Man pulled off plane for tweet...

[mom2rose&john]

I wonder what the tweet really stated. I never entirely believe someone when they say "something like". It usually reflects a more innocent spin in their favor.

 

[DizBelle]

Here is what I found online:

Do families get to preboard?
An adult traveling with a child four years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the "A" group has boarded and before the "B" group begins boarding. However, those Customers holding an "A" boarding pass should still board with the "A" boarding group.

Can groups assigned to different boarding positions board together?
Yes. However, in order to maintain the integrity of the boarding process, we ask that earlier boarding positions board with the later positions. For example, if a passenger is assigned position A16 and wants to board with a passenger assigned position A45, the passenger holding the A16 boarding pass should board with the A45 passenger.



The guy expected his kids to be able to board with him as an A-lister even thought he kids were not A-listers. Given that his kids were 9 and 6 (not 4 years old or youger), the family boarding did not apply. If he wanted his kids to board with him, he should have purchased whatever would give his hids A group boarding or should have boarded with whatever group his kids were in.

The guy was attempting to violate policy.

 

[EMode]

I believe about 1/3 of his story. He sounds like an arrogant jerk and when you are like that karma catches up with you. Guess it got him that day.

 

[DizBelle]

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

So if all of the passengers approached the gate and said "I should get to board with A group because I'm me", the gate agents should just allow them to because telling a customer "No" is unacceptable?

 

[Kogo Shuko]

I'm surprised he was allowed back on if he was considered a security risk.

The moment he asked for the gate attendant's last name is the moment I would have been alarmed as the gate attendant.

She does not have to give out her last name nor should she. It's very easy to find out where she lives with today's technology.

Yes, SouthWest really screwed up, but demanding someone's last name when they are very easily exposed to the public is not right. How does she know he might not stalk her?

 

[Praying Colonel]

So if all of the passengers approached the gate and said "I should get to board with A group because I'm me", the gate agents should just allow them to because telling a customer "No" is unacceptable?

No. Just like no one should (a) be pulled off a plane as a so-called "safety threat" for tweeting that Susie Q at Gate 39A was not nice and (b) be forced to delete the tweet before being allowed to reboard.

Which do you think is worse?

 

[gwynne]

Here is what I found online:

Do families get to preboard?
An adult traveling with a child four years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the "A" group has boarded and before the "B" group begins boarding. However, those Customers holding an "A" boarding pass should still board with the "A" boarding group.

Can groups assigned to different boarding positions board together?
Yes. However, in order to maintain the integrity of the boarding process, we ask that earlier boarding positions board with the later positions. For example, if a passenger is assigned position A16 and wants to board with a passenger assigned position A45, the passenger holding the A16 boarding pass should board with the A45 passenger.



The guy expected his kids to be able to board with him as an A-lister even thought he kids were not A-listers. Given that his kids were 9 and 6 (not 4 years old or youger), the family boarding did not apply. If he wanted his kids to board with him, he should have purchased whatever would give his kids A group boarding or should have boarded with whatever group his kids were in.

The guy was attempting to violate policy.

BBM. The solution was so easy. As the poster above pointed out, he should have just boarded with his kids. Sadly, it was more important to him to be an A-lister than a responsible Dad.

And his tweets? It's probably how he thinks. Gimme what I demand, or I'l let you have it. Ugh.

 

[Praying Colonel]

BBM. The solution was so easy. As the poster above pointed out, he should have just boarded with his kids. Sadly, it was more important to him to be an A-lister than a responsible Dad.

And his tweets? It's probably how he thinks. Gimme what I demand, or I'l let you have it. Ugh.

This kind of reminds me of the line-cutting threads on the Theme Park board. I always thought the better choice was for the person(s) up front to walk back and join that person, instead of the person in back cutting their way to the front. Same here.

 

[DopeyDame]

I'm surprised he was allowed back on if he was considered a security risk.

The moment he asked for the gate attendant's last name is the moment I would have been alarmed as the gate attendant.

She does not have to give out her last name nor should she. It's very easy to find out where she lives with today's technology.

Yes, SouthWest really screwed up, but demanding someone's last name when they are very easily exposed to the public is not right. How does she know he might not stalk her?

Oh please. My mom worked in customer service for an airline for 30+ years... The stories she told.
Irate passengers demanding stupid things is an every day (or at least weekly) occurrence and it would take way more than asking for the last name to upset most gate agents.

Of course the agent shouldn't have given out her last name, but her handling of the situation was completely inappropriate and unprofessional. Dealing with agents like this are one of the reasons my mom ended up retiring when she did. Recently, many of her co-workers were harder to deal with then the idiot passengers.

 

[minkydog]

I don't get why they would allow this man could board, but separate his very young children to fend for themselves. On what planet does that even make sense?

I'm sure this guy did get upset, maybe even raised his voice. I bet a lot of.parents would. Pretty sure no one on the DIS would say, "Sayanara, kids! Hope to see you soon, unless you wander off and miss your plane." Of course, he could have just held back with the rest of the B-listers, but why should he have to? He's an A-list customer and I don't see anything wrong with him reminding them of that.

I don't get the tweet issue. How did the airline even know about it?

 

[sunshinehighway]

No. Just like no one should (a) be pulled off a plane as a so-called "safety threat" for tweeting that Susie Q at Gate 39A was not nice and (b) be forced to delete the tweet before being allowed to reboard.

Which do you think is worse?

Right. I don't care what he actually tweeted because it was all about playing the safety threat card to force him to do what they wanted. It's a slippery slope when companies start doing things like that to force someone's hand.

