Man pulled off plane for tweet...

[DizBelle]

https://gma.yahoo.com/family-booted...-tweeted-rude-233427897--abc-news-travel.html

Thoughts?

 

[skylizard]

https://gma.yahoo.com/family-booted...-tweeted-rude-233427897--abc-news-travel.html

Thoughts?

Wow. I don't blame him for never wanting to fly Southwest ever again. The employee needs to be fired over that and the company should've been a lot more apologetic.

 

[mnrose]

Ridiculous. If this went down the way it seemed to, it's absurd. The airline CAN'T be that sensitive. And, I fail to see their "argument" that it was somehow a "security risk" to tweet her first name and gate number? How is that? She's wearing an ID tag for a REASON. How else was this guy supposed to "identify" who was responsible for the poor customer service he had (allegedly) received? And, a policy that would separate the man from his kids? Also absurd. The security risk went right out the window when the tweet was deleted. He ceased to be a risk? Really? To me, this says it was more about the gate agent protecting her behind than anything else.

I get priority seating on another airline, and everyone in my party (ticketed at the same time....not just random people who I might befriend in the airport) gets the same seating. It's bizarre to separate people traveling together.

 

[maxiesmom]

I'm thinking he was pulled off for a combo of the tweet, and for acting like a jerk to the gate agent. I don't think he should have been pulled off, but it was a pretty stupid thing to do.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

https://gma.yahoo.com/family-booted...-tweeted-rude-233427897--abc-news-travel.html

Thoughts?

Well, of course, we're only getting one side of the story here. How do we know that the father's remarks didn't also come across as "rude"?

Could it have been handled better? Probably.

But there isn't much time for decisions about removing people from planes to be made with the fast turnaround times that some flights have. So the captain, from his viewpoint, can remove anyone he feels needs checking on. Basically, let the ground crew figure it out.

 

[DopeyDame]

What ever happened to "sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me?"

Clearly the gate agent was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of line to pull them off the plane. Southwest is gonna have some 'spalinin to do about this one.

 

[maxiesmom]

Wow. I don't blame him for never wanting to fly Southwest ever again. The employee needs to be fired over that and the company should've been a lot more apologetic.

The minutes someone throws out the Don't You Know Who I Am card, I lose all sympathy for them. It was silly of the agent to not let his kids board with him, but they were totally capable of doing so. And technically they shouldn't be boarding with him.

 

[mnrose]

Well, of course, we're only getting one side of the story here. How do we know that the father's remarks didn't also come across as "rude"?

Could it have been handled better? Probably.

But there isn't much time for decisions about removing people from planes to be made with the fast turnaround times that some flights have. So the captain, from his viewpoint, can remove anyone he feels needs checking on. Basically, let the ground crew figure it out.

Here'e the thing though. If they are using "security risk" as the reason for his removal from the plane, how come he ceased to be a security risk as soon as the tweet was deleted? Makes no sense at all. If they truly believe that this man was a risk to the security of that aircraft, he needs to have been KEPT OFF that flight, not allowed to reboard the second the tweet was gone. The tweet can hurt no one.

 

[DopeyDame]

The minutes someone throws out the Don't You Know Who I Am card, I lose all sympathy for them. It was silly of the agent to not let his kids board with him, but they were totally capable of doing so. And technically they shouldn't be boarding with him.

Sure, the guy sounds like an arrogant jerk, and if his complaint was about the kids not being able to board, I'd totally be on Southwest's side.
But being an arrogant jerk shouldn't get you pulled off a plane (heck, some planes would be practically empty if that were the case!) The issue is the tweet and their response to the tweet. You're seriously going to pull someone off a plane because they said something mean on social media? Kimberly S. at Gate C39 has a lot to learn about being a professional.

 

[skylizard]

The minutes someone throws out the Don't You Know Who I Am card, I lose all sympathy for them. It was silly of the agent to not let his kids board with him, but they were totally capable of doing so. And technically they shouldn't be boarding with him.

How is that the case when all he asked was if it was a new policy to not allow his children to board at the same time? The agent should've answered his question politely and not been so rude.
Him claiming someone was rude to him and tweeting about it does not equal a flight risk. It was just her being passive aggressive and getting back at him.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Fault on both sides, but SWA was much worse, IMHO. He was wrong for creating an issue about his kids not getting priority boarding. No one was keeping him from boarding with his kids, as he claimed. All he had to do was wait to board with them after the other As boarded.

But being pulled off for the tweet and being threatened like that was way over the top. And SW's offer of a measly $50 voucher is a slap in the face.

1 more reason to hate air travel.

 

[Squirlz]

How is that the case when all he asked was if it was a new policy to not allow his children to board at the same time? The agent should've answered his question politely and not been so rude.
Him claiming someone was rude to him and tweeting about it does not equal a flight risk. It was just her being passive aggressive and getting back at him.

That's his side of the story. There are always 3 sides.

 

[maxiesmom]

How is that the case when all he asked was if it was a new policy to not allow his children to board at the same time? The agent should've answered his question politely and not been so rude.
Him claiming someone was rude to him and tweeting about it does not equal a flight risk. It was just her being passive aggressive and getting back at him.

That is not what the news reported this morning. He started complaining to the gate agent about how important he was to the airline, and that his children should be allowed to board with him.

Note too that I agreed they shouldn't have pulled them off of the flight. However he didn't have to be a jerk and escalate things the way he did either. His kids were old enough to board without him. He could have let it go instead of pitching a fit.

 

[LilyWDW]

Do I think he should have been pulled off the flight? Based off of what I have read so far, most likely not.

Do I think he was as much as a jerk? Heck yes. He did pull the "do you know who I am card" by making a huge deal about how he is A-list. AND being a jerk about the last name thing. No company I have EVER been a part of allows us to give our last names as it is a personal risk to the employee. There was zero reason he needed the agents last name.

Sorry, but I can't have too much sympathy for him considering his additude.

 

[Aliceacc]

If he was thought to be a threat because of the tweet, wouldn't he be even MORE of a threat after being pulled off and embarrassed?.?

Yet he was allowed back on board.

Massive mistakes on the part of Southwest

 

[sunshinehighway]

The fact that he was allowed back on the plane once he took down the tweet says a lot. Either he was a threat or wasn't. Taking down the tweet shouldn't have mattered if they truly felt it was the threat.

 

[Ceila]

The fact that he was allowed back on the plane once he took down the tweet says a lot. Either he was a threat or wasn't. Taking down the tweet shouldn't have mattered if they truly felt it was the threat.

Exactly. Regardless of who acted badly (probably both the passenger and the agent), by Southwest allowing him to board once the tweet was removed proves that pulling the family off was done out of spite for his comment, not actual concern for safety.

 

[kaytieeldr]

How is that the case when all he asked was if it was a new policy to not allow his children to board at the same time? The agent should've answered his question politely and not been so rude.
Him claiming someone was rude to him and tweeting about it does not equal a flight risk. It was just her being passive aggressive and getting back at him.

"I tweeted something like, ‘Wow, rudest agent in Denver. Kimberly S, gate C39, not happy @SWA,’” he said.

So who knows what he specifically tweeted now that it's deleted? As another poster states, there are three sides to every story.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Wow. I don't blame him for never wanting to fly Southwest ever again. The employee needs to be fired over that and the company should've been a lot more apologetic.

Totally agree. She should be fired. That was way beyond rude! I feel bad for the guy. What a way to treat customers!

 

[Aliceacc]

I don't think he was blameless.

But I don't understand how removing the tweet removes the perceived threat.