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Customer Service Complaint

ksmith08
Explorer C

Recently, my family and I traveled on a short flight from Fort Lauderdale to Nashville. We  were traveling with two children (ages 2 and 8). Our 2 year old sometimes has trouble keeping her mask on, and on the flight down, no one even mentioned her wearing one. On the flight back, we were very much harassed about her wearing her mask and that it covered her nose and mouth at all times. Okay, no big deal. We are not anti-maskers and understand the rules even though they were not consistently enforced. Our daughter didn’t have problems and we were able to reason and bribe her with keeping her mask on, but the little boy (also 2) in front of us had a visible learning disability and was not able to comply with this rule. The flight attendants were extremely rude to this single mother traveling alone. She kept explaining that her son had autism and didn’t understand and the flight attendants were EXTREMELY rude and inconsiderate to her son’s needs. The flight was held up for 30 minutes because the poor toddler kept ripping his mask off. He didn’t understand what was going on and his little eyes were so sad and confused with why everyone was upset with him. At this point, the mom became angry because the flight attendants did not care that her son had special needs and they threatened to remove her and her son from the plane if he didn’t leave his mask on. The flight attendants came back again and removed mother and son from flight even though she was traveling alone. Throughout the entire ordeal, they kept coming to my aisle and giving my daughter death looks to make sure she was still wearing her masks. I have never felt more uncomfortable. Two year olds should not be treated with disdain over a mask issue - especially one with special needs!!! I also want to point out that my daughter is white without a learning disability, and the little boy in front of us was black and had a visible disability. Then the mom had to plead with flight attendants that he is autistic in front of other passengers. I had tried to call for two weeks about this incident and got through to no one!!! This is not okay and needs to be addressed immediately in company policy and also an apology to this poor mother and her child. 

5 REPLIES 5

Re: Customer Service Complaint

jksobonya
Aviator A
Solution

I'm sorry that this happened on your flight - children wearing masks is a sensitive topic right now, but the current rules state that children 2 and above must wear a mask on flights. If you'd like to formally contact Southwest with what you witnessed, you can do so using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of the page.

 

Thanks,

 

--Jessica

Re: Customer Service Complaint

bwallet
Frequent Flyer A

And, please remember that the rule regarding masks and 2 year olds comes from the FAA, not Southwest. I agree that expecting a 2 year old to wear a mask is probably a bit much. However, much more troubling would be giving the flight attendants or the airlines flexibility in enforcing FAA rules. If the FAA says that 2 year olds must wear masks, we really need this very strictly enforced with no leniency and no exceptions. The alternative sets a precedent is quite scary, actually.

Re: Customer Service Complaint

kelfuh
Explorer C

Hello,

 

I feel for this parent and other parents of small children.  The mask wearing requirement on Southwest is in my opinion a form of child abuse.  On what planet is it ok to restrict a child's breathing? How can a 2-5 year actively comply all the time?  The science does not support that small children pass along the virus we all know that. This is a form or manipulation, coercion, and political activism to get parents to vaccinate.  Kids will be pressured to vaccinate once the vaccines are approved. 

 

I have two older children (19 and 17) and a younger one and I flew southwest today.  I cannot fathom my older autistic son wearing this mask when he was 2, 3, 4 , 5 years old. The flight attendant told the passengers that all children over the age of 2 had to wear a mask or they would have to deplane, per the federal mandates.  I'm not sure that the federal mandate actually specifies this but there is nothing common sense about it.

 

I will not be flying southwest again.  If you agree please speak up and consider another airline. 

 

FEAR KILLS THE MIND.  

Re: Customer Service Complaint

dfwskier
Aviator A

@kelfuh wrote:

   The mask wearing requirement on Southwest is in my opinion a form of child abuse. 

 

 Listen to me carefully. If you think it's child abuse, then it's the federal government that is the abuser. You are dealing with a federal regulation, and not a Southwest policy.

 

I'm sure that Southwest detests having to enforce the regulation, about as much as you and others hate the regulations. The feds make them do it.

 

If you don't like the regulation, contact your senators or congresspeople and complain.

Re: Customer Service Complaint

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

@kelfuh wrote:

 

I will not be flying southwest again.  If you agree please speak up and consider another airline. 


You won't be flying any airline in the United States until at least mid September since TSA just extended the mask mandate. 

 

--TheMiddleSeat