During a flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta, a neighbor in the row asked a tourist to give up her seat to a pit bull, who was allegedly flying with the hostess for “emotional support.” The woman refused to do so and later described the situation on social media, receiving an apology from the airline, Newsweek reported.
TV writer Kiana Fowlkes said on social networks that after boarding a flight with the American airline company Delta Airlines, she found a dog in her seat on the plane. The owner of the animal asked the tourist to give way to her pet, but Kiana refused.
“The owner reacted as if I was acting recklessly, not wanting to give up my place to the dog. I don’t know where she expected me to go. To be honest, I was shocked,” said the tourist.
After that, Kiana Fowlkes went to the tail of the plane to talk about the situation with the crew but did not receive help. As a result, according to the tourist, both she and the woman sitting next to the aisle were forced to sit for the entire four-and-a-half hours of the flight next to a woman with a pit bull on her lap. In general, the pit bull behaved well, but the dog’s hair and the hostess’s frequent trips to the toilet with the dog on a leash caused inconvenience to others.
Kiana Falux notes that she is not sure if the pit bull was a service dog. “She kept saying that it was emotional support and that she had documents for a service animal. But the dog had no vest to identify him. The dog was still a puppy and not fully trained. She never said why she needed a dog. Service animals know how to lie on the floor and are trained to fit in the plane,” the tourist wrote.
In general, a woman does not object to having emotional support animals or service animals on the flight, as long as they are trained and do not interfere. However, in this situation, she is not sure that this pit bull falls into that category. According to Delta’s policy, service animals are only allowed in the cabin for “persons with disabilities” and only “trained service animals that are dogs” are allowed.
A Delta Air Lines representative told Newsweek that the incident is currently under investigation. “Except approved service animals, Delta requires that all pets brought on board can fit in a small, ventilated pet carrier that fits under the seat in front of you. What is shown in these videos is a violation of both Delta regulations and federal policy. We are currently conducting an internal investigation and apologize to customers for the inconvenience,” said the airline’s representative.
Reflecting on this, Faulks said, “I just think the whole thing is unfortunate and very inconvenient for me and the woman who was sitting in the aisle. I wish the flight attendants were more proactive, but I also fully understand that customers swear at them every day on flights. At the end of the day, it’s up to Delta to make sure their employees feel empowered to do their jobs and enforce the rules, as well as provide safe and comfortable flights for their customers.”