Man says his tweet about rude Southwest Airlines agent got his family kicked off of flight


A $50 travel voucher won't fix this mess: A Minneapolis man says he was kicked off a Southwest Airlines plane with his children after tweeting about a bad experience he had with a gate agent.
On Sunday, Duff Watson was headed back to Minneapolis from Denver with his two daughters, ages 9 and 6. Watson told ABC News that as an A-List member, he is given priority boarding with the airline. Every other flight his daughters have been able to board with him, Watson says, but on Sunday afternoon he was stopped by a gate agent who told him they were not permitted.
Watson felt she was being unnecessarily rude, and decided to complain to customer service. He asked for her last name, but she refused to share it. Watson says he "tweeted something like: 'Wow, rudest agent in Denver. Kimberly S, gate C39, not happy @SWA.'" The drama didn't stop once Watson was on board. His name was called over the intercom, and he was asked to get off the plane. The reason? The gate agent "said I was a safety threat," he says. "I was shocked. There was no use of profanity, there were no threats made." Watson said the agent also told him if he didn't delete the tweet, she would call the cops. As soon as he deleted it — with the agent watching — he was allowed to re-board with his crying daughters.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The airline confirmed that Watson was asked to leave the plane, and said the incident is under review. A representative also called Watson and told him A-list privileges can't be transferred to family members. Watson said he had always been loyal to Southwest but will never fly the airline again, and plans on donating a $50 voucher he was sent as a "goodwill gesture" to a charity.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
5 dramatically dysfunctional cartoons about the government shutdown
Cartoons Artists take on life without government, foam finger pointing, and more
-
October 4 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include the Einstein files, defunding the police, and an odd tribute to Jane Goodall
-
Mustardy beans and hazelnuts recipe
The Week Recommends Nod to French classic offers zingy, fresh taste
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland