[blindkid] Missed Flight

Kim Cunningham kim at gulfimagesphoto.com
Sat Jun 13 19:33:58 UTC 2009


I am so mad right now! My daughter and another blind friend left Houston this morning heading to Colorado Center for the Blind in Denver. They are both attending the Earn and Learn Program for eight weeks. My daughter's flight was booked by our local DARS agency and since they booked a couple of days before they were to leave, they were unable to get a direct flight. The girls were to change planes in Dallas. My daughter was very confident in her abilities to get to the right gate and make the connection. She has flown several times by herself and had no worries. So, the girls got off the plane in Dallas and were met by airport personnel. My daughter informed him that she didn't need the cart and would find the gate if he could point her in the right direction. Apparently, one of the passengers offered to show them to their gate and my daughter allowed. My daughter told me that she walked in front of the passenger and found the gate on her own and was
 feeling very proud of herself. The passenger left the girls at the gate and the girls then proceeded to get a pre-board pass. There were no seats in the pre-boarding area, so the girls sat in a row of seats next to this area. After waiting to hear boarding information, my daughter went to the desk and was told that they missed their flight! Appparently the speakers were not working in this area and no one from the airlines came to tell them of the flights departure. Does this happen to blind people often? Should there have been something else that my daughter should have said or done while at the check-in desk? I spoke to the supervisor and she was so rude to me! I asked her how can someone check in for a pre-board pass and then no one ever make sure that the passenger knows when the flight is boarding (especially if the passenger has a white cane and the airlines already know the speaker doesn't work)? This lady said - "Well, we don't know IF the
 girls were in the pre-board area (insinuating they left the gate) and we didn't even know they were there (although the girls had pre-board passes). Since I was upset, I expressed my dismay about not being able to trust the airline upon which the supervisor told me the only way to make sure that your children are safe is to fly with them! This statement made me feel as though she was saying I wasn't a good mother. I really expected to here her apologize as soon as she got on the phone, but instead, she didn't want to assume any of the blame for the situation. I plan to file a complaint on Monday with their customer service department, but I need to understand whether the airlines have any requirements to make sure that blind people of properly notified of flight status. Southwest Airlines knew that the speaker wasn't working, but did not tell the girls. Now I'm sitting at home in Houston worrying about if the girls will make their next flight (4-1/2
 hours later). Both of the girls are in good moods and reading braille books and listening to their Victor Stream at the moment. The people at CCB are going to have to go out of their way to pick up the girls at a much later time also. Y'all tell me - Am I being an over-protective mother or do I have a right to be upset with the way Southwest Airlines deals with blind passengers?  
One pee-o'd Mom,
Kim Cunningham


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