A viral video is making rounds on the internet, alleging that a passenger was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight for petting her dog. The incident, captured in a TikTok video posted by Sara Price, has garnered widespread attention, sparking debates about airline policies and passenger behavior.
The video, posted on Sunday, features a woman wearing an Oregon State Beavers sweatshirt. It shows her retrieving her belongings from the plane’s overhead compartment and heading for the exit. As of the time of writing, the video has amassed 1.4 million views and over 116,000 likes.
According to Price’s caption in the video, the flight was scheduled to depart from Colorado and was bound for California. Price described the situation, saying, “The puppy was whining a little, and the flight attendant boarding everyone walked up to her and said, ‘If your dog doesn’t be quiet, you may not be able to fly.’ The passenger then proceeded to pet the dog.”
Price continued, “All the attendants got in a group at the front of the plane and decided we needed to return to the gate and that she should be removed from the flight.”
In the video, the dog owner can be seen rejecting assistance from a flight attendant who offered to help her with her bag. She expressed her frustration, saying, “I’m not going to have you touch a thing of mine. You are rude. You are a mean person. And I will never fly Southwest again.”
Fellow passengers in the background could be heard consoling her, with one saying, “It’s not like you even had the dog out; you were petting it.”
Southwest Airlines’ pet policy, as stated on their website, requires passengers to keep their pets in “an appropriate carrier” when traveling with the airline. Additionally, pets are only allowed on domestic flights, as specified on the website.
This incident has prompted discussions online regarding the enforcement of airline rules and the perceived treatment of passengers. Southwest Airlines, like other carriers, aims to strike a balance between ensuring a safe and comfortable experience for all passengers, including those traveling with pets.
