Southwest Airlines is on the defensive after two blind passengers found themselves left behind by an Orlando-bound plane—a mishap that ended with the pair flying to the city solo on their own essentially private flight, the Guardian reports. Camille Tate and Sherri Brun, both from Florida, had booked a July 14 flight from New Orleans to Orlando, and they waited at the gate as that flight was delayed five hours. While other passengers were quietly shifted to an earlier Orlando-bound flight at a nearby gate, Tate and Brun waited at the original gate, unaware of the change.
The two say they missed the memo—literally—because no one verbally informed them of the rebooking, and posted visuals are useless to passengers who can't see. The result: They boarded their intended flight to discover they were the only ones on board, WSVN reports. "You're the only two people on this flight because they forgot about you," a gate agent reportedly told them.
While Southwest ultimately got them to their destination, the airline's apology included just a $100 voucher each—since, as a spokesperson put it, the women technically completed their journey. Tate and Brun, however, say the ordeal highlights a larger problem. "The way they help their customers [who] require additional assistance needs to change," Brun told WOFL. Tate added that communication for passengers with disabilities needs a serious upgrade. Southwest, for its part, has apologized and says it's focused on improving service for all customers and sharing industry best practices on accommodating travelers with disabilities.