Southwest Airlines slammed as ‘tone deaf' for social media joke
This apparently was not one of those times.
Southwest Airlines has been catching heat for its recent policy reversal. 'Allowing bags to fly free' has been a marketing tool of the company for years, but as announced earlier this week, that will no longer be true for customers purchasing the lowest-priced plane tickets.
The change begins on May 28. The airline will continue to offer two free checked bags to Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred Members as well as passengers flying on Business Select fares. One free checked bag will be allowed for A-List Members, while one checked bag will be credited for Rapid Rewards Credit Card members.
It's not clear how much it'll cost to check bags.
While customers reacted to the policy change, the Dallas-based airline took a shot at its hometown NBA team.
'It's not like we traded Luka,' an Instagram post from the Southwest Airlines account reads.
That swipe is in reference to last month's shocking NBA trade between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers that sent superstar Luka Doncic to L.A. The trade, much like the new Southwest policy, was not well received by fans in the Dallas area.
And now, the airline, which has also announced mass layoffs in the last month, is taking some punishment online.
'This is incredibly tone deaf,' a comment reads from Instagram user gkrisanic. 'I've been a loyal Southwest customer and a RR cardholder for years, but now I'm going to be exploring other options after all of these policy changes. There is really no reason to fly SW now, especially when I can find a more convenient direct flight on another airline. Super disappointed in y'all.'
'Taking a screenshot of this as it will be the thumbnail for the Harvard business review case study of destroying a brand and an entire company,' said user rappid_exposure.
'Air balling a joke like this after laying off [nearly 1,800] people is crazy,' said adamchernandez.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Gamblers will have to pay taxes on their losses thanks to provision in Trump's spending bill
The Trump administration's signature spending package contains a little-known provision which could radically upend the gambling industry. Previously, gamblers could deduct all their losses from their declared income, while still having to pay taxes on their winnings. As a result, bettors were only taxed if they walked away from the table with a net profit. But starting next year, under the new bill, which the president signed into law Friday, bettors can only deduct 90 percent of their losses from their declared income. This sets up the potential for people to pay income taxes even if they ultimately came out of their bets at a loss. Insiders warned the change could drive away professional and recreational gamers alike impacting tax revenue. 'Did anyone think this through?' Russell Fox, a Nevada-based accountant specializing in gambling, told The Washington Post. 'They thought: 'We'll bury this somewhere in the bill. No one will see it, and now we've got $1 billion of income to offset $1 billion of tax cuts.'' 'This is bad long-term for the casino industry,' he added. 'It's bad for gamblers. It's actually bad for the IRS, too. We need a less-complex tax system.' Rep. Dina Titus, a Democratic congresswoman who represents Nevada, said earlier this week she would seek a 'legislative fix' to the provision. 'This is just another attack on gaming and tourism and on districts like mine that rely on these industries,' she said in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. 'This also punishes people who are trying to do the right thing by reporting gambling on their taxes, pushing them towards offshore outlets and the predictions market, which unlike legitimate gambling sources, do not invest in bricks and mortar, pay state taxes, hire union labor, or contribute to problem gaming efforts.' Professional gamblers have also warned about the impact of the provision. 'This new amendment to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would end professional gambling in the U.S. and hurt casual gamblers, too,' poker player Phil Galfond wrote on X on Tuesday. 'You could pay more in tax than you won. Contact your representative quickly.' Others suggested the provision could push gamblers away from casinos and traditional sports books to online prediction markets such as Kalshi, which in practice often function like gambling but are regulated and taxed differently. Sports betting is legal in 38 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The gaming industry brought in a record high of nearly $72 billion last year, according to the American Gaming Association.
