Southwest is not winning any points right now.
It was a valiant attempt to be cheeky on the social media platform, but Southwest shot itself in the foot. On Threads, the airline’s profile shamed people who get up instantly after the seat belt sign turns off. Users were having none of it. They called out the budget airline for its cramped seats, overpriced tickets, and changes to its checked-bag policy.
To backtrack a little, Southwest has implemented many changes in the last few years that have left passengers frustrated. It ditched its free checked-bag policy, started assigning seats after five decades of open seating, and changed its plus-size seat policy (which it later rolled back). It was once a favorite among travelers because it differed from other airlines; now, it’s just another nickle-and-diming airline.
Related: Southwest Revises Seat Policy for Plus-Size Passengers
With its popularity so low, now might not have been the best time to mock people online. People will bite back. Southwest posted on Threads last week: “You 👏 won’t 👏 get 👏 off 👏 the 👏 plane 👏 faster 👏 by 👏 standing 👏 up 👏 .001 👏 seconds 👏 after 👏 the 👏 seatbelt 👏 sign 👏 turns 👏 off 👏”
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People were not happy with the condescending tone of Southwest, and they made it known with hundreds of comments mimicking the airline.
Users brought up the need to stretch their legs after sitting in a cramped seat for hours. Some mentioned connecting flights they might miss if they don’t deplane quickly enough. Many referenced a valid reason that requires no justification: injuries. People have back issues, hip issues, and cramps, and they need to stand.
Funnily, the retorts came in the same style as the original post.
One user wrote, “As👏🏼someone👏🏼with👏🏼knee👏🏼problems👏🏼we👏🏼don’t👏🏼stand👏🏼up👏🏼to👏🏼get👏🏼off👏🏼the👏🏼plane👏🏼faster👏🏼!👏🏼 We👏🏼stand👏🏼up👏🏼because👏🏼we👏🏼have👏🏼been👏🏼sitting👏🏼for👏🏼so👏🏼long👏🏼!”
And a reply from @milehighprophet said: “With👏 👏the 👏 elimination 👏 of 👏 free👏 checked 👏 bags 👏 and👏 now 👏 the 👏added 👏 benefit 👏 of 👏rising 👏 ticket 👏 prices 👏 and 👏 condescending👏 customer👏 service 👏 there’s 👏 fewer👏 and 👏 fewer 👏 reasons 👏 to 👏 fly 👏 Southwest.”
To be fair, there were also some who agreed with the airline and said they found the behavior annoying, too. However, those voices were drowned out by the critics who clapped back at the airline.
It may not have been received very well, but it was still one of their most engaging posts, with 1.5 million views and 5,900 reposts.
Related: What Happened to Southwest Airlines? A Deep Dive Into Its Decline
There is a term for people who crowd the aisle in a hurry to disembark: aisle lice. These are the people who push in front of others in a bid to leave quicker, often antagonizing other passengers. No one generally minds someone standing just to stretch their legs—regardless of what Southwest said—but it’s the people who want to skip ahead who often get glares and sharp words.
If you’re in a hurry for any reason, let your neighbors know and apologize for rushing. A simple sorry goes a long way. And if you’re annoyed by this behavior, take a few deep breaths and let it go. It is not worth getting into a fight as you’re just getting ready to walk away.
Related: ‘Aisle Lice’ Are Enraging Passengers