A US airline has apologised after one of its staff members mocked a 5-year-old passenger named Abcde.
Traci Redford claims she and daughter Abcde (pronounced "Ab-city") were boarding a Southwest Airlines flight in California when a gate agent started making fun of the name.
"The gate agent started laughing, pointing at me and my daughter, talking to other employees. So I turned around and said, 'Hey if I can hear you, my daughter can hear you, so I'd appreciate if you'd just stop,'" Ms Redford told US outlet ABC 7.
"[Abcde] said 'Mum, why is she laughing at my name? And I said not everyone is nice and not everyone is going to be nice and it's unfortunate," she said.
"[Then] while I was sitting there, she took a picture of my boarding pass and chose to post it on social media, mocking my daughter. It was actually brought to my attention by somebody who had seen it on Facebook and reported it to Southwest Airlines."
Ms Redford told ABC 7 her daughter has epilepsy so the family always pre-boards.
In response, the airline issued a statement extending a "sincere apology" to the family.
"We take great pride in extending our Southwest Hospitality to all of our customers, which includes living by the golden rule and treating every individual with respect, in person or online," the statement read.
The airline said it has since "followed up with the employee involved".
