Rumor has it that this blog has been kind of busy with comments lately. Seriously, I know that many of you have posted some pretty passionate comments on the subject of Kyla Ebberts and "traveling attire" in general, and we have been listening. I thank each of you for sharing your thoughts, and I want you to know that we haven't been skirting the issue.
This situation involved a judgment call for sure. These situations are subjective, and not everyone holds the same opinions. We serve more than 96 million Customers a year; and every now and then, we'll have a situation that takes on a life of its own. This was the case here.
We always want to apologize if we offend any of our Customers, and we also support our Employees abilities to make decisions. We are apologizing to Kyla, in typical Southwest style, and I hope you will click here to read about it.
Many, many of you on both sides of this issue have asked about a dress code. We do have a dress code for our Employees who use their travel benefits, but we do not have a dress code for our paying Customers. Our job is not to be the fashion police; our job is to take care of our Customers and ensure they have a safe flight.
We are proud of our past that included hot pants and we are proud of our future, and I want all of you to be part of that future.
Comments
I think this is all ridiculous, I don't know where your employee is from but I must assume he is a religious fanatic type person. I am from Florida and that type of clothing is seen everywhere.I have boarded your flights seeing people wearing nothing more than short shorts, tube tops and flip flops and no one said anything.I was living in Dallas when your airline was regional and the definitely skimpy outfits of your flight attendants and the sometimes double entendre ads.My daughter has flown many many times on your airline and frankly was not wearing much more than the woman this happened to.
I think if you choose to cater to the religious fanatics you should immediately institute a dress code. As Herb knows you will LOSE any lawsuit if she files one and you have no leg to stand on. Southwest has lost sight of the once fun airline it was and is quickly becoming another stodgy old carrier.With all the recent changes you will soon become just another American with mediocre service and rude, uncaring personnel.
Although I am happy that you finally owned up to your mistake, your apology rings a little bit hollow.
The real class act in all this is Virgin America, who represents a much more gracious attitude. I will fly them whenever I can....
Southwest says it wants to apologize if it offends any customers, but for some reason the company is having trouble doing so in a sincere manner. Southwest's apology is undermined by the conditional wording of "if we offend." There is no "if" here; Southwest did offend. Whether the offense taken by some customers is reasonable is subject to dispute, but there is no question that some customers were alienated, and humor is therefore an inappropriate response.
Southwest is also equivocating by saying it also supports its employees' abilities to make decisions. That may be good practice in general, but in this case, a decision needs to be made. Was the flight attendant acting appropriately when he asked the passenger to change clothing? I don't know, but Southwest owes its customers a thorough investigation and a clearly stated finding.
The result: This issue is far from resolved. I have no opinion on the passenger's attire. I wasn't there and cannot judge the situation fairly. Neverthless, I know an insincere, half-hearted apology when I see one, and Southwest's mishandling of the negative publicity surrounding this issue shows the limits of its corporate culture.
Just a little bit of trivia for those of you care.
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES has a CONTRACT OF CARRIAGE which is a legal document and one of the items in this legal document states that SOUTHWEST has a right to "refuse to transport".
most of you seem to think kyla was kicked off the plane - not so she willingly covered up with a blanket and took her outbound and return flight.
I think SWA needs to take this further.
1. Station a fashion panel at each gate to judge everyone before boarding? you must get 2 votes to board.
2. Put weigh scales and body fat testers at each gate. Exceed the norm and you're out.
3. Put a "human" box like they have to measure carry on luggage for people to squeeze into. If they don't fit, they ride in the baggage compartment underneath.
4. Odor police for those goobers in the wife beater shirts stinking up the joint, touching my arm with their hairy knuckles?
Institute al this and I will fly SWA
Seriously, SWA, your flight attendant blew this one and so did you for approving his/her actions and issuing a bogus apology.
There are much more professional methods of handling these situations. Your "recovery" team needs to be fired. Keith was just jealous because she looked better in that skirt than he does.
I would wager the only people complaining are the obese haus fraus who take up half my seat and only dream of being able to wear clothes like Miss Ebbert. They should be booted off.
Wow, there are some amazing comments from both sides of the issue. I'm throwing my comments on the side of the employee who attempted to educate this person on her very inappropriate attire. God bless him or her.
