When Traci Redford was traveling with her daughter, a Southwest Airlines gate agent allegedly began acting inappropriate, mocking her daughter because of her unusual name.
Names are one of those things we don’t exactly get a say in. Sure, you can legally change it as an adult, but for most of us, the name chosen by our parents is the one that sticks. And since we don’t get to vote on it, how it’s received by others is largely out of our hands too. Still, you’d think mocking someone’s name, especially a child’s, would be an obvious no-go.
That’s why one mom got upset and decided to speak out after claiming an airline employee mocked her young daughter’s name, before allegedly taking things even further by sharing it on social media.
5-year-old was mocked by airline employee
Traci Redford, from Texas, was traveling through California’s John Wayne Airport with her five-year-old daughter in 2018. They were boarding early due to the child’s epilepsy, hoping to avoid the crowds.But according to Redford, the situation quickly took an uncomfortable turn.
Her daughter’s name is Abcde, pronounced “ab-city,” and Redford says a Southwest Airlines gate agent began reacting to it in a way she found inappropriate.
“The gate agent started laughing, pointing at me and my daughter, talking to other employees,” she told ABC7. “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’.”
Her daughter turned to her mom asking: “Mom, why is she laughing at my name?,” according to Tracy.
Southwest Airlines issued a statement
Redford further claims the employee then took a photo of her daughter’s passport and shared it on social media, something she only became aware of after being alerted by someone she knew who had seen the post.
In response, Southwest Airlines issued a statement offering a “sincere apology”.
“We extend our sincere apology to the family. We take great pride in extending our Southwest Hospitality to all of our Customers, which includes living by the Golden Rule and treating every individual with respect, in person or online. The post is not indicative of the care, respect, and civility we expect from all of our Employees. 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,” they wrote according to Little Things.
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