A Delta Air Lines elite passenger received a rare first class upgrade – but 15 minutes later was sent back to coach in order to give their seat up front to a dog instead. The airline told the customer that the dog was a service animal, and there’s “nothing they can do.”
I got upgraded to first this morning, only to 15 mins later get downgraded (to a worst seat than I previously had). I asked the desk agent what was going on and she said “something changed”.
Okay, fine, I am disgruntled but whatever, I then board only to see this dog in my first class seat … And now I’m livid.
I immediately chat Delta support and they say “you may be relocated for service animals” and there is nothing they can do.
I genuinely don’t see Delta’s logic in bumping a passenger from first class to accommodate a dog in the bulkhead. To be sure, airlines are generally required to provide reasonable accommodations under the Air Carrier Access Act, and one way they do that can be with bulkhead seats. However a last minute seat switch certainly wouldn’t be required.
- Airlines must provide seating accommodations for passengers with disabilities if needed (e.g. for legroom, mobility, or being near a service animal). Bulkhead seats are often used for this purpose.
- However, they are not required to displace other passengers from their assigned seats unless the airline has not implemented policies to reserve specific seating for passengers with disabilities (e.g. Southwest, but they pre-board such passengers who can then choose their own seat adventure).
- Airlines must prioritize disabled passengers for bulkhead seats only if those seats are necessary as an accommodation for the passenger and only if that accommodation has been requested in advance. (They should make reasonable efforts to accommodate at the airport, but don’t have the same obligation, and again wouldn’t have to displace another passenger to do it).
It’s only if an accommodation had been requested and approved in advance but Delta failed to execute on it, or mistakenly upgraded the passenger in a seat that should have been set aside for the dog already, that the airline’s downgrade makes any sense.
And upgrading a passenger and then downgrading them should be treated much more gingerly by an airline that fancies itself premium (as much as Delta executives despise doing upgrades at all). Proactive compensation would have been appropriate here, since this only could have arisen do to an airline error.
Delta does seem to have gone to the dogs, and not just because only about 13% of passengers in first class are sitting there with upgrades these days. In late summer I wrote about a first class passenger booted to accommodate a plus-sized woman with an emotional support dog and 4 carry-ons.
And here’s a dog recently eating at a table in the new Delta One lounge at New York JFK before flying business class. It was hardly the only dog making themselves at home in a Delta lounge.
@oliverbelles My review of the new @Delta One lounge @jfk✈️ But seriously…what do you guys call this dessert?! #fypage #maltipoo #dogsoftiktok #dogvoiceover @delta @Les Belles NYC ♬ original sound – oliverbelles
Last month I was actually on a Delta flight that the pilot turned around due to an unauthorized dog on board, they offloaded the passenger – and then let her and the dog back on. This led to a couple hours’ delay due to a shift change for refueling. The woman spent the flight petting the dog in her lap (hint: it wasn’t really a service animal).
Easy solution – grab the dogs two front legs (lean over the head) and pull them out sideways, away from each other, sharply.
The legs will break at the scapula and puncture the lungs. The dog will be dead inside of three minutes.
And you’ll get your seat back!
@James- not sure if you’ll get to enjoy your seat- lots of witnesses to an act of animal cruelty with malicious intent, not to mention destruction of property.
I’d estimate you would be looking at 2-4 years in prison, depending on the state where you committed the offense and how good a lawyer you can afford…
Whoa. Gary both you and the folks on reddit are way out of line.
Start by assuming the service dog is legit. Given that dogs size there is no way another to properly accomodate another passenger in that row.
Yes those with disabilities do and should have priority over giving someone an upgrade. It is likely that the gate agent screwed up by not noticing that the seat was blocked for dog.
Should Delta have tried better to “smooth things over” yes. But the reactions that the now not upgraded passenger was entitled to the upgrade over the dog being in the space are outrageous.
Like it or not the ADA is the law.
Upgrades are a nice privilege.
Between the two the law wins.
Gary you know all this so shame on you.
No shaming. I’m sick of dogs everywhere I go! I don’t own one don’t want one and would not impose in anyway on others. I have lived with non stop barking for two and a half years disturbing the peace in my home. Dogs have more rights than humans now?
Joanie Adam’s no the dog does not but person who the dog supports has rights too. You should be ashamed.
James
if you were to try that on a harmless animal (whose certainly not to blame) on most flights, you’d probably be the one to end up with broken legs (if you were lucky, that is).
@Michael Lissack it’s not even the ADA that governs, it’s the Air Carrier Access Act and that law does not require moving a passenger out of an assigned seat to make an accommodation. If there was an agent error, Delta should have made an effort at a real apology for it.
I have shipped dogs in a kennel in the baggage area. It is expensive. These ” emotional support dogs” are fare evaders. People learn how to game the system and the airlines want to avoid lawsuits.
Get the animals OFF THE PLANE!!!
The “Service Animal” Idiocy had gone too far.
It is far past the time when service animals need to be licensed.
These dogs need to be licensed and registered like every city does
Sometimes it is better to not be entitled to an upgrade. Everyone knows that airline personnel lie about many different things (such as the weather caused the delay) so don’t be a sucker.
It was an upgrade- not like you “purchased” a First Class seat. Get to the back you moron!
Delta Internation never gets it right. They should have made a seat change with someone else in the cabin rather than giving the seat to a dog. Since the passenger had a boarding pass, this constitutes an “involuntary downgrade” and so he is due some sort of compensation. Too bad there is no compensation for poor business decisions made by their staff.
