May9,2016

Mr.GaryKelly
ChairmanoftheBoard,President,&CEO
SouthwestAirlines

DearMr.Kelly,

The undersigned organizations and leaders, representing nonprofit, civil society, advocacy, andnetroots
organizations,alongside MuslimandArabcommunitiesacrosstheUnitedStates,writeto askforyourformal
response to the disturbingtrendofantiMuslimandantiArabincidentsonSouthwest Airlinesflights.Wecall
on you to formally apologize to those impacted by recent incidents and review the airlines policies and
procedures, particularly those related to how thecredibilityofthreats and allegations isassessedand the
standards used to remove or bar passengers from flights. We also ask that you develop and implement
antibiastrainingforflightcrewsandotherpersonnelthatinteractdirectlywithpassengers.

Though discrimination may not beaformal policy of SouthwestAirlines, recent actions by your employees
have heightened concernsamongourorganizationsandcommunitiesaboutthehostileenvironment created
for Araband Muslim passengerson your flights. Repeatedly, baselessaccusations from otherpassengers
andemployees feelinguncomfortablehaveledyourairlinetotakesignificant,evendrasticaction,whilethe
publichumiliation,distress, anddelays caused to Araband Muslim passengershavebeenbrushedoffwith
references to proper procedures and following protocol. These cases are leading toa widespreadfear
andrejectionoftravelonSouthwestflightsamongstourcommunities.

The pattern of incidents raises serious questions about the proceduresand protocols used by Southwest
Airlines and the employee culture cultivated at your organization. While your airline claims to follow the
principle of #SouthwestHeart, thisvalueseems tobeapplieddifferentlytocustomers thatareArab,Muslim,
orperceivedtobeMuslim.

ShouldArabicspeakersusespecialprecautionswhentravelingwithSouthwest?

On April 6th, members of the flight crew removed 26 year old Khairuldeen Makhzoomi from an
Oaklandbound flight after another passenger overheardhimspeakingArabic on hisphoneand perceived
the conversation as threatening. Southwest employees then called the authorities and Makhzoomi was
humiliatedandsubjectedtoanFBIinterrogation

simplyformakingaphonecalltohisuncle.

Last November,yourstaffblockedtwomenfromboardingaflighttoPhiladelphiaaftera customerreportedly

felt uncomfortable after hearing themspeakingArabic while waitingto enter the plane. Doesyour airline
applythesametreatmenttopassengersspeakingotherlanguages?

Does a prohibitiononswitchingseats apply onlytopassengersthatareArab,Muslim,orperceivedtobe

Muslim?

The boardingsection of your website states:We dontassign seats onourflights, sofeelfreetositinany

available seatonce you board the plane. ButforArab andMuslim passengers,your staffseem toapplya
differentsetofrules.

On April 13th, a SouthwestflightattendantremovedHakima Abdulle,awomanofSomalidescentwearinga

hijab, from a flightaftersheand another passenger agreedto switchseats.Yourflightattendantstatedthat
shedidnotfeelcomfortablewith Abdulle, whowastravelingtohelp apregnantrelativeinSeattle andwas
broughttotearsafterthehumiliatingexperience.

This follows another incident last November, in which several Arabicspeaking customers were removed
fromaSouthwestflightafterotherpassengerssaidtheirattemptstosittogethermadethemfeeluneasy.

Iseveryallegationordiscomfortgroundsforremovingorbarringpassengersfromflights?

All of the cases above were caused by Southwest Airlines employees accepting another passenger or
employee feelinguncomfortableorperceivingathreatfroma MuslimorArabpassengerassufficientreason
tobaror remove them from aflight.Areemployeestrained such thatthemeresightorsoundofcustomers
ofcertainbackgrounds istreated asan actionablethreat? Wouldthe sameproceduresapplyifaMuslimor
Arabcustomerfeltuncomfortableorperceivedathreatofdiscriminatoryactionfromstafforpassengers?

No one should be made to feel unsafe ona flight or denied service because of theirrace, religion, orthe
language they speak. Yet, yourairline hascreatedanenvironmentwherecustomerswhoareArab,Muslim,
orperceivedtobeMuslimaretodayfearfultoflySouthwest.

And withthisdisturbingtrendofincidentsonSouthwestflightscoinciding withanationalspikeinantiMuslim

rhetoric,sentiment,andviolence,itisespeciallyimportantthatyourairlinebegintoaddresstheseconcerns.

Wecallonyoutotakethefollowingactions:

1. IssuepublicapologiestoKhairuldeenMakhzoomiandHakimaAbdulle
2. Reviewpoliciesandproceduresaround how allegations from passengers and staffareelevated to
becomeactionableandstandardsusedforremovingpassengersorbarringthemfromflightsand
3. Developandimplementantibiastrainingforallstaffthatinteractdirectlywithcustomers.

We look forwardto the day whenallcustomers,regardlessofrace,religion,orbackground,areaffordedthe

#SouthwestHeartthatyourcompanyclaimsasacorevalue.

Sincerely,

MPowerChange
18MillionRising
ACCESSofWNY,Inc.
AmericanCivilLibertiesUnion(ACLU)
ArabAmericanAssociationofNewYork
AsianAmericanPsychologicalAssociation
AsianPacificAmericanLaborAllianceAFLCIO(APALA)
AuburnSeminary
CAAAVOrganizingAsianCommunities

CAIRMarylandOutreachDept.
CenterforConstitutionalRights
CouncilonAmericanIslamicRelations(CAIR)
CourageCampaign
EvolutionaryLeadership,LLC
ICNACouncilforSocialJustice
IraqVeteransAgainsttheWar
IslamicCircleofNorthAmerica(ICNA)
IslamicSocietyofNorthAmerica(ISNA)
MichiganMuslimCommunityCouncil
MissouriImmigrantandRefugeeAdvocates
Mizna
MoveOn.Org
MuslimAntiRacismCollaborative(MuslimARC)
MuslimLegalFundofAmerica(MLFA)
MuslimsforFerguson
NationalAsianPacificAmericanFamiliesAgainstSubstanceAbuse(NAPAFASA)
NationalCoalitionforAsianPacificAmericanCommunityDevelopment(NationalCAPACD)
NationalCouncilofAsianPacificAmericans(NCAPA)
NationalNetworkforArabAmericanCommunities
Presente.org
SouthAsianAmericansLeadingTogether(SAALT)
SystemsforHumanEmpowerment
TakeOnHate
TheArabAmericanFamilySupportCenter
TheCouncilofIslamicOrganizationsofGreaterChicago
TheDreamDefenders
TheGatheringforJustice
TheMarkaz
UltraViolet
VeteransChallengeIslamophobia
VeteransForPeaceNational