An El Paso woman is upset after a Southwest Airlines gate agent made fun of her 5-year-old daughter's name as she was boarding a flight home in California.
The agent at John Wayne Airport even posted an image of the girl's boarding pass on social media accounts to spur a discussion, Traci Redford told Los Angeles television station KABC.
Redford's daughter, Abcde Redford, pronounces her first name "ab-city."
Name shaming? This Texas woman claims a @SouthwestAir agent made fun of her 5-year-old daughter's name as they were preparing to board their flight at @JohnWayneAir in Orange County.
— Veronica Miracle (@ABC7Veronica) November 28, 2018
Her daughter's name is Abcde (pronounced Ab-city). @ABC7 pic.twitter.com/iHpBPoakYI
"The gate agent started laughing, pointing at me and my daughter, talking to other employees. 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,'" Traci Redford told the station.
Redford's daughter has epilepsy and always boards flights early, the station reported.
Someone saw the agent's post on Facebook and alerted Southwest Airlines, Abcde's mother said.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines issued a statement about the incident.
"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 statement read. "The [social media] 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."
