Sandra “Pepa” Denton of Salt-N-Pepa fame found herself stranded in Las Vegas this morning after being deemed a safety risk by a Southwest Airlines crew.
Pepa was en route to Nashville for a meeting—a trip she frequently makes as it’s the only direct flight available. Due to a knee injury from a 2018 car accident, she had purchased two seats and arranged for wheelchair assistance.
Once on the plane, a flight attendant informed her that she couldn’t use both seats since she wasn’t in a cast, despite wearing a knee brace. After some discussion, the attendant finally allowed her to keep the two seats.
However, things took a turn when a man, claiming he was headed to a funeral, asked for her extra seat. As Pepa explained her need for the seat due to her injury, other passengers began debating whether she should give it up. When she asked the man to swear he was indeed going to a funeral, he refused but still ended up with the seat.
Pepa called her assistant and suggested recording the incident, but before long, she was removed from the flight without explanation. Southwest later told her she was removed for allegedly recording and not following crew instructions—though Pepa insists she never actually recorded anything.
While she managed to reschedule her meeting and was reimbursed $2500 for her seats, Pepa was out $800 for her greeter and car service fees. Southwest claims she was denied boarding to ensure passenger safety and compliance, but Pepa plans to explore legal options for potential ADA violations. Despite being marked as “disabled” on her boarding pass, she was offered a bulkhead emergency seat, which she declined due to her inability to assist in an emergency.
Written by
Derek Chan
