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.

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. “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.”