‘Go to Frontier they’ll take you’: United Airlines flight attendant says he was fired for being Republican. Then people clap back with the real reason
A former flight attendant is claiming that he was fired from United Airlines for being a Republican. It turns out, TikTokers have other reasons to explain why he was let go from the company.
TikTok user @sami.cadinaz, whose real name is Marquis Richardson, got let go from the company. He discussed the incident in a TikTok video with over 305,000 views. When he reported the incidents and how his personal information was leaked by insiders in the company, a hire-up allegedly terminated him.
But TikTokers don’t believe the man’s claims. For one, TikToker Ruffio Vega (@ruffiovega) said that Richardson was let go because he was “ racist, sexist, and homophobic and transphobic,” in a video with 2.4 million views.
So, what did Richardson say that may have led to his eventual termination?
How did United Airlines flight attendant get identified on social media?
Richardson was a flight attendant for United Airlines. Then he claimed that other flight attendants noticed some of his online posts on his personal Facebook account and alias TikTok page.
The flight attendant claimed in his Feb. 11 post that TikTokers tracked his personal Facebook page and found his personal first and last name before reporting him. “Sami.Cadinez” is not the flight attendant’s real name, something that United employees allegedly found out before reporting him “in-house.”
“ This person put my first name, my middle name, and my last name,” Richardson said. “This person utilized company resources to report me anonymously and said that I am a United flight attendant.”
Ultimately, United Airlines seemingly reviewed his social media pages and made the decision to let the flight attendant go. According to his posts, he was reported to human resources for the content of his social media account.
Why was Richardson fired?
Richardson claims he was terminated for being a Republican. However, other United Airlines employees, associates, and even everyday people had very different perspectives.
According to commenters, Richardson left out key details in his account of why he was fired. “He was talking about his coworkers and being bigoted about them so they reported it to [human resources] and he got fired for that,” one commenter said on his post.
Another commenter added that “he got fired because he was making content talking [expletive] about work and coworkers… while wearing [his] work uniform,” after another viewer tried to defend him.
Richardson has seemingly scrubbed his accounts for many of the videos TikTokers are discussing. However, he allegedly made multiple claims about other employees while in uniform. His video on Feb. 11 discussing his termination, too, was in uniform.
But even without those alleged incidents, Richardson has a track record of making vitriolic statements online. On the very same social media account where he publicly wore a United Airlines uniform, Richardson made negative statements. They discussed “transgenders on cover magazines.” That, alongside the multiple, now-deleted, alleged incidents where he wore his uniform on his profile, also could break United Airlines’ social media policy.
Vega’s response
TikTok content creators like Vega quickly created responses and follow-ups disputing Richardson’s initial story. In Vega’s response, he said, “ You got fired because you were racist, sexist, and homophobic and transphobic. That you were literally talking [expletive] about your coworkers on your public profile, talking about your political beliefs, and why people you work with shouldn’t be working there.”
In Vega’s video description, he added, “At the end of the day, it’s about choosing what resonates with you. I will continue to support United Airlines and urge others to consider their own experiences before casting judgment. Everyone’s experience may vary, but mine has been delightful, and I am proud to stand by a brand that has served me so well.”
What does United Airlines’ policy say?
United Airlines has a very specific social media policy. It requires employees to distinguish between their social media identities and their real-life personas. The policy also makes it very clear that employees should be incredibly careful when posting on social media, regardless of political affiliation. While Richardson did use an alias while creating videos, the videos he created in uniform made that line significantly more blurred.
When commenters on Richardson’s initial post stated that he followed the employee policy, others argued that “he followed the handbook entirely on how to get fired. Even now he is wearing the United Airlines uniform but he had tons of posts saying the worst things about his coworkers before he deleted them because he knew he was wrong.”
Ultimately, Richardson has made no other statements regarding his Termination on his TikTok account since Feb. 15. He did make a post discussing being a Republican flight attendant, however. It described a harsh divide between liberal and Republican professionals in aviation.
@ruffiovega No sir you didn’t Tell the truth I love @United Airlines I won’t sit for bashing #fyp #travel ♬ original sound – Ruffio Vega ????
The Mary Sue reached out to United Airlines via email. We’ve also sent a message to Richardson and Vega via TikTok direct message.
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