Southwest Airlines pays $100 for inconvenience to two blind passengers left behind at New Orleans airport
Southwest Airlines is under scrutiny after a mishap in New Orleans left two blind passengers stranded at their gate for hours due to poor communication and rebooking failures, sparking national debate about air travel accessibility and disability rights.
On July 14, 2025, Camille Tate and Sherri Brun, friends and both blind, planned to fly Southwest Flight 2637 from New Orleans to Orlando. Their flight faced a five-hour delay, but, unlike other travelers, they were not notified about a gate change or rebooking. As a result, almost all other passengers were rebooked onto an earlier flight from a nearby gate, leaving Tate and Brun alone at their original gate, unaware of the change.
When they finally boarded their delayed flight, they realized they were the only passengers onboard. A gate agent bluntly told them, "You're the only two people on this flight because they forgot about you".Both Tate and Brun described feeling isolated and frustrated, citing a lack of verbal communication and no accessible updates on the rebooking:
'Nobody told us anything,' Brun said. 'Nobody came to get us. The time passed.'
Tate added: 'There needs to be some improvement in how they communicate with passengers, especially those that have disabilities'. Southwest Airlines later issued a public statement of apology, confirming the women each received a $100 travel voucher but, since their tickets were technically used, no full refunds were given. A spokesperson insisted the company is "always looking for ways to improve our customers' travel experiences, and we're active in the airline industry in sharing best practices about how to best accommodate passengers with disabilities'.
Disability advocacy groups, including the American Council of the Blind, immediately called for systemic reform in airline protocols, demanding mandatory audio announcements and dedicated liaisons for visually impaired travelers.The incident also exposes vulnerabilities in federal regulation enforcement, as the Air Carrier Access Act requires airlines to accommodate such needs but in practice, lapses are not uncommon.Legal experts speculate that Tate and Brun might pursue action under disability discrimination laws. The story has gained traction online, with hashtags like #DisabilityRights trending and users criticizing the $100 compensation as "insultingly low".The Department of Transportation reports hundreds of complaints annually from disabled air travelers, with communication failures among the most cited issues.Southwest faced similar public backlash in the past, including a massive holiday cancellation event in 2023 and lawsuits alleging discriminatory treatment.
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Time of India
5 days ago
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Southwest Airlines says 'sorry' for forgetting two blind women in New Orleans, gives $100 vouchers for delay
Southwest Airlines left behind two blind women, Camille Tate and Sherri Brun, at New Orleans Airport, causing a five-hour delay in their journey, though initially the airline denied the allegation and insisted that they were not left behind. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The airline said the flight that the women booked was delayed for five hours and many of the other passengers were accommodated on a different flight but the two women found out about it when they boarded their delayed plane and realized that they were the only two passengers on the plane. They were told that they were only two passengers on the Orlando-bound flight because others had left. "I was angry and frustrated," Camille Tate said. Southwest denied that Brun and Tate were forgotten at the gate. The airline said the flight the women were scheduled for was delayed almost five hours and that many of the other passengers "were accommodated on another MCO-bound flight that left a little earlier from a nearby gate." "These two customers were not re-booked on that flight, so their assigned gate never changed," Southwest said. "Our records show that they flew to MCO on the airplane that had been parked at their original gate." The women complained that they were not told about the rebooking and they could not see any information because of their disabilities. The two friends said they took their unique flight story to the media to raise awareness about something that could happen to other similarly situated passengers unless the airline implements changes. Southwest then issued a public apology and offered Brun and Tate each a $100 voucher and said they were not eligible for a full refuns as they completed their originally scheduled flight. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'We apologize for the inconvenience,' the statement continued. 'Southwest is always looking for ways to improve our customers' travel experiences, and we're active in the airline industry in sharing best practices about how to best accommodate passengers with disabilities.'
Economic Times
6 days ago
- Economic Times
Southwest Airlines pays $100 for inconvenience to two blind passengers left behind at New Orleans airport
Two blind passengers left behind at New Orleans airport Southwest Airlines is under scrutiny after a mishap in New Orleans left two blind passengers stranded at their gate for hours due to poor communication and rebooking failures, sparking national debate about air travel accessibility and disability rights. On July 14, 2025, Camille Tate and Sherri Brun, friends and both blind, planned to fly Southwest Flight 2637 from New Orleans to Orlando. Their flight faced a five-hour delay, but, unlike other travelers, they were not notified about a gate change or rebooking. As a result, almost all other passengers were rebooked onto an earlier flight from a nearby gate, leaving Tate and Brun alone at their original gate, unaware of the change. When they finally boarded their delayed flight, they realized they were the only passengers onboard. A gate agent bluntly told them, "You're the only two people on this flight because they forgot about you".Both Tate and Brun described feeling isolated and frustrated, citing a lack of verbal communication and no accessible updates on the rebooking: 'Nobody told us anything,' Brun said. 'Nobody came to get us. The time passed.' Tate added: 'There needs to be some improvement in how they communicate with passengers, especially those that have disabilities'. Southwest Airlines later issued a public statement of apology, confirming the women each received a $100 travel voucher but, since their tickets were technically used, no full refunds were given. A spokesperson insisted the company is "always looking for ways to improve our customers' travel experiences, and we're active in the airline industry in sharing best practices about how to best accommodate passengers with disabilities'. Disability advocacy groups, including the American Council of the Blind, immediately called for systemic reform in airline protocols, demanding mandatory audio announcements and dedicated liaisons for visually impaired incident also exposes vulnerabilities in federal regulation enforcement, as the Air Carrier Access Act requires airlines to accommodate such needs but in practice, lapses are not experts speculate that Tate and Brun might pursue action under disability discrimination laws. The story has gained traction online, with hashtags like #DisabilityRights trending and users criticizing the $100 compensation as "insultingly low".The Department of Transportation reports hundreds of complaints annually from disabled air travelers, with communication failures among the most cited faced similar public backlash in the past, including a massive holiday cancellation event in 2023 and lawsuits alleging discriminatory treatment.
News18
26-07-2025
- News18
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