ORANGE COUNTY, CA (RNN) - Southwest Airlines has apologized after one of its employees reportedly name-shamed a 5-year-old girl.
Traci Redford said a gate agent at California’s John Wayne Airport made fun of her daughter’s name, Abcde Redford, according to KABC.
She pronounces her name “ab-city” and because she suffers from epilepsy, she and her mom always pre-board.
The Redfords were flying home to El Paso, TX, when the gate agent laughed at the name, pointed it out to coworkers and even went so far as to post a photo of Abcde’s boarding pass on social media so that others could join her in name shaming.
“While I was sitting there, she took a picture of my boarding pass and chose to post it on social media, mocking my daughter,” Redford told local media. “It was actually brought to my attention by somebody who had seen it on Facebook and reported it to Southwest Airlines. And after two weeks of doing a formal complaint, Southwest hadn't done anything.”
Southwest Airlines issued the following statement:
“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.”
According to Babynames.com, Abcde is not currently ranked in United States births. Even so, Vocativ reviewed the Social Security Administration database in 2014 and found that 328 babies, all girls, had been named Abcde in the U.S.
Also in 2014, the name Abcde made national headlines when a 7-year-old Autistic girl, also named Abcde, was turned away by a mall Santa Claus.
Copyright 2018 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
