Southwest Airlines: Refusal to Let Same-Sex Family Use Family Boarding ‘Had Nothing to Do With Discrimination’

“This Is for Family Boarding Only and You Are Not Permitted to Board’ Family Says They Were Told

Southwest Airlines late Monday released a statement denying that a Buffalo gate agent’s refusal to allow a man, his husband, and their three young children to use “family boarding” because it is “only for family” was an act of discrimination. On Saturday, the family, along with the children’s 83-year old grandmother, were refused the ability to board during the family boarding process. 

Grant Morse told local news outlets that his husband Sam was “aggressively” told they were not a family and therefore could not board at that time. The family includes a three-year old and five-year old twins. Southwest also did not seat their grandmother with the rest of the family, but in an emergency exit aisle seat.

Rather than apologize, the airline offered this statement, as WKBW reported:

Prior to the departure of Flight 5136 from Buffalo to Fort Lauderdale on May 20, we welcomed all families to board the aircraft during Family Boarding between the “A” and “B” boarding groups.  Our Operations Agent informed two parents that another member of their group was ineligible to board under Family Boarding and asked that she board in her assigned boarding group.  This conversation in the boarding area had nothing to do with discrimination, we welcomed both parents to board the aircraft with their children.  The parents expressed disappointment that the Family Boarding policy was not applicable to another member of their group.  The two parents did not agree with our policy, and our Flight Crew worked to save seats together on the aircraft for the family as the conversation continued in the gate area.  Our Family Boarding Policy is explained on Southwest.com and our Employees work hard to follow the policy to accommodate families traveling together while also maintaining boarding priorities for all of our Customers.

The statement differs from Morse’s interview, in which he told WKBW the gate agent again told them, “This is for family boarding only and you are not permitted to board. This is only for family, and I told you that already.”

In an updated WKBW report (video below), Morse says a man and woman with their one child were allowed to board during family boarding, but he, his husband, and their three children were not. 

Image by Tomás Del Coro via Flickr and a CC license