(Image from AnnaLynne McCord’s Instagram.)
“90210” star AnnaLynne McCord is calling out Southwest Airlines for not allowing a gay couple and their two daughters to board during the flight’s “family boarding time” because they “didn’t count as family.”
“Have you ever felt bullied? Have you ever picked on?… A couple of days ago, the young girls in this photo were made to feel just that by individuals who wear your logo and represent their company,” McCord begins.
The actress notes the flight was the family’s first ever flight and they were denied boarding with the other families.
“Why would your company representatives believe that it is okay to reject these little girls’ love for their fathers, making them feel that they are not good enough? Is that not a form of bullying?” she writes. “I implore you, as a company that seeks to provide a happy experience for all of its customers, to hire individuals who despise hate, not love; who embrace difference, not look down on it.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYPRiuKgw9L/?taken-by=theannalynnemccord
The family was eventually allowed to board and McCord shared a photo of the family sitting in their seats.
Jacob Lapp appeared to confirm the mistreatment tweeting, “Two small girls in tow. We were flying from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale and were denied family boarding because we are two men with two kids.”
Two small girls in tow. We were flying from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale and were denied family boarding because we are two men with two kids
— Jacob Lapp (@Jakelapp13) August 22, 2017
Southwest Airlines told the New York Daily News they didn’t receive any complaints on the flight and did not hear from the couple or McCord. However, an internal investigation is being conducted.
“Our employees work to carry out our boarding policy for families traveling together, while also maintain boarding priorities for all customers,” the company said in a statement. “We welcome onboard more than 115 million customers each year and Southwest neither condones nor tolerates discrimination of any kind… We regret any less than positive travel experience.”
