F'd by Southwest. (via)
If you're ever having trouble contacting an airline's customer service representative, consider tagging them on Twitter. That's what a guy from Minneapolis found out recently after he and his kids were removed from a Southwest Airlines flight out of Denver because he tweeted about a gate agent who #blocked his ass from priority boarding.
Duff Watson told ABC News, “I have been traveling with Southwest for a few years now, and I’m an A-list member.” The agent told Watson that even though he's an A-list member and was free to board the plane, his kids were still considered D-list and were free to stand around like a herd of dairy cows with carry-on luggage.
Even though being an A-list member of Southwest Airlines sounds like being a VIP at Burger King, he earned the title by being a frequent flier, and claims that his kids have been able to board with him in the past. The gate agent wasn't hearing it, and refused to budge from her stance, which was probably one hand on her hip while wagging a finger on the other. She refused to tell Watson her last name, so he used her nametag on a Twitter blast, which read: "Wow, rudest agent in Denver. Kimberly S, gate C39, not happy @SWA.”
Considering that Watson has 265 Twitter followers, you'd think that would be the end of it. Turns out, Southwest Airlines follows their Twitter feed like a 16-year-old-girl with boy trouble, and weren't too happy about being called out. They responded by calling him out over the intercom and had him and his daughters removed from the plane.
Watson claims the agent deemed him and his attitude a "safety threat," and would only allow him back on the plane after he deleted his Tweet. He did, and he and his kids were able to catch their flight back to Minneapolis.
His Twitter feed is now hidden (typical A-lister!), but he reportedly continued to badmouth the airline after he was safely out of Denver. Enough so that a representative from Southwest called to offer him a $50 voucher, which he says will be donated to charity because he'll no longer be flying with them.
He'll still be treated like crap on occasion, just by another airline.
(by Jonathan Corbett)