Dallas (WBAP/KLIF) – An El Paso mom has gotten an apology from Southwest Airlines after accusing a gate agent in Southern California of making fun of her daughter’s name.
The 5-year old’s name is spelled with the first five letters of the alphabet … and is pronounced ‘AB-sih-dee.’
Mom, Traci Redford, claims that the agent at Orange County’s John Wayne Airport was laughing, and posted a photo of the girl’s boarding pass to social media.
Redford posted about ordeal to Twitter; someone saw the post and notified Southwest.
Name shaming? This Texas woman claims a @SouthwestAir agent made fun of her 5-year-old daughter’s name as they were preparing to board their flight at @JohnWayneAir in Orange County.
Her daughter’s name is Abcde (pronounced Ab-city). @ABC7 pic.twitter.com/iHpBPoakYI
— Veronica Miracle (@ABC7Veronica) November 28, 2018
In a statement, Southwest said that the employee violated the “Golden Rule” of “treating every individual with respect.”
“We extend our sincere apology to the family,” according to a Southwest Airlines statement. “The post is not indicative of the care, respect, and civility we expect from all of our employees. We have followed up with the employee involved, and while we do not disclose personnel actions publicly, we are using this as an opportunity to reinforce our policies and emphasize our expectations for all employees.”
You’ll find lots of Twitter reaction at #abcde:
I think it’s pretty obvious the parents want attention when they named their daughter ‘Abcde’, well they got it now…#Abcde #WeirdNames #Attention #Consequences https://t.co/F5nqosqE8v via @YahooLifestyle
— TheLouisWei (@LouisWei8) November 29, 2018
I’m sorry, but I’m with Southwest Airlines on this one. Abcde is not a name and it is not pronounced Ab-city. Naming your child that is the real crime here, shocking #Abcde #Southwest https://t.co/ff5ZpJQzOp
— Mike (@at_Mike) November 29, 2018
Honest question, why do parents do this to their kids?!? Is it for attention?
I just read there are currently 328 Abcde’s running around in America today…and they are all children. Millennials…you are making us all look bad. Stop it! #abcde #abcdesouthwest— Tammi (@MudflapFairy) November 29, 2018
Meantime, according to stats, more than 300 children have been named Abcde in the past three decades. BabyNameWizard.com says nicknames include Ce-Ce, Sidy, Abby, Xyzzie, Aebi and Seedy.
(Copyright 2018. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved. This report contains material from the WFAA-TV)
