Pretty Ricky member Spectacular Smith is continuing to call out Southwest Airlines after documenting his recent altercation with a gate agent at Ontario International Airport in California. The rapper alleges the “rude” employee “got in his face and balled up his fist” because of a carry-on policy affecting his pillow and blanket.
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As we previously shared, Spectacular shared a video on his Instagram on Thursday (July 16). In the minute-long clip, we see a male gate agent blocking the rapper from walking through the door to the jetway and plane.
While the rapper repeatedly asked the employee, “What are you doing?,” the agent, whom Spec identified as Erick Edwards, turned around and closed the door shut. He sarcastically told the rapper, “The door is closed. Get in.” As the rapper told the employee he was recording him, the agent told Spec to go see additional agents at another counter.
Pretty Ricky Rapper Spectacular Smith Gets Into Altercation With Southwest Airlines Gate Agent In Ontario Airport
As Spec walked over to the other counter, he said, “I want to talk to a supervisor.” One of the agents there confirmed they already called the official down to the area. In Spec’s caption about the incident, he explained how he rarely flies with Southwest and never knew about its intense carry-on policy.
He not only had his carry-on luggage, but also a blanket and pillow — which he says he always flies with. However, at the gate, agents told him he had to check his extra belongings before boarding, which he said he attempted to do before the altercation.
“My executive assistant booked me into Ontario Airport and had me fly Southwest. It turned out to be one of the worst travel experiences I’ve ever had. @southwestair, your customer service was unacceptable. Erick Edwards refused to let me board my flight and slammed the gate door in my face. l’ve never experienced treatment like that from an airline. To make matters worse, when I asked to speak with a supervisor, instead of addressing what happened, she told me she didn’t want to watch this video and that I shouldn’t have been recording how I was being treated. Instead of taking accountability, they dismissed my concerns. This level of unprofessionalism is incredibly disappointing. I won’t be flying Southwest again. Y’all tag @southwestair. Customer service matters, and employees – including Erick Edwards should be held accountable for how they treat passengers. Have you ever had an experience like this with Southwest? I’d like to know I’m not the only one.”
In a comment, Spectacular added:
“I travel with my own pillow and blanket on every trip. Since I rarely fly Southwest, I didn’t know they would count as two separate carry-on items. When the gate agent told me I needed to check them, I complied and went back to have my boarding pass updated. Instead of speaking respectfully, he pointed to the floor and told me to put my pillow there. I replied that there was no need to be rude and that a simple ‘please’ would have been appropriate. After I did exactly as instructed, another employee approached to pick up my pillow, but the gate agent stopped him, saying, “Don’t worry about it. He’s not getting on the flight.” He then got inches from my face, balled up his fist in a way that made me believe he was about to hit me, and told me I wasn’t getting on the plane. Feeling threatened, I activated the recording feature on my Meta Glasses to document the encounter @southwestair.”
Pretty Ricky Rapper Spectacular Smith Continues To Call Out Southwest Airlines After Altercation With Gate Agent In Ontario Airport
Hours after sharing his initial posts, Spectacular shared additional context behind the incident. He took accountability for his part — “misunderstanding Southwest’s carry-on policy.” However, he said after complying he faced unnecessary disrespect and unprofessionalism.
“Here’s some context. I travel with my own pillow and blanket on every trip. Because I rarely fly Southwest, I didn’t realize they would count as two separate carry-on items. When the gate agent informed me of the policy, I accepted it and complied immediately. He directed me to the ticket counter to check my pillow and blanket, and I did exactly as instructed. I was not late for my flight and was following his directions when I returned to the gate. Instead of speaking respectfully, the gate agent pointed to the floor and told me to put my pillow there. I complied and simply responded that there was no need to be rude and that a simple ‘please’ would have been appropriate. After that exchange, the interaction escalated. Another employee approached to collect my pillow, but the gate agent stopped him and said, ‘Don’t worry about it. He’s not getting on the flight.’ He then stepped directly into my path, got inches from my face, clenched his fist in a way that caused me to believe he was about to strike me, and told me I wasn’t getting on the plane. Concerned by his actions, I activated the recording feature on my Meta Glasses to document what was happening. I acknowledge that I misunderstood Southwest’s carry-on policy. That was my mistake, and I complied with every instruction I was given. My concern is not the policy. It’s how I was treated after I complied. Policies should be enforced professionally, and every customer deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, even when they’ve made a mistake.”
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