The blind student says he felt completely abused by Southwest Airlines.
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(FYI, Southwest has recently appeared in the news for controversially cancelling two long-standing free checkbag policies.)
What happened to the university students?
In Tiktok, college student Madd (@mylilmad) shares her now mixed feelings about Southwest, once her favorite airline. Her video has received over 2.6 million views.
Maddie goes to colleges in western Massachusetts, but is originally from Dallas, Texas. She says that an average of 12 Southwest flights a year is needed to commute between college and home.
Maddie is legally blind and uses her white cane to navigate. She says her boarding labels her as blind and “meets and supports” at the airport. Meeting and supporting is helping to provide support from airport staff.
Maddie says she remains loyal to Southwest due to her experience in customer service with her “extraordinary to date” and the low airline crash rate.
However, tide has turned on her recent trip.
Maddie explains that there is a layover in Tampa, but the flight was cancelled due to weather.
“This isn’t a problem. I understand that the weather is going to happen, and this was important. There were a lot of tornadoes in the area. We wanted that flight to be cancelled,” Maddie says.
Maddie says her flight was rebooked for her by a Southwest employee and she had to make connections in Baltimore before going to Texas. She had to wait 6 hours at the airport with other late passengers, but the attendant remained nice and assured her that she would take care of the hotel and dinner if she missed a flight in Baltimore.
Things become ordering
However, Maddy said another flight attendant stepped in and made the situation worse.
“The reaction I got from the flight attendant was the first moment I felt uncomfortable in Southwest. Basically, this flight attendant told me I wasn’t special.
“‘Everyone has a layover. Everyone has a place they need somewhere,” she recalled someone who told her.
Maddie says she cried the entire flight from Tampa to Baltimore.
Maddie eventually reaches Baltimore, but she says the plane is late and she misses her connection.
A fellow passenger will intervene
With the support of fellow passengers with elite status with the airline, when she spoke to customer service, she says she was told she was not given accommodation because it was a weather issue, not a mechanical issue.
However, she says her fellow flyers pointed out that he was given accommodation and that the two were legally blind at the age of 19.
“‘What do you think you’d do to her?” she recalls the man who asked on her behalf.
“I’m hoping she’ll sleep on the floor. A lot of people do that,” Maddie recalls the representative’s response.
In the midst of all this, her bag, carrying important pain control medication, was not her, she says.
Maddy says her dad was able to book a hotel nearby, but all restaurants in the area were closed for delivery and there were no open grocery stores.
“My current problem with Southwest is the hostility I received from that flight attendant and customer service agent,” says Maddie.
She says she understood that customer service people were just following orders, but the tone you talk to people is important.
“And part of my problem is that in Tampa, I was told I would take care of and be compensated for whatever, and then suddenly I got to Baltimore.
Watch on TikTok
Did Maddie turn it home?
Maddie says they finally reached their destination. However, she points out that it took 31 hours of travel time, four flights, 12 delays and cancellations.
In a series of follow-up videos, Maddie explains that her original tiktok exploded, but is actually a suggestion for filming her father. She says she knew from her previous experience that if she can’t get help from the airline via phone or email, it could only be useful on social media.
Even if Southwest didn’t watch Maddie’s video, she could at least get advice from people in the comments.
Maddie answers the most asked questions
Why didn’t she have all the medicines on her carry-on?
- Maddie explains that she uses her white guide wand to help her move around. But that also means that the entire left side of her body is involved. Therefore, she only has her right arm to carry on and carry the viola. There are plenty of things to add a third item to the mix. And since all her medications don’t fit in one bag, she chose to bring in and put life-saving medications in order to manage the pain in the checked baggage.
Why did she think she would be compensated for the delay?
- Southwest, on the other hand, usually only offers accommodation and compensation for flights that have been caused by delays due to mechanical issues, rather than weather-related issues. However, he points out that due to her disability, she was supposed to be properly housed.
“Because of my medical condition, I can’t sleep on the airport floor,” she says.
And it’s unknown Ministry of Transport Sites to see if the airline needs to provide accommodation due to passenger disability.
Will she report the workers?
- no. Maddie says she couldn’t read her name badge. And in all that whirlwind, she didn’t think she would seek them.
“Southwest always comments on this app, so where are they now???????” Read the top comment.
“Tampa lied to you, and Baltimore insulted you…” Summary.
“So now we don’t provide baggage checks and are discriminating?
“No one should be treated that way, whether it’s disabled or not. You shouldn’t tell them to sleep on the floor. There’s no one there,” the commenter wrote.
Daily Dot contacted Maddy for comment via email and direct Instagram messages and contacted Southwest by email.
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