Southwest Airlines found itself in a turbulent situation when Sandra “Pepa” Denton, the renowned rapper from Salt-N-Pepa, complained about an alleged removal from a plane due to a disability-related dispute.
The artist took to social media to express her shock at being put off a Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Nashville, Tennessee. Pepa, who TMZ reported is still recovering from a 2018 car accident, had purchased two seats and arranged wheelchair assistance for her
journey. However, conflict arose when a flight attendant questioned her need for both seats. In the video shared on Instagram, Pepa confronted Southwest Airlines employees in the jetway, explaining her situation and expressing disbelief at allegedly being replaced by another male passenger, who TMZ said needed the seat to get to a funeral.According to Pepa, Southwest Airlines personnel, disregarding her clearly marked “disabled” tickets, proposed relocating her to the bulkhead emergency row — a suggestion she promptly rebuffed.
The rapper recounted, “I’m not trying to do the race thing. Y’all know I ain’t trying to do that,” as she struggled to comprehend her removal from the plane. In the back-and-forth, the male employee physically barred her path, extending his arms to prevent her approach as she moved closer to the plane’s entrance to document the situation.
Southwest Airlines offered a different perspective, telling TMZ
the “Push it!” rapper failed to adhere to crew members’ instructions. In the video, the male employee explained to Pepa, “When she got on the plane, I asked you, ‘Why did you need a second seat?’…You weren’t wearing your brace or anything like that.”The airline cited her alleged recording and safety concerns as grounds for removal, though she denies filming while on board the aircraft.
While Southwest Airlines refunded Pepa’s $2,500 for the two seats, Pepa claimed support from fellow travelers, stating they would write letters and help complain on her behalf.
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