[blindkid] Missed Flight
H. Field
missheather at comcast.net
Sat Jun 13 21:10:20 UTC 2009
Hello Kim,
Here's my thoughts as a blind adult who flies quite a bit.
I believe the airlines acted according to the girls wishes. The girls
didn't ask for assistance and they were not bothered by being given
any. I must say that when I fly, even when I don't request assistance,
I am constantly bothered by airlines personnel who insist on giving it
to me.
I never rely on the speakers so whether they are working or not
doesn't concern me. I simply make a note of when my aircraft is to
board. I keep track of the time and I stand up and find the
appropriate door for boarding when it's time to do so. I only
occasionally pre-board, if I'm not feeling well or I have bulky
carry-on things. In that situation I do the same. I usually ask what
time the pre-board will start when I am getting my pre-board pass.
Then, I note the time and go to the desk by the door when it's time to
do so.
So, I believe that it is the girls' fault that they missed their
flight. One cannot have one's cake and eat it too. If one doesn't
request the assistance that the airline offers, then one cannot expect
that the airline will assist, and get upset when things go wrong
because one didn't take responsibility for one's own boarding. Were
the girls listening to what was going on around them while waiting for
their flight to board? Usually there is quite a lot of noise when a
boarding takes place. Or, were they listening with head-phones on?
Even when I expect the speakers to be working, when the time to board
approaches I usually listen carefully and can hear where the line is
and the staff is talking to passengers, tearing boarding passes etc.
So, there are plenty of audio cues that it is time to board, or at
least time to ask someone what's going on.
It would have been nice if the airlines had gone out of their way to
tell the girls. But, the ultimate responsibility to get yourself on
the plane is the passenger's - blind or sighted. Even when one has
asked for assistance from airline staff, this is no guarantee that you
will catch your flight. On at least two occasions in very large
airports when I was flying on a tight connection schedule, I have
asked for assistance and was told I would have to wait for a car or a
person. However, I kept track of the time and went to the desk and
explained if I didn't receive assistance immediately I would miss my
flight. On one occasion they stopped a passing car and asked him to
divert to my gate. I arrived just as the last passengers were sitting
down. On the second occasion a desk clerk assisted me to my gate
instead of waiting for the official assistant person. In that case I
boarded with the last passengers.
In both of these cases I would most certainly have missed my plane if
I had waited for assistance. Even if the speakers were working at my
gate we wouldn't have heard them as I was in a large airport. But, I
understand that the responsibility to get myself on that plane is mine
and I do my best to be in control of my situation and get myself where
I need to be when I need to be there.
So, in my opinion as a blind traveller, the fault is with the girls
for missing their flight. They have watches and they should have kept
track of the time and taken themselves to the boarding door when it
was time. This has nothing to do with their blindness except for
highlighting their assumption that people will help them because they
are blind, even if they say they don't need help. I believe this is a
very valuable life lesson for the girls. They have learned that the
buck stops with them.
In your position, I wouldn't complain to the airport except perhaps to
say that, if the gate staff knew that the speakers weren't working
then they should have alerted passengers to this fact. Furthermore, I
wouldn't give the girls any sympathy. Instead, I would empathise with
them saying I was sorry that they had let this happen, but that it was
their own fault and that their is no point blaming others.
I hope my perspective is helpful. It's tough being a mum when things
like this happen.
Best regards,
Heather Field.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kim Cunningham" <kim at gulfimagesphoto.com>
To: "Blindkid" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2009 2:33 PM
Subject: [blindkid] Missed Flight
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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