Southwest Airlines apologises after employee mocked a 5-year-old named Abcde

Southwest Airlines has apologised to a five-year-old girl after one of its employees mocked her name.

 

Southwest Airlines issued an apology after a gate agent was accused of making fun of a 5-year-old’s unique name.

 

Abcde (pronounced Ab-si-dee) was travelling with her mother from California to El Paso, Texas on Thursday.

 

When the mother and daughter arrived at the departure gate in John Wayne International Airport, a Southwest Airlines gate agent began to laugh upon seeing Abcde’s boarding pass.

 

The employee allegedly took a photo of the boarding pass and posted it on Facebook.

 

“The gate agent started laughing, pointing at me and my daughter, talking to other employees,” Ms Redford said.

 

“So I turned around and said, ‘Hey if I can hear you, my daughter can hear you, so I’d appreciate if you’d just stop.

 

“While I was sitting there, she took a picture of my boarding pass and chose to post it on social media, mocking my daughter.”

 

Southwest Airlines issued a statement where they apologised to the family for the incident, citing that living by the Golden Rule—treating every individual with respect in person and online—is part of their signature hospitality to customers.

 

“The post is not indicative of the care, respect, and civility we expect from all of our Employees,” the statement said.

 

“We have followed up with the Employee involved, and while we do not disclose personnel actions publicly, we are using this as an opportunity to reinforce our policies and emphasize our expectations for all Employees.”