Newsweek
28 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Gen Z Woman Opens Carry-On for Flight—Can't Believe What Her Mom Packed
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Canadian woman could not believe what had been snuck into her carry-on bag by her mom. Liliane Lai (@hardpastrybun) posted a clip on TikTok to reveal what her mother packed for her as a "snack" for a short flight: a boiled turmeric chicken. The 27-year-old—who goes by Lili—was travelling from Montreal (YUL) to Toronto (YYZ) when she made the viral video in the airport. Liliane Lai, 27, opening her light purple carry-on and posing with her thumb up. Liliane Lai, 27, opening her light purple carry-on and posing with her thumb up. @hardpastrybun "It's not the first time, so I wasn't surprised," Lili told Newsweek. "[My mom] actually wanted me to bring two." Lili said her mother, who still lives in Montreal along with the rest of her family, is known for sending her back to Toronto with bags of home-cooked food. She's also the first of her siblings to move out of the family home. "[She] is a silly, goofy Vietnamese mom," Lili told Newsweek. "Since I only had a carry on, she had to limit herself." Vietnamese gà luộc is actually a smart choice for travel food. The traditional dish doesn't contain any perishable sauces or high-risk ingredients that spoil quickly at room temperature. And contrary to what other passengers might think, gà luộc doesn't give off a strong smell either, especially when wrapped well. Lili's clip has been viewed 2 million times and sparked over a thousand comments from many users who understood the gesture. "Asian parents really do show their love in their own special way," one user laughed. "In my culture, when someone visits you from far away and they leave, it's customary to pack them a boiled chicken and rice, so this is very understandable," another wrote. "You never know how hungry you can get in an hour. Food is Asian parents' love language," a third commenter added. It's true. In many Vietnamese households, gà luộc is commonly packed for road trips, train rides or given to children traveling back to university or work. Lili, who goes by @softpastrybun on Instagram, told Newsweek that no other passengers said anything, but her bag did catch the attention of airport security. "My bag did get flagged, but he asked if I had chicken and laughed before saying it was fine and I was free to go," she said. While the clip struck a chord with many, not all feedback was focused on the poultry. "[The reaction has] been hilarious," Lili said. "Everyone is either relating or just laughing along. I did get some criticism on my hair though, lol."
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Trump can't give up the fight against foreign meddling in US tech
President Donald Trump last month got Canada to kill a blatantly unfair tax on US-based companies, but the fight against foreign meddling in America's tech industry has a long way to go. Canada's Digital Services Tax was set to slap companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, Uber and Airbnb with a 3% levy on revenue from Canadian users — until Trump canceled trade talks over what he rightly slammed as an 'egregious' move. Prime Minister Mark Carney promptly nixed the fee hours before it would've kicked in. Good: The tax was a shameless cash grab at the expense of American companies — and it was retroactive, demanding US-based tech firms fork over a whopping $2 billion. Note that the Biden administration also opposed the tax, and even whined that it might violate the USMCA trade agreement — but did nothing to actually stop it. Making Carney back down is fresh proof that Trump's big-stick trade tactics can work — and work to protect cutting-edge knowledge-based industries, not just brick-and-mortar manufacturing. It also shows that, despite all the ink spilled over Elon Musk's tiff with Trump, the tech industry still has plenty of reason to stay friendly with the administration. Especially since, as the prez pointed out on TruthSocial, Canada was just seeking to copy the European Union, which shamelessly uses its Digital Markets and Digital Services Acts to fill its coffers and bend US tech to its will. Six of seven tech companies the European Commission has highlighted as 'gatekeepers' to be reined in are American: Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft and The EU has already hit Apple and Meta this year with massive fines for allegedly breaking the Digital Markets Act's antitrust rules. Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Far worse: The Digital Services Act chills free expression by threatening steep financial repercussions against companies that allow speech that the EU considers 'disinformation,' 'hate speech' or threats to 'civil discourse' — concepts so nebulous that it's hard to see how companies can comply without stomping on the First Amendment. It's beyond unacceptable for Brussels to determine what Americans can say on American–owned sites. The EU's legal harassment of US-based tech firms is so egregious that Trump aide Peter Navarro slammed it as 'lawfare' in April. These 'fines' are basically tariffs by another name — milking successful American companies by creating strict regulations that target them especially. Canada clearly meant to get its own slice of that pie, only for Trump to slap down Ottowa's grasping hand. Making the Europeans back off should be high on the president's agenda as he starts his next tariff offensive. Don't let America's trade partners reap the benefits of our thriving, innovative tech industry while spitting on the free-speech and free-market ideals that make it possible.
