[blindkid] Missed Flight

Sun Jun 14 12:36:39 UTC 2009

Thank you all for your feedback on this situation. I knew that I could count on my NFB friends to put this into perspective. Of course, I much more relaxed now knowing the girls are safe and sound at CCB this morning and can reflect a little clearer. I am a little confused though about a couple of things concerning the difference between transportation to the gate on the cart and a pre-board pass. My daughter doesn't want or need cart transportation. With this said, if a blind person refuses cart service, then is the airline free of the responsibility for making sure that the person gets on the flight? Does the passenger then take their travel into their own hands?  That makes sense, but then if the person gets a pre-board pass, is the airline also has free from responsibility for this scenario also?  When my husband and I were at the airport yesterday, we heard a passenger's name being called over the intercom, and was told that his flight was
 about to depart. Why was this gentleman given the courtesy? Plus, with all the tight security at aiports, how can a person check in at the ticket counter, then check in at the gate counter, and then disappear on their roster of people to board the plane? Wouldn't some kind of flags show up for any passenger? 
I realize that we need to work more on independent airline travel and we will put our heads together to figure out how to not let this happen again. Some airlines are going to be easier than others. With assigned seats, Kayleigh should find this much easier than flying on airlines such as Southwest that corrals the people around numbered areas. This will be a very difficult task for her to locate an area within crowds of people. I would love to hear how everyone handles this type of arrangement. You all are right that I should calm down and use this as a learning experience. Kayleigh will be traveling more this summer - flying to Detroit and also Baltimore. She will be with the CCB group and should be able to get expert advice from them. 
Thank you all again for your advice.
Kim Cunningham

--- On Sun, 6/14/09, Melissa Green <graduate56 at juno.com> wrote:

From: Melissa Green <graduate56 at juno.com>
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Missed Flight
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Date: Sunday, June 14, 2009, 12:14 AM

I missed a flight because of the airline. I was at the wrong gate.  There wasn't anyone around to help me find the right one.  So when I did find it. The plane was heading down the runway.  All I got was a voucher for some food.  It sounds like the girls did what they could.  I live in colorado. So I know that the center will take care of them and won't mind having to pick them up later.  I do think that the supervisor was rude though.  You should complain about that fact.
Melissa Green
Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless
----- Original Message ----- From: "Kim Cunningham" <kim at gulfimagesphoto.com>
To: "Blindkid" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2009 1:33 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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