I’ve previously covered stories when passengers behaved badly and caused a ruckus. In this case, a flight attendant’s Facebook post triggered a political firestorm. Interestingly, the post was made by a Southwest flight attendant on his personal Facebook page. The post eventually went viral, with angry commenters rallying a call to boycott Southwest.
Trump supporter on board
The flight attendant had some choice words for a person in flight who was quite evidently a supporter of President Trump. According to this report by the Chicago Suntimes, the social media storm erupted after another Trump supporter on board spotted the post.
Kaminski, a 51-year-old Chicago resident, shared a screenshot of a personal Facebook post by a male Southwest flight attendant. A friend had shared it with him. Both are Trump supporters.
The flight attendant’s post featured a photo of a man in an aisle seat on a Southwest flight, dressed in shorts, a camouflage hat and a navy blue T-shirt with an American flag and the words “Trump 45’’ and “Suck it up Buttercup.’’
The caption: “Someone did NOT get my most Positively Outrageous Service today on my flight … #notgoingtosuckitup #dumpTrump #eeew.’’ The “outrageous” line is a customer service mantra long espoused by Southwest.
Comments and Reactions
Social media can become a dangerous animal when untamed. Quite expectedly, the comments section went berserk, with people taking sides. One side called for a boycott, while the other said that the flight attendant deserves a raise.
Southwest’s Response
Initially, Southwest responded along expected lines, trying to reduce the tension.
“We aim to provide outstanding service to all who travel with us and regret if we missed the mark. We appreciate you sharing your feedback.’’
The Pundit’s Mantra
Clearly, this seems like a situation that went out of hand. Irrespective of which side of the political aisle you’re on, the issue was really triggered when a person openly wrote about his political opinion on a personal Facebook page. Was the flight attendant clearly discriminatory in his service towards that particular passenger as a result? Well, that’s something that Southwest would probably want to investigate.
The flight attendant has every right to have a strong political opinion and express it on his personal Facebook page. However, it becomes a problem when it gets in the way of him doing his job professionally.
What do you think would be the best course of action from Southwest in such a case? Let us know in the comments section.
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Did the FA provide basic service? If the pax got his pretzels and drink in a civil manner but not in a super-friendly A+ fashion then the FA did his job, but without anything extra. Tempest in a teacup IMHO.
In this age of social media, a lot of things get blown out of proportion. This was clearly one of them. It’ll be interesting to see how Southwest addresses this without causing any damage to its brand.
Everything is relative. I support Trump over Putin and Kim Jong Un. I don’t support Trump over Elizabeth Warren because under a President Warren, we will have Free Airfare for All. You will be able to fly anywhere in the US for free and the rich will pay for it.
I’d have to say as political beliefs are not a protected status, discriminate away.
What happened to sucking it up buttercup? They complain about everyone else’s whining when they in fact are the largest whiners and most in possession of the mentality of a 12 year old child.
Trump supporters can eat shit!