A Virginia father who was accused of human trafficking on a Southwest flight in late October is waiting for an apology from the airline for the public humiliation.
John Kerrigan was trying to disembark the plane with his daughter and their friend on Oct. 21 at the Norfolk International Airport when the flight crew assumed that he was trafficking the two girls and notified security.
Before he knew it, three officers were hauling the father down the aisle from his back seat and all the way off the plane, where he was questioned but eventually released.
Kerrigan was humiliated by the ignominy and expected an apology of some kind. Instead, Southwest Airlines offered him a $1,500 voucher as compensation.
He also said that he received an email from Southwest Airlines, but the word “sorry” was nowhere in sight. Instead, the airline said that they “regret your disappointment.”
“It’s kind of like a non-apology type of ‘thank you’ or ‘have a nice day’-type of thing,” Kerrigan told WAVY Thursday morning.
“It didn’t seem to faze them too much. I guess it’s just a large corporation and they figure they’ll take a publicity hit here or there.”
Kerrigan considered suing the airline, but was advised by an attorney to accept the flight credit. However, others have sued for similar mistakes in the past.
Last year, a California mom was also accused of trafficking her daughter on a Southwest flight while the two were on their way to a funeral. She has since sued the airline for unspecified damages.
The Post has reached out to Kerrigan and Southwest for comment.
