[NFBF-Tampa] Fwd: [Nfbf-l] Frontier Airlines Refuses to Allow Blind Man and Granddaughter to board plane at Tampa Airport

Mon Jun 5 10:30:16 UTC 2017

Thanks for sharing, Cheryl.

Miracles and blessings from Darron be Denmark Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 4, 2017, at 1:35 PM, tampa President via NFBF-Tampa <nfbf-tampa at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Miranda B. Kilby
> President
> Tampa Bay Chapter, National Federation of the Blind of Florida
> Vice President
> Florida Association of Blind Students
> 2nd Vice President National Federation of the Blind of Florida
> Ph: (352)942-0417
> 
> Begin forwarded message:
> 
>> From: Sherrill O'Brien via Nfbf-l <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Date: June 3, 2017 at 2:19:03 PM EDT
>> To: "NFBFL" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Sherrill O'Brien <Sherrill.obrien at verizon.net>
>> Subject: [Nfbf-l] Frontier Airlines Refuses to Allow Blind Man and Granddaughter to board plane at Tampa Airport
>> Reply-To: NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Good afternoon to all,
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> The following article from the Tampa Bay Times makes me proud that I am part
>> of an organization who will never back down or give up when  terrible and
>> unexpected discrimination like this occurs.
>> 
>> Thankfully this story was also carried on Tampa's local ABC and Fox TV
>> stations.
>> 
>> Sherrill
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Frontier Airlines refused to allow blind man and granddaughter on plane at
>> Tampa airport
>> 
>> Justine Griffin  Times Staff Writer
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Friday, June 2, 2017 11:11am
>> 
>> Kliphton Miller, 44, holds his 18-month-old granddaughter Kassidy Reynolds
>> one day before attempting to board a flight to Las Vegas out of TIA. Miller
>> 
>> was turned away at the gate by employees who said his disability (being
>> blind) was a liability. Kliphton, born with glaucoma, has been totally blind
>> since
>> 
>> he was three years old
>> 
>> Kliphton Miller, 44, stands with his nine-year-old daughter Kliphrecce
>> Miller, right, outside of their apartment in Tarpon Springs. Kliphton was
>> not allowed
>> 
>> to board a Frontier Airlines flight on May 23 while escorting his
>> 18-month-old granddaughter Kassidy Reynolds on a flight to Las Vegas out of
>> Tampa International
>> 
>> Airport because employees said his disability (being blind) was a liability.
>> 
[DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD   |   Times]
>> 
>> Frontier Airlines has apologized for a "customer service failure" in
>> refusing to let a blind man traveling with his granddaughter board a plane
>> in Tampa
>> 
>> TAMPA - When Kliphton Miller left his home in Tarpon Springs before the sun
>> came up on May 23 for a 7:15 a.m. flight to Las Vegas, he didn't realize how
>> 
>> quick the trip would be. Airline employees refused to let him board the
>> plane. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Miller, 44, who is legally blind, was traveling with his 18-month-old
>> granddaughter to Las Vegas, where her parents live, after an extended visit
>> in Florida.
>> 
>> But Frontier Airlines employees at Tampa International Airport refused to
>> allow him to board the plane, even though he had paid for the flight. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> "I frequently fly with my granddaughter on other airlines and had flown on
>> Frontier with her before too, but they still denied me access," said Miller.
>> 
>> "I was denied because I am blind. They told me I was a liability." 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Miller had no problem moving through the airport with his granddaughter
>> without any extra assistance, including through the security checkpoint, he
>> said.
>> 
>> But when he asked for help getting on the plane once he reached his gate,
>> that's when airline employees began to question his ability to watch over
>> the
>> 
>> young child during the flight. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Frontier employees told Miller that he would be a liability in the case of
>> an emergency. They said it was against their corporate policy to let him on
>> 
>> board. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> "I would have been fine on the plane," Miller said. "Usually flight
>> attendants will help me to the bathroom if I need to change her, but I can
>> do it myself.
>> 
>> I was a single dad for 10 years before I got married, and then I was a
>> stay-at-home dad. I am completely capable." 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Miller said he traveled with his granddaughter on a Frontier flight to and
>> from Tampa and Minneapolis in November without issues. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> "I've flown on Frontier, Spirit, American, with her alone and had no
>> problems," he said. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Miller's incident with Frontier Airlines is the latest in a slew of heated
>> mishaps between airline employees and its passengers lately. United Airlines
>> 
>> came under fire earlier this year when the City of Chicago Department of
>> Aviation Police forcedly removed a passenger and physically accosted him to
>> remove
>> 
>> him from the airplane. A Delta flight attendant told one father he would go
>> to jail and his children would go to foster care if he didn't give up seats
>> 
>> on a plane that he paid for.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Frontier did refund Miller's ticket in full. But he still filed a complaint
>> with the U.S. Department of Transportation. A few days later, a
>> representative
>> 
>> from Frontier's customer service department called him to apologize. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> "We apologize to the passenger for the inconvenience he encountered while
>> traveling with us last week. There was a customer service failure during his
>> 
>> travel experience with us at TIA," said Richard Oliver, a spokesman with
>> Denver-based Frontier Airlines. "We have coached airport team members and
>> ensured
>> 
>> compliance with Frontier policy that ensures all passengers are treated with
>> respect and ensures that we are sensitive to their individual travel needs."
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Frontier also rescheduled his trip to Las Vegas free of charge - and even
>> told Miller they're working on changing their corporate policies so this
>> doesn't
>> 
>> happen again. Miller was able to fly out from Tampa with his granddaughter
>> two days later without issues. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> "People like to make assumptions. They like to judge a book by its cover and
>> always assume the worst about someone. That doesn't get nobody anywhere. I
>> 
>> just hope this doesn't happen to anyone else," Miller said. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Frontier Airlines refused to allow blind man and granddaughter on plane at
>> Tampa airport 06/02/17  [Last modified: Friday, June 2, 2017 6:19pm] 
>> 
>> Photo reprints
>> 
>> |
>> 
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