Statement from Southwest Airlines

In regard to the recent news coverage about Southwest’s decision to deplane a female passenger in Reno for refusing to cover up a t-shirt that contained inappropriate and vulgar language (she was repeatedly asked to put on the sweater she was carrying), Southwest would like to offer the following statement:

Southwest Airlines supports the right of freedom of speech in the United States. Southwest also supports the rights of our Customers when traveling on Southwest and our Employees to not have to be confronted with offensive, even inciting profanity displayed by another Customer onboard a Southwest flight.

Southwest's Customer Contract of Carriage states that: "Persons whose conduct is or has been known to be disorderly, abusive, offensive, threatening, intimidating, or violent, or whose clothing is lewd, obscene, or patently offensive" may be denied boarding.

This situation does not concern politics or political views. Rather, the Customer wore a t-shirt displaying language that is so offensive that for example, by federal regulation it cannot be aired by public broadcast or printed in a newspaper.