Southwest monitors your tweets!

[John Connor]

A Southwest Airlines passenger said he was deplaned and then forced by the airline to delete a Twitter post critical of Southwest’s customer service before he and his two children were allowed back on their flight.

-snip-

But it gets more bizarre. “She said, ‘You can’t board the plane unless you delete that tweet,’” Watson told WCCO.
Southwest Airlines noted in a statement that a customer was removed for a short time and continued to Minneapolis, adding that the incident is under review.
Southwest also emailed an apology to Watson — and gave him three $50 vouchers. But the airline wouldn’t disclose any disciplinary action taken because of confidentiality concerns.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/201...-the-father-upset-embarrassed-and-humiliated/


I'm surprised because Southwest is a really good airline. This in non sense!

 

[shortylickens]

Fuckin bitch.



Also, this just goes to show you should be anonymous online. Dont use your real name for twitter, dont tweet anything that just happened.
People are obviously watching all the time.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I read about this yesterday and couldn't believe it. I guess free speech isn't free on SW airlines. I would file a suit claiming my 1st Amendment was being infringed upon. Someone get Ars to pick the story up and then let's send the SW CEO a link to the URL (maybe they'll ban all Ars staff from flying, too).

For now, SW is banned from my business.

 

[WelshBloke]

Isnt the whole point of twitter that its monitored/watched by everyone?

 

[WelshBloke]

I read about this yesterday and couldn't believe it. I guess free speech isn't free on SW airlines. I would file a suit claiming my 1st Amendment was being infringed upon. Someone get Ars to pick the story up and then let's send the SW CEO a link to the URL (maybe they'll ban all Ars staff from flying, too).

For now, SW is banned from my business.

How is your free speech affected? You can say what you want, they are free to take your business or not.

I think its bullshit that they'd remove you from the airplane for this but its not a free speech issue.

 

[Jimzz]

Sounds like 1 employee did this, not a SW rule/policy. That employee should be made an example of and the customer gets a refund/flight vouchers.

 

[John Connor]

How is your free speech affected? You can say what you want, they are free to take your business or not.

I think its bullshit that they'd remove you from the airplane for this but its not a free speech issue.

It is a free speech issue. Southwest is denying a service based on the text a patron put on the Internet. Since a person got a record 23.6 BILLION from a frivolous law suit involving RJ Reynolds I think I would sue SW for violating my free speech rights.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

It is a free speech issue. Southwest is denying a service based on the text a patron put on the Internet. Since a person got a record 23.6 BILLION from a frivolous law suit involving RJ Reynolds I think I would sue SW for violating my free speech rights.

I don't think you actually understand how the Bill of Rights works.

 

[Carson Dyle]

So, how exactly did Southwest connect a twitter feed to a specific customer sitting in an airplane on a runway waiting for takeoff?

Not sure I believe this.

 

[Iron Woode]

How is your free speech affected? You can say what you want, they are free to take your business or not.

I think its bullshit that they'd remove you from the airplane for this but its not a free speech issue.

punishing someone for a harmless text that someone doesn't like is a violation of the 1st amendment.

1st amendment rights are fairly broad in context.

Speech rights were expanded significantly in a series of 20th and 21st-century court decisions which protected various forms of political speech, anonymous speech, campaign financing, pornography, and school speech; these rulings also defined a series of exceptions to First Amendment protections.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I don't buy the one sided story as told. The comments make some good points against it.

 

[Jeeebus]

It is a free speech issue. Southwest is denying a service based on the text a patron put on the Internet. Since a person got a record 23.6 BILLION from a frivolous law suit involving RJ Reynolds I think I would sue SW for violating my free speech rights.

Well shit based on that logic I coughed on some Coke at a restaurant last night, I'm gonna sue Coke for violating my 2nd Amendment rights and win $30 trillion! Moron.

 

[Iron Woode]

So, how exactly did Southwest connect a twitter feed to a specific customer sitting in an airplane on a runway waiting for takeoff?

Not sure I believe this.

he used his real name in the tweet.

not to hard to look up someone in their database.

 

[Red Storm]

So, how exactly did Southwest connect a twitter feed to a specific customer sitting in an airplane on a runway waiting for takeoff?

Not sure I believe this.

Yeah I don't understand it either. Though after actually reading the article (lol) it seems the man told the agent that he would be posting a negative tweet, and I assume the lady was a twitter pro and quickly searched the dude's name and found the tweet.

 

[Iron Woode]

Well shit based on that logic I coughed on some Coke at a restaurant last night, I'm gonna sue Coke for violating my 2nd Amendment rights and win $30 trillion! Moron.

how does coke violate your right to bear arms?

 

[Iron Woode]

ABC news article has a few more details:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/family-booted-off-southwest-airlines-dad-tweeted-rude/story?id=24685645

 

[KidNiki1]

the story i heard about this was that the guy was an A+ member (or whatever their preferred customer status is called) which means he gets priority seating. but he was traveling with his kids, and the preferred status does not transfer to them. he wanted to get his kids seated early with him instead of waiting. they said no, because that is how it works. he got mad and tweeted out the agent's full name and how rude she was. they made him get off the plane.

so, he is a dumbass for trying to bend the rules and having a tantrum when they tell him no and southwest are dumbasses for pulling them off the plane. both parties here are idiots imo.

 

[Jeeebus]

how does coke violate your right to bear arms?

The same way a private company violates your right to free speech (hint - it doesn't).

 

[Carson Dyle]

he used his real name in the tweet.

not to hard to look up someone in their database.

And you think Southwest has someone monitoring all of Twitter and cross-referencing their own database and checking it against live passenger boarding manifests to find people who complain about poor customer service?

Right.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

punishing someone for a harmless text that someone doesn't like is a violation of the 1st amendment.

1st amendment rights are fairly broad in context.

The First applies to what government can do. You can be fired for your opinions for example.

 

[KidNiki1]

And you think Southwest has someone monitoring all of Twitter and cross-referencing their own database and checking it against live passenger boarding manifests to find people who complain about poor customer service?

Right.

iirc from the news story, he told the chick he was going to tweet it, and used the hashtag #southwest. hashtag makes it infinitely easier to find something on twitter.

and yes, im pretty sure they have someone in the PR or marketing department who monitors twitter looking for the #southwest hashtag to address possible customer complaints.

 

[Red Storm]

the story i heard about this was that the guy was an A+ member (or whatever their preferred customer status is called) which means he gets priority seating. but he was traveling with his kids, and the preferred status does not transfer to them. he wanted to get his kids seated early with him instead of waiting. they said no, because that is how it works. he got mad and tweeted out the agent's full name and how rude she was. they made him get off the plane.

so, he is a dumbass for trying to bend the rules and having a tantrum when they tell him no and southwest are dumbasses for pulling them off the plane. both parties here are idiots imo.

That sums it up nicely.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

ABC news article has a few more details:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/family-booted-off-southwest-airlines-dad-tweeted-rude/story?id=24685645

More "he said".

It may be as he said, but where are any supporting statements by anyone else?

 

[John Connor]

how does coke violate your right to bear arms?

That's what I was thinking. What a "MORON!"

 

[Tweak155]

ABC news article has a few more details:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/family-booted-off-southwest-airlines-dad-tweeted-rude/story?id=24685645

Sounds like a staff member on a power trip. At the end of the day they (she) kicked him off the plane for a tweet. While not violating any rights, it's still the wrong way to handle the situation. And now SWA is paying for it.