Mom Livid After Southwest Airlines Agent Name Shames Daughter 'Abcde'
SANTA ANA, Calif. (CBS Local) –- Southwest Airlines has apologized after an agent laughed at a five-year-old who is named Abcde (pronounced AHB-sih-dee) as she boarded a flight earlier this month.
Traci Redford, the girl's mother, said the Southwest agent ridiculed her daughter as they boarded a flight at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, on Nov. 4.
Redford says the family was pre-boarding because her daughter has epilepsy. Mother and daughter were headed home to El Paso, Texas, at the time.
Redford said the agent also uploaded a photograph of Abcde's boarding pass onto Facebook to share with friends.
Southwest Airlines issued Redford an apology but did not disclose whether or not the agent would be fired or face any other kind of disciplinary action.
"We extend our sincere apology to the family," Southwest said in a statement. "We take great pride in extending our Southwest Hospitality to all of our customers, which includes living by the Golden Rule and treating every individual with respect, in person or online"
There were 328 people -- all girls -- named "Abcde" in the United States in 2014, according to the Social Security Administration database.