Southwest Investigating Pilot Accused of Using ‘Brandon’ Phrase, Insulting President Joe Biden

Southwest Airlines is conducting an internal investigation after one of its pilots reportedly used a term that has become a method of insulting President Joe Biden during the passengers greeting on the plane’s public address system last week.

“Let’s go, Brandon,” the pilot allegedly said, which has become an a way for conservative circles to refer to profanity targeting Biden.

The use of the phrase caused some passengers on a Friday flight from Houston to Albuquerque to audibly gasp, according to The Associated Press. An AP reporter was on the flight.

“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 in a statement, according to the AP.

The company added that it would “address the situation directly with any employee involved while continuing to remind all employees that public expression of personal opinions while on duty is unacceptable.”

The “Brandon” term gained popularity on Oct. 2 at a NASCAR race in Alabama won by Brandon Brown, the AP reported. The crowd was heard chanting during a post race interview with Brown and an NBC sports reporter. The reporter suggested they may have been saying, “Let’s go, Brandon” in support of the driver but it became clear that they were actually saying, “F— Joe Biden.”

The term has since been used on the House floor by a Republican lawmaker, according to the AP, and has surfaced on social media by critics of the president.

In October, Southwest canceled around 2,400 flights, causing widespread travel issues across the country as passengers scrambled for alternate options.

One expert explained that the chaos was caused by the perfect storm of issues, from the airline attempting the most flights since the start of the pandemic with decreased staff to air traffic control issues.

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