Minneapolis man Duff Watson claims Southwest Airlines (SWA) kicked him and his two young daughters off a flight in Denver after he posted on Twitter that he had been treated rudely by a gate agent.
Watson told ABC News the SWA ordeal began when his daughters, ages 6 and 9, weren’t allowed to board the plane with him, a priority member, on Sunday, as they had in the past. Watson said he asked the gate agent who wouldn't let them board, “Is this a new policy?”
Vote Now: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance?
He said she didn’t answer his question but instead told him: “I am not going to change my mind.”
Watson then tweeted his disdain after the gate agent refused to give him her last name.
"I tweeted something like, ‘Wow, rudest agent in Denver. Kimberly S, gate C39, not happy @SWA,’” he told ABC.
After boarding the plane after waiting for some time, Watson said he then heard his name over the loud speaker.
“I heard my name in the broadcast, asking me to get off the plane,” Watson told ABC. “I didn’t know what was going on. I thought we left something or we were on the wrong flight.”
Watson said he was then approached by another flight attendant, who refused to tell him the reason for the broadcast, but said: “You need to exit the aircraft immediately.”
After getting off the plane, Watson walked past the same SWA gate agent he said had been rude to him earlier.
“She (the agent) said I was a safety threat,” Watson told ABC. “I was shocked. There was no use of profanity, there were no threats made. How was I a safety threat?”
Watson said he then deleted the tweet after the agent threatened to call police if he didn’t delete the post that included her first name and her last initial.
“I was taken aback by the situation. My two kids were crying,” Watson said. “She watched me as I deleted the tweet.”
Watson and his children were eventually allowed back on the plane so they could go home to Minnesota.
Southwest Airlines confirmed to WCCO-TV that the incident is under review.
WCCO-TV also reported that Southwest sent an apology to Watson via email and offered him three $50 vouchers. He has said he will donate them to charity and not fly with Southwest again.
Reaction on Twitter to Southwest’s actions was predictably critical.
Vote Now: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance?
Related Stories:
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.