Southwest Airlines has put out a statement apologising for mocking a 5-year-old girl named 'Abcde' (pronounced Ab-city), when she and her mother were about to board a flight back home from Santa Ana, California, to El Paso, Texas.
According to an ABC7 report, Abcde's mother Traci Redford alleged that a gate agent burst out laughing at the girl's name, discussing it with other employees before going on to post a picture of the boarding pass on social media.
In a statement to Buzzfeed News, Airline spokesperson Chris Mainz offered a "sincere apology to the family" and said the employee's social media post "is not indicative of the care, respect, and civility" expected of employees.
Southwest has "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," Mainz said.
"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," he added.
Traci said that her daughter had heard the employee mocking her and asked why.
"She said, 'Mom, why is she laughing at my name?' And I said not everyone is nice and not everyone is going to be nice and it's unfortunate," she said.