[blindkid] Missed Flight
Barbara.Mathews at sce.com
Barbara.Mathews at sce.com
Sun Jun 14 18:52:56 UTC 2009
Kim,
From the perspective of a parent of a blind and a sighted teen, I
think what happened to your daughter has little if anything to do with her
blindness. I can imagine my sighted daughter assuming she would hear an
announcement and getting engrossed in reading a book, especially if she was
sitting a little way apart from other passengers, and missing the flight.
I think the airline had an extra responsibility to all passengers to alert
them that the flight was boarding if the PA system wasn't working. After
all, they have the PA system for a reason. But passengers have a
responsibility to keep track of the time, too.
It worries me as an airline passenger that someone can check luggage
(which I assume your daughter did since she would be away for 8 weeks) and
not board the second leg of a flight. What I would pursue is the airline's
policy on that. Not too long after 9/11, I can remember waiting after
boarding a flight because a passenger couldn't be located, and we were told
the plane couldn't take off without the passenger associated with a checked
bag.
-Barbara
Kim Cunningham
<kim at gulfimagesph
oto.com> To
Sent by: " \(for parents of blind children
blindkid-bounces@ \)NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List"
nfbnet.org <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
cc
06/14/2009 06:06 Subject
AM Re: [blindkid] Missed Flight
Please respond to
"NFBnet Blind Kid
Mailing List,
\(for parents of
blind children\)"
<blindkid at nfbnet.
org>
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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