Sanyia was left stranded on the airport without discover that her flight had been canceled and issue speaking as a result of her baggage had been despatched elsewhere.
AUSTIN, Texas — Lacresha Roberts has spent the final two days at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport hoping to search out her daughter’s baggage.
Roberts’ daughter, 16-year-old Sanyia Roberts, is without doubt one of the many who had been affected by Southwest Airlines’ disaster. Sanyia, nonetheless, remains to be stuck 1,800 miles away from dwelling without her baggage, any toiletries or her cochlear implant charger.
On Dec. 20, the deaf teen flew to the Midwest to rejoice her sixteenth birthday with prolonged household. It was meant to be a enjoyable and stress-free week.
“She’s just a normal teenager,” Roberts mentioned. “She desires to do TikTok. She desires to remain on the telephone all day along with her associates. She loves her siblings.”
When buying the flight for Sanyia, Roberts requested help for her unaccompanied minor, noting that her daughter is deaf and would wish interpreter providers.
“I examine that field every flight,” Roberts mentioned.
Having executed this earlier than, Roberts assumed Sanyia was all set for her flights to Chicago, then again to Austin. But on Dec. 27, when Sanyia bought to the Chicago airport to fly again to Central Texas, she was by no means joined by an interpreter or supplied help.
Sanyia additionally wasn’t notified by textual content or the Southwest app that her flight had been canceled till hours after the flight had been grounded.
Roberts mentioned as a result of Sanyia’s cochlear implant charger is in her checked-in baggage, the system was lifeless and Sanyia couldn’t hear any bulletins within the airport about her flight.
And a textual content obtained at 1 p.m. confirmed her flight, scheduled for 7 a.m., would now go away at 9:35 a.m. — an alert delivered greater than 5 hours late. Later, a closing textual content obtained at 2:39 p.m. mentioned the flight was formally canceled, though it had been canceled for a while by then.
“She’s sitting in a nook crying as a result of she’s traumatized as a result of she does not know what is going on on,” Roberts mentioned.
Sanyia mentioned she tried asking individuals for assist, however had issue getting anybody to grasp what was incorrect. She described being scared and feeling helpless. Some individuals supplied to drive Sanyia to the prolonged household she had come to go to, who stay two hours away from the Chicago airport, however she turned it down out of worry.
Roberts mentioned after studying her daughter’s flight was canceled, she spoke with Southwest ticket brokers over FaceTime. One supplied to take Sanyia to baggage declare to get her suitcase, however after they bought there, Sanyia was advised her belongings had been now in St. Louis.
Sanyia’s prolonged household did choose her up from the airport that very same day.
The single mom of three mentioned she spent cash meant for different payments on a separate Southwest flight to attempt to get Sanyia dwelling, however that, too, was canceled.
“Even although I’m attempting, it makes me really feel like a failure as a result of I’m speculated to have, you already know, a security web,” Roberts mentioned.
While Roberts is upset her daughter is stuck with nothing 1,800 miles away, she is extra upset that Southwest Airlines dropped the ball. At a minimal, Roberts mentioned, she wished her daughter was supplied with the help she’d requested when reserving the flight.
“They completely failed my child in every possible way,” Roberts mentioned. “They completely failed her.”
Roberts is demanding Southwest Airlines do extra to raised serve its customers with disabilities, and to be extra conscious of minors touring alone needing help.
“I don’t want just ‘Here’s your [the refund] back’ and ‘I’m sorry,’” Roberts mentioned. “I need some type of action. I need more actions to be implemented so this situation doesn’t happen again.”
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