the events of this incident are still developing, it is Southwest Airlines intention to educate equally situated passengers to the possible hurdles they may encounter. And they’re bringing this story to press. Their intent is surely to make the changes needed so that this kind of mistake doesn’t happen again.