- A Southwest pilot reportedly said an anti-Joe Biden phrase during an in-flight announcement.
- The phrase, "Let's Go, Brandon" has been used as a code to criticize Biden.
- Southwest on Sunday said it is investigating the incident.
Southwest Airlines is conducting an investigation following reports that one of its pilots said an anti-Joe Biden chant during an inflight announcement.
In an article published on Saturday, the Associated Press's Colleen Long wrote that she was on a flight from Houston to Albuquerque on Friday when the pilot said the phrase "Let's Go, Brandon," at the end of his announcement.
Long wrote that there were "audible gasps from some passengers." She was almost removed from the aircraft after she tried to get the pilot to comment.
Insider's Jake Lahut previously reported the phrase started at a NASCAR event earlier this month when a crowd was chanting "Fuck Joe Biden." NBC Sports reporter Kelli Stavast mistakenly said the crowd was chanting "Let's Go, Brandon."
In a statement on Sunday, Southwest said it does not condone employees sharing "their personal political opinions while on the job."
-Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) October 31, 2021
They added that "one Employee's individual perspective should not be interpreted as the viewpoint of Southwest and its collective 54,000 Employees."
Southwest said it would investigate and address the situation directly with any employee involved. The airline said it would "continue to remind employees that "public expression of personal opinions while on duty is unacceptable."
Insider's Thomas Pallini previously reported that this isn't the first political debate the airline has been a part of.
After the airline canceled thousand of flights during Columbus Day Weekend because of bad weather, some conservatives falsely said the cancellations were due to pilots resisting Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Southwest and its pilot union said vaccine protests had nothing to do with the cancellations.