A Southwest Airlines pilot reportedly signed off his greeting to passengers with the phrase “Let’s go Brandon!” shortly before taking off from Houston to Albuquerque last month.
An Associated Press reporter was on the Friday morning flight when the pilot said the phrase which “drew audible gasps” from flyers, according to the outlet.
Southwest Airlines announced that they will conduct an investigation into the pilot’s statement, telling staff and customers that the airline “done not condone Employees sharing their personal political opinions.”
“Southwest does not condone Employees sharing their personal political opinions while on the job serving our Customers, and one Employee’s individual perspective should not be interpreted as the viewpoint of Southwest and its collective 54,000 Employees,” the airline said. “Southwest is conducting an internal investigation into the recently reported event and will address the situation directly with the Employee involved while continuing to remind all Employees that public expression of personal opinions while on duty is unacceptable.”
Southwest was forced to cancel thousands of flights last month citing bad weather. However, many have speculated that it was due to a pilot strike in protest the airline’s vaccine mandate. Joe Biden ordered all federal contractors to receive the Covid-19 vaccination by December, or else they will lose their jobs.
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly noted that he was against vaccine mandates, but agreed to comply with Biden’s orders.
Following protests from hundreds of pilots and flight attendants last month, Southwest ditched its plan that would have put unvaccinated staff members who applied for medical and religious exemptions on unpaid leave starting in December.
Americans started chanting new the popular phrase, “Let’s Go Brandon,” after an NBC News reporter attempted to cover up a “F**k Joe Biden” chant from a crowd while interviewing NASCAR driver Brandon Brown at the Talladega Superspeedway.
Kelli Stavast, the NBC reporter, told viewers that the crowd was chanting “Let’s Go Brandon” instead of “F**k Joe Biden.”
Since the reporter’s debacle, the famous “Let’s Go Brandon” chant has been heard at events across the United States as a fill in for the “F*** Joe Biden” chant that was used beforehand. “Let’s Go Brandon” has been chanted at sporting events, concerts, and in Congress. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., ended his speech on the U.S. House floor last week with the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon.”
During Game 4 of the World Series between the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves, President Donald Trump, who attended the game with First Lady Melania Trump, was recorded in a TikTok video enjoying the crowd’s “Let’s Go Brandon” chant in the stadium.
As fans chanted the famous anti-Biden slogan, Trump was seen in the video laughing and shaking his head with approval.
