A flight attendant for Southwest Airlines is facing scrutiny after allegedly posting a photo on Facebook criticizing a passenger for wearing a T-shirt supporting President Trump.
Mark Kaminski, a Chicago resident, shared the screenshot of the post he said was from a Southwest flight attendant, saying that a friend had shared it with him and claiming that both are supporters of the president, USA Today reported.
The flight attendant’s post reportedly showed a man in a seat on a Southwest flight, wearing a navy blue T-shirt with an American flag and the words “Suck it up Buttercup” and “Trump 45” on them.
{mosads} The photo’s caption stated, “Someone did NOT get my most Positively Outrageous Service today on my flight … #notgoingtosuckitup #dumpTrump #eeew,” citing a customer service mantra long used by Southwest, according to USA Today.
Kaminski asked of Southwest, “So this is how they treat passengers?” in his post, calling out the flight attendant for not “giving his best to a customer because he hates the man’s shirt and our president.”
“My job is to do my job and go home,” Kaminski later told USA Today. “My job is not to be there and be ridiculing people, treating them like crap and having my opinion.
“You can’t just go out and lash out at people, just because that’s the way you feel, at your job. Even as a human being you shouldn’t do that. You should have a little bit of compassion,” he continued.
A representative on Southwest’s official Facebook page also reportedly commented on the post, “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,” USA Today reported.
Others also added their support for the customer in the comments.
“This guy should be fired,” one Facebook user reportedly responded, talking about the flight attendant.
“I’m the farthest thing from a Trump supporter, but I am a ‘people’ supporter,” another person wrote. “This is clearly unacceptable. Southwest Airlines, I love a lot of Trump supporters even though I don’t agree with them and frankly this kind of behavior from your FA is what’s making civil discussion in our country all but a memory. If you think it is OK for your (employee) to give lesser treatment to someone he disagrees with, I hope you’ll find it OK when I take my business to an airline I agree with.”
Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz said the post was later removed from its page “as we investigate and address the issue internally.”
“We aim to provide outstanding service to all who travel with us,” Mainz said in a statement to The Hill. “The post in question does not reflect the inclusive environment we strive to provide for our customers and employees.”
—Updated at 10:14 a.m.