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While Southwest Airlines’ Facebook page is usually used to make travel inquiries and/or share heartwarming customer service stories, earlier this month one disgruntled fan took to social media to accuse an employee of the airline of “profiling” a Trump supporter.
According to USA Today, last Thursday, a passenger named Mark Kaminski called out a Southwest flight attendant who he believed was guilty of shaming another passenger wearing a Trump T-shirt.
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To substantiate this claim, the 51-year-old Chicago resident posted a screenshot of a Facebook post made by a male Southwest flight attendant on his personal page. The screenshot had been shared with him by a friend who like him, is also a Trump supporter and took offense.
The post features a picture of a man in an aisle seat during a Southwest flight, dressed in shorts, a camouflage hat and a navy blue T-shirt with an American flag. The words “Trump 45” and “Suck it up Buttercup” are also emblazoned across the garment.
Accompanying the snapshot was the caption, “Someone did NOT get my most Positively Outrageous Service today on my flight … #notgoingtosuckitup #dumpTrump #eeew.” The words about “outrageous” service are a play on the customer service mantra that has long been espoused by Southwest.
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“So this is how they treat passengers?” Kaminski asked on the airline’s social media page. He then lashed out at the attendant for not “giving his best to a customer because he hates the man’s shirt and our president.”
“Wow,” Kaminski added. “He should be fired because he can’t do his job. Very sad employee.”
A representative for Southwest responded, “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.”
After that the comments section soon became divided along party lines with one customer declaring, “Give this man a raise,” while another pushed back, “This guy should be fired.”
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Things escalated after hashtags like #boycottSouthwest emerged and an overzelous poster chose to disclose the direct number, phone extension included, of Southwest’s customer relations team.
Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz says as a result of the ongoing vitriol, Kaminski’s post has been removed as they, “investigate and address the issue internally.”
“We aim to provide outstanding service to all who travel with us,” Mainz said in a statement to USA TODAY. “The post in question does not reflect the inclusive environment we strive to provide for our customers and employees.”