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Man Booted From Southwest Flight and Threatened With Arrest After Critical Tweet
CanHasDIY writes The old saying goes, "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." A man learned the consequences Sunday, after Tweeting about his experience with a rude Southwest gate attendant: "A Minnesota man and his two sons were asked to leave a Southwest Airlines flight after the man sent a tweet complaining about being treated rudely by a gate agent. Duff Watson said he was flying from Denver to Minneapolis on Sunday and tried to board in a spot for frequent flyer privileges he held and take his sons, ages 6 and 9, with him, even though they had a later spot to board the plane. The agent told him that he would have to wait if he wanted to board with his children. Watson replied that he had boarded early with them before and then sent out a tweet that read 'RUDEST AGENT IN DENVER. KIMBERLY S. GATE C39. NOT HAPPY @SWA.' Watson told TV broadcaster KARE in Minneapolis on Wednesday that after he boarded, an announcement came over the plane asking his family to exit the aircraft. Once at the gate, the agent said that unless the tweet was deleted, police would be called and the family would not be allowed back onboard." He gave into the threat, deleted the Tweet, and was allowed to board a later flight. Southwest, as one could have predicted, offered a boilerplate "apology" and vouchers.
This is madness?!?
This... is... Southwest... Airlines...!!!! (Kicks guy off plane)
Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
I have a great solution for this. Everytime I see this happening, I take the bag down and pop it on the floor on a vacant seat. Eventually the bag makes it into the overhead lockers... somewhere.
Enjoy your flight Mr. Type - A person, and then enjoy finding your damn bag because you left it out of your sight.
Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
I say, throw a knife into a group of waiting passengers and let the first one to emerge alive board first.
In other words, let the invisible hand of the free market decide.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Intercom: "You are now free to get the fuck off mah plane."
We also would have accepted:
Intercom: "You are not free to tweet about our customer service."
Dear Retard,
Why do you sign your posts? I mean, your frickin' name is at the top of the post.
It makes you look either a) retarded, b) full of yourself or c) clueless. With a name like "Yaz" I suspect it's all three.
5kg? Do you have any idea what a slashdotter's gaming laptop weighs?
What's this socialist bullshit about providing a "free" knife? Use your shoelaces to strangle people, hippie.
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.
Have you ever tried to climb up an inflatable slide?
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
Glory to Arstotzka
I actually pay more for the front seats because they're made of leather, recline further, and the nice stewardess feeds me free alcohol for the entire flight. Usually by the time we land, I'm not really too concerned about where the exit is.
No wait, this is a GOOD thing. Given how hard it can be to cancel your account with some places, the ability to have it cancelled in 145 characters or less is a major step forward
I have a great solution for this. Everytime I see this happening, I take the bag down and pop it on the floor on a vacant seat. Eventually the bag makes it into the overhead lockers... somewhere. Enjoy your flight Mr. Type - A person, and then enjoy finding your damn bag because you left it out of your sight.
I think I've been on a plane with you sir, and I salute you wholeheartedly. One time a guy game from the back of the plane mid-flight (fasten seat belt light is on due to turbulence mind you), walks to the front row and starts looking for his bag. He can't find it and starts going through the overhead bins. He gets halfway through the plane on one side before a flight attendant came up and asked him what he was doing. He said someone stole his bag off the plane and went crazy. Flight attendant finally told him to sit down and to not look for his bag again or they would land the plane and the local police would help him find his bag when they hauled him off (this due to his belligerence). It all makes sense now!
I happen to be the executive who works at Southwest and made the decision, upon seeing the tweet, to call the gate and have him kicked off. Please allow me to explain my decision.
I work in the PR department, and managing publicity is my job. When I saw the tweet, I realized it was bad publicity. I don't like my company getting bad publicity, and I seek to avoid it, or replace it with good publicity.
So I threw our tweeting customer off, thereby solving the bad publicity problem! See? Now do you get it?
...
(Why is everyone looking at me like I'm a idiot?)
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