A blind teenager has slammed Southwest Airlines after a flight attendant shamed the college student publicly – before she was left stranded in an unfamiliar airport with no assistance following an excruciating 30 hours of travel.
Maddy Kolb, 19, was flying to Harford, Connecticut, from her hometown of Dallas, Texas, when she was left in tears due to a staff member’s ‘hostility.’
Maddy, who takes an average of ’12 to 14 Southwest flight a year,’ was put on a flight which had a layover in Tampa, Florida – which she’d never stopped over in before.
‘I am legally blind, I’m a white cane user, and I have meet and assist with Southwest,’ Maddy recounted in a now-viral TikTok video. ‘I have pre-board with Southwest, I have blind stamped on all of my boarding passes.’
Maddy, who is a disability advocate, said she had previously only had positive experiences with Southwest.
She explained that her first flight was smooth and when passengers got off in Tampa, the cabin crew initially let her stay on.
‘I usually have an escort that takes me through to the gate, the gate agent helps me board the plane first, flight attendants help me find a seat and put up my carry-ons, and then meet and assist helps me with layovers and getting to baggage claim,’ the college student told DailyMail.com
However, the plane had to disembark due to bad weather, with the airline rebooking the flights for everyone which resulted in Maddy spending six hours in the Tampa airport.
Maddy Kolb, 19, was flying to Harford, Connecticut, from her hometown of Dallas, Texas, when she was left in tears due to a staff members ‘hostility’
But with several of her flights pushed back or cancelled, Maddy was told by Southwest they would compensate her for a hotel and dinner if she had to stay the night in Tampa.
Luckily, she was put on a flight to Hartford via Baltimore – and was told by ground staff to let the flight attendants know that her next flight was leaving shortly after they landed so she could be taken straight there.
‘[I was told] they were going to wait for me, due to my blindness… they were going to hold the plane for me,’ she recounted.
When she boarded the plane, she said she was met with a flight attendant who told her she was ‘not special,’ and it ‘doesn’t matter that I had a flight to get to.’
‘Basically that I’m not important and it didn’t matter,’ she said.
Despite another fight attendant trying to intervene, Maddy said the Southwest crew member made an announcement to the whole plane, reiterating what she said to Maddy.
Maddy admitted the interaction left her crying for the ‘entire 90-minute flight’
‘That is the first time I’ve had a fight attendant speak to me in a way that was negative,’ she said. ‘In the past, I’ve only had delays that have been 60 minutes or less, therefore I hadn’t been significantly impacted by delays before this.’
The flight to Hartford had departed by the time Maddy arrived in Baltimore around midnight, and the next flight was due to leave at 9.30 the following morning.
Maddy claims she was then told Southwest would not compensate her for a hotel room, and she was expected to ‘sleep on the floor.’
Maddy, who takes an average of ’12 to 14 Southwest flight a year,’ was put on a flight which had a layover in Tampa, Florida – which she’d never stopped over in before
When Maddy she boarded the plane, she said she was met with a flight attendant who told her she was ‘not special,’ and it ‘doesn’t matter that I had a flight to get to’
‘I have a disability, they knew I have a disability, and I was to sleep on the floor,’ she recounted in disbelief, noting her bag had also been lost and she had been assured in Tampa she would be taken care of.
Maddy’s father managed to book a hotel room near the airport, but staff were unable to find her bag, eventually telling her it had been put on a flight to Hartford.
‘My current issue with Southwest is the hostility I received from that flight attendant, and the customer service agent,’ she admitted.
Maddy eventually made it to Hartford, where she was told her suitcase actually had been there the entire time, and had to get ready for class in the airport bathroom.
Maddy said she doesn’t think she will fly with Southwest again, describing the experience as ‘very detrimental’ to her mental health as someone with a disability.
‘I will continue to advocate for what I and other passengers deserve,’ she pledged.
In a follow up video Maddy said a representative from Southwest has since been in touch to offer her full compensation for the hotel and any money spent on food while her flight was delayed.
Southwest Airlines confirmed to DailyMail.com they had spoken with Maddy.