Assemblywoman Fiona Ma isn't going to stand for trash-talking. The San Francisco Democrat slammed Southwest Airlines today, asking her fellow lawmakers to stop flying Southwest after a pilot was busted for bashing gays, women, and overweight people via a microphone.
Ma, who is a frequent flier, is drafting a letter to the state General Services Department, officially requesting that the state sever its contracts it currently has with Southwest Airlines, which happens to be the preferred airline for lawmakers in Sacramento.
Ma says she is appalled by the pilot's diatribe, laced with obscenities and slurs, that took place on March 24 on a flight out of Austin. The pilot's comments -- which were targeting flight attendants -- were heard across the entire Southwest Airlines communications system.
"There's 12 flight attendants, individual, never the same flight attendant twice. Eleven (expletive) over the top (expletive), (expletive) homosexuals and a granny," he reportedly said.
The airline suspended the pilot, who is now back at work. And Ma says that punishment doesn't match the crime.
"They need to do more than slap the guy on the wrist," Ma told SF Weekly. "His abusive comments are shocking. We hope Southwest will take more action."
If not, she expects the state of California to dump the airline.
We asked Ma what kind of damage that might cause Southwest, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. We put in a call to find out how much money the state spends on air travel for lawmakers and their staff. We'll update you when we hear more.
In the meantime, check out what has Ma and so many others riled up:
You can see the full transcript on the next page:
