[blindkid] Missed Flight

Sun Jun 14 16:43:46 UTC 2009

Hi Kim,

I travel a lot and I think your first reaction was the right one. Usually,
before a flight takes off the stewardesses take a head count and compare
against a list of passengers. If there is a passenger still missing, their
name gets called out on the intercom. "Mr. so-and-so your flight is about to
depart, please check in at the check in counter", etc.. Because people could
be standing at the wrong gate by mistake, or could have been late checking
in and are still running to the gate. On numerous occasions I have seen them
hold the flight for someone with continental airlines. They have done that
for me once when I was late checking in and was still running to the gate. 

I am always under the impression that they keep tabs on their list of
passengers. They have to because once all the passengers are on board, they
are responsible for them. So it makes sense to make sure who's there before
departing. Likewise, if you are sitting in the waiting area of your gate,
and for some reason you don't hear the intercom, they alert you. I have seen
people that fell asleep, for example, and they wake them up. I don't know if
they are required to do that, but I thought that is what the designated
seating areas were for. The only way I could see someone missing a flight
were if they were a) at the wrong gate and b) did not hear any alerts that
were called out on the general boarding and c) missed their own name if they
were called out as a missing passenger.

Granted, the intercoms are really hard to hear, I always have a hard time
hearing what they are saying so I have to stand close to them. But I could
not imagine if she was sitting in the gate area, that they would close the
gate with her still sitting there!  I don't think that being able to find
your way to the right gate, and listening to those crappy intercoms, are the
same thing. If I was sitting in the right area, fell asleep and missed the
intercom that way for example, I would be really upset and disappointed that
no one came to wake me up and I would definitely be asking if they saw me
still sitting there. These principles apply to everyone. I also don't think
that the gate area people were the same people that would have walked her to
the gate either, those two instances were probably not related.

You can always check in with the people at the gate too, before you sit down
as well, that way they are sure that you are supposed to go on that flight,
in case the waiting area is full and you have to sit far away from the
doors. That way it is clear to them that you are missing the intercom
instead of sitting there waiting for another flight.

Thea Eaton

-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Kim Cunningham
Sent: Sunday, June 14, 2009 7:37 AM
To: (for parents of blind children)NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Missed Flight

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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