[blindkid] Missed Flight

[H. Field]

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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