 

[EMode]

I don't get why they would allow this man could board, but separate his very young children to fend for themselves. On what planet does that even make sense?

I'm sure this guy did get upset, maybe even raised his voice. I bet a lot of.parents would. Pretty sure no one on the DIS would say, "Sayanara, kids! Hope to see you soon, unless you wander off and miss your plane." Of course, he could have just held back with the rest of the B-listers, but why should he have to? He's an A-list customer and I don't see anything wrong with him reminding them of that.

I don't get the tweet issue. How did the airline even know about it?

His kids were not A listers though and they were not in the age range to board as family boarders. They have policy, and whether or not he was allowed in the past to board with them, which I bet was when they were young enough to board as family, he shouldn't get special treatment just because he wants it.

 

[sunshinehighway]

I don't get why they would allow this man could board, but separate his very young children to fend for themselves. On what planet does that even make sense?

I'm sure this guy did get upset, maybe even raised his voice. I bet a lot of.parents would. Pretty sure no one on the DIS would say, "Sayanara, kids! Hope to see you soon, unless you wander off and miss your plane." Of course, he could have just held back with the rest of the B-listers, but why should he have to? He's an A-list customer and I don't see anything wrong with him reminding them of that.

I don't get the tweet issue. How did the airline even know about it?

I'm wondering that too. It may have all happened fairly quickly if he was off the plane and back on before they took off.

 

[Jennasis]

I assumed the threat had to do with the company worrying about the safety of the employee when he released her name by the tweet.

 

[EMode]

I assumed the threat had to do with the company worrying about the safety of the employee when he released her name by the tweet.

That is my assumption too.

 

[sunshinehighway]

His kids were not A listers though and they were not in the age range to board as family boarders. They have policy, and whether or not he was allowed in the past to board with them, which I bet was when they were young enough to board as family, he shouldn't get special treatment just because he wants it.

But what does that have to do with him being removed from the plane until he deleted the tweet?
I think it's totally jerky to expect A-list treatment for his whole family. He should have just hung back and boarded with them. I'm sure he was less than pleasant to deal with.
That isn't why he was taken off the plane though.

 

[Aliceacc]

I think he was a jerk.

I don't think he was a security threat. Or, if he was, then Southwest was grossly negligent in letting him re-board without involving Homeland Swcurity.

I think this was a few p****d off employees getting back at an obnoxious customer.

 

[EMode]

But what does that have to do with him being removed from the plane until he deleted the tweet?
I think it's totally jerky to expect A-list treatment for his whole family. He should have just hung back and boarded with them. I'm sure he was less than pleasant to deal with.
That isn't why he was taken off the plane though.

Nothing, my response was to the poster who asked about him not being able to board with his kids. My assumption is that his tweet posed a threat to the gate agent, maybe the goal of asking him to get off was so he could delete it.

ETA we are hearing he was told he was a security threat from him, and I' m sure there is more to that he isn't sharing.

 

[Hrhpd]

I don't get why they would allow this man could board, but separate his very young children to fend for themselves. On what planet does that even make sense?

I'm sure this guy did get upset, maybe even raised his voice. I bet a lot of.parents would. Pretty sure no one on the DIS would say, "Sayanara, kids! Hope to see you soon, unless you wander off and miss your plane." Of course, he could have just held back with the rest of the B-listers, but why should he have to? He's an A-list customer and I don't see anything wrong with him reminding them of that.

I don't get the tweet issue. How did the airline even know about it?

I follow Southwest on Twitter. Passenger tweets go out and are usually answered immediately by a Southwest person. They must have staff that is dedicated to monitoring their twitter account.

Many disappointed tweets go out and SW usually replies with a "sorry, how can we help you to resolve this?"

Which makes me think there was way more to the tweet than "Susie Q was mean to me."

I can see why the airline would want him to remove the tweet. Even without the last name, any wacko in the Denver airport could go over to the gate and harass the gate agent in question. Those tweets go out to a ton of people. SW has 1.69 million people following them, so that tweet went out to any number of wackos. He gave a name and a gate number where the agent was located to 1.69 million people. That would be a risk to the gate agent.

As somebody upthread said, there is always 3 sides to a story and we are only hearing from a very arrogant guy, who you know is going to spin it to make it look like he is an A-List God.

 

[hoosll]

Here is what I found online:

Do families get to preboard?
An adult traveling with a child four years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the "A" group has boarded and before the "B" group begins boarding. However, those Customers holding an "A" boarding pass should still board with the "A" boarding group.

Can groups assigned to different boarding positions board together?
Yes. However, in order to maintain the integrity of the boarding process, we ask that earlier boarding positions board with the later positions. For example, if a passenger is assigned position A16 and wants to board with a passenger assigned position A45, the passenger holding the A16 boarding pass should board with the A45 passenger.



The guy expected his kids to be able to board with him as an A-lister even thought he kids were not A-listers. Given that his kids were 9 and 6 (not 4 years old or youger), the family boarding did not apply. If he wanted his kids to board with him, he should have purchased whatever would give his hids A group boarding or should have boarded with whatever group his kids were in.

The guy was attempting to violate policy.

EXACTLY, he knew when he paid extra for his own boarding status but was denied to purchase the same status for his kids that he was going to have to get SW to bend its policy for HIM. When they refused to make an exception, then he whined on Twitter.

I am so sick of being at the mercy of the airlines that I refuse to fly any more. They nickel and dime us - perfect example: we'll let YOU pay extra to board first but NOT your kids.