Virginia dad falsely accused by Southwest flight of trafficking his daughter gets no apology, ‘Didn’t seem to faze them’
John Kerrigan has been waiting for an apology for the public humiliation after being falsely accused of trafficking on a Southwest flight.
A Virginia father has been waiting for an apology after being falsely accused of trafficking on a Southwest flight in late October. The public humiliation has left John Kerrigan distressed.
On October 21, Kerrigan was trying to disembark the plane with his daughter and their friend at the Norfolk International Airport when he was in for a massive shock. Assuming that he was trafficking the two girls, the flight crew notified security.
Kerrigan was hauled down the aisle from his back seat by three officers, taken off the plane and questioned. He was eventually released.
‘A non-apology type of ‘thank you’ or ‘have a nice day’-type of thing’
Despite the humiliation, however, Kerrigan never received any kind of apology. Instead, he was offered a $1,500 voucher as compensation by Southwest Airlines.
Kerrigan also received an email from Southwest Airlines, but nowhere did he find the word “sorry.” Instead, they wrote that they “regret your disappointment.”
“It’s kind of like a non-apology type of ‘thank you’ or ‘have a nice day’-type of thing,” Kerrigan told WAVY. “It didn’t seem to faze them too much. I guess it’s just a large corporation and they figure they’ll take a publicity hit here or there.”
Kerrigan had initially planned to sue the airline. However, an attorney advised him to accept the $1,500 flight credit Southwest offered as compensation.
Kerrigan, however, agrees that efforts should be made to curb human trafficking. “But the way they’re going to get you off the plane like that,” he said, “I think is complete BS.”
However, the airline has been sued by other people for similar mistakes in the past. A California mom was accused of trafficking her daughter on a Southwest flight last year, while the two of them were on their way to a funeral. The airline was later sued by her for unspecified damages.