I don't know about Kyla Ebbert's upbringing, but frankly I didn't need anyone telling me that when out in public, you don't display yourself like a freak show. I was very heartened to read that someone was trying to improve public perceptions of what is or is not acceptable. Yes, we have the freedom to dress as we want to. But the problem is, society is bursting with pathetic, attention-starved individuals who keep pushing the envelope and getting away with it. Women who dress like her and boys walking around with their pants hanging around their hips as opposed to around their waist and we have to be subjected to that? And the rest of us have to just shake our head in bemusement because "it's none of your business to tell me how to dress", "you're not the boss of me", "there's no fashion gestapo", and so on and so forth. Why on God's green earth would you not like to wear a nice skirt (or pants) and blouse or in the case of men, a polo shirt and dockers?
What's really sad is this bimbo probably won't even learn from this and apparently wasn't so badly embarrassed and humiliated that she didn't go parading herself on national TV.
I fail to understand why anyone would want to exhibit themselves in something I wouldn't put on my dog. It's ridiculous. So I'm glad your employee stepped up and attempted to do something and hope that there was no reprimand.
And I also hate that you felt that an apology was in order. I like the fact that someone at your organization tried to make a stand for the betterment of everyone's traveling conditions at the risk of hurting one person's feelings. Maybe the next time she flies, she'll think twice about what she walks out of the house wearing. Oh, wait ... no, she won't. She already got away with it and got her 15 minutes of fame.
I think anonymous has kyla pegged (almost). according to kayla's website she is a 23 year old college student who listed her occupation as "retired".
my first question is....how can you retire at 23 before you even finish college?
my "guess" is she has left her job at HOOTERS for something (she thinks) that will give her income without having to work for it and has found a low life attorney willing to file a frivolous lawsuite (that will clog the already overloaded judicial system-not to mention give him plenty of media coveage to draw in more skanks to lure and sue innocent victims) simply because he is apparently not smart enough to attract a real client with a valid reason for a real attorneys services.
Then comes the second question.....as I understand kyla is a frequent flyer on SOUTHWEST AIRLINES and has logged over 100 flights over the past year. SO......how does a RETIRED college student have the money to spend that much time in the air?
again I'm "guessing", but with all that's come to light about little miss Hooter-Victim-porn queen, I think her real occupation has been taking place in the air where as mentioned earlier there are plenty of above average high saleried men who are more than happy to throw a little cash around for a little X-RATED entertainment once the plane has landed. In the air-what a great place for business contacts.
kyla my unsolicited advise to you is.......get a real job and get a life!!!!
Just wanted to say, keep up the good work! After reading alot of the comments and alot of the people saying they will not fly SW again, I doubt it!! Your airline offers GREAT FARES and is a JOY to fly!! I don't think they are that convicted to this issue that they really would give up flying your airline, and if they are, so much better for us other fliers to get better seats!!
Dear Southwest CEOs and Employees,
Please brace yourselves with what I'm going to reveal. I believe the attention starved Ho (I mean Kyla Ebbert) may have some claims to sue the pants, panties or tops off you'all.
Here is a post by a member in this forum:
http://glennsacks.com/blog/?p=1142#comments
1. AnonymousPampleteer Says:
September 8th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
I think it is outrageous that this airline was interfering with this woman's right, as underwritten and encouraged by every family court in America, to do everything in her power to attract and ultimately trap in reproduction and/or marriage, some economically above-average or even upscale male on that flight.
Everyone knows that average incomes of males who fly are higher than those who take the bus, and certainly her chances were pretty good of being seated next to a male or two, and if not, one imagines that no such prospective male targets would have objected to her changing her seat in their direction if she so chose.
Here this poor, hardworking Hooters waitress was utilizing her well-developed and practiced professional skills to do what she could to attract male attention, and that nasty airline stole from her the opportunity to maximally exploit the circumstance of being a semi-clad young female on a passenger jet.
I say that she sues the airline for depriving her from the 20 year child support annuity which she surely could have trapped from some male on that flight if the airline had simply allowed her to procede without their malicious and tortious interference.
In settlement, Southwest Airlines should allow her to travel completely naked or wearing whatever scant attire she chooses on as many flights as it takes for her to trap a high-earning male, while requiring their own flight attendants wear burkas, so as to not draw any male attention away from this poor, self-esteem damaged young "lady".
To quote the Smart Feminist with Amazing Cleavage:
"Ah, apologizing in typical Southwest style. Does that mean snarky and flippant? Because thatÃ