Just put the dog and its owner into baggage so that they can move around. They will also have lots of room down there.
Enough with fake service animals. Shame these people publicly, tell them as walking by “nice fake disability, you selfish POS”, or else it will never end.
I think the problem is weak definitions of both service and support animals and the lack of legitimate certifications.
Wow—lots of mean-spirited, I’ll-informed comments.
First, having an emotional support animal is different than a service animal. Service animals are licensed and receive certain legal protections based on that. Emotional support animals are not permitted the same access or priority as service animals. Companies decide whether or not they will allow them while service animals are protected by law.
On that note—not all disabilities are visible. Don’t assume people are freeloading or faking just because you can’t see their disability. That’s pretty messed up.
Third, in the end, I’d give a dog preference over selfish, ignorant humans any day of the week.
I approve. Thank you Delta.
In a situation like this the upgraded/downgraded passenger should get his original good coach seat back, not an inferior coach seat.
Another one, Gary? Whenever VFTW posts anything on dogs in the travel industry, without fail, it brings out the worst in some people. *deep sigh*
Listen, I like nice things, too. If I really want it, I redeem points or pay the bug bucks for first or business class, especially when it’s lie-flat, because I like to sleep on longer, overnight flights. Otherwise, even with top-tier status, I know I am not entitled to a complimentary upgrade. Maybe some of you forgot that. Also, over the years, I’ve been bumped from ‘oversold’ flights, too, which is always frustrating, and usually involves compensating me for that inconvenience, but I am certainly not going to kill or injure a dog over a seat. Yikes.
Please, attack me personally if it makes you feel better. Call me names, too, if you wish. It’s kind of my kink, you know, like how some of you get off on threatening defenseless pets and service animals over seats on airplanes. Continue to blame others and fix nothing. Don’t look up. “We had it all, didn’t we?”
Earlier this year I flew AA BCN-DFW in a coach bulkhead window seat. In the middle and aisle was an older couple; she (in middle seat) was legally blind, accompanied by a service dog that was appropriately trained.
While I’ve had numerous encounters with so-called service animals that were not properly trained, this was my first extended encounter with one that was. Over the course of 11+ hours, at no point did the dog interact with me or other passengers; he laid on the floor on a blanket at their feet, never encroaching on my space.
It was interesting to observe and I had no complaints about the experience. I am amazed, however, that Delta downgraded a passenger to make room for a dog that looks no larger than the one slept next to my feet.
“ Dogs have more rights than humans now?”
No, their pathetic, unable-to-cope-with-life-without-a-fake-friend owners do.
Sorry, very frequent flier with high status, a service dog is legally protected by the ADA and is essentially the same as a wheel chair, crutches or similar. They have been deemed necessary for the safety/light/mobility. It’s also traveling on the status of the flier, so either the owner was a higher mileage flier than you, as they were already upgraded, or they were on a revenue seat.
When your not getting your upgrade causes a huge interest whine over a person with disabllity’s needs, you’ve got an issue.
Additionally, harassment of a service dog or handler is serious business. You can get a large fine, a criminal record, and even jail.
So suck it up, you didn’t get an upgrade, and if you want to do all you can to guarantee a FC seat, buy one.
It sounds more like the passenger with a dog had purchased the extra seat for the dog
Or
It was a celebrity animal where the seat was purchased
Delta agent jumped the gun, by upgrading the coach class passrnger
To FC , maybe the party with the dog showed late at the gate but with enough time legally to still occupy their paid FC seats
Goodness, what an arrogant arsewipe.
I’m sure there are a lot of people besides me who would enjoy kicking you and the other moaning arsewipe in the nuts. The dude got a seat equivalent to what he paid. If he wants first class then pay for one instead of expecting to be upgraded. Upgrade is always subject to availability and at the discretion of the crew.
Hey, here’s an idea, let’s ban all dogs, including military and rescue dogs, unless you personally approve them and they present proof of who they are. Just another example of loud mouthed, whining, entitled Americans.
Emotional support hasn’t been allowed since 2021……
Looks like a premium animal, so no issues
It is true that those service dogs should be registered with the federal government to be certified service dogs.
The law is too vague with multiple loopholes which is the primary reason why people are taking advantage of the law.
Most of those dogs on those aircrafts are not service animals. Those are people who buy service animal vests from Amazon or online to take advantage of the law.
I know this firsthand because I have friends who do it. The federal government needs to tighten that law.
Emotional support animals are not service animals. They are not the same.
The federal government needs to correct this problem because there are far too many dogs and animals on these aircrafts that are NOT certified service animals.
@JAMES Thurber- That’s horrible that you even know this information. Let’s hope you would only do such a thing if you were being mauled. Anyway, I came on here to say that this whole thing with service animals is ridiculous! Fine, you have a disability that requires a service animal. The airline should charge you for 2 first class seats. That’ll put a stop to it.
It’s not really accurate to say that this could only have been the result of an error on Delta’s part. That’s certainly one possible cause, but another (not unlikely) possibility is IROPS causing the person with the service animal to be moved to that flight. Someone traveling on an F ticket rebooked due to IROPS has higher priority for F seats than someone getting a complimentary upgrade. This has always been the case.
The whining about 13% seats goes to upgrades is getting old. Want FC, pay for it. Status was never a guarantee for an upgrade and people are clearly willing to pay the premium, if you are not, don’t whine.
Hold my beer. My sister and brother in law were kicked out of transcon first and moved to economy after already seated for Cellos on an American flight from jfk to lax 15 yrs ago.
I commented with facts that opposed most of the comments on here and it wasn’t approved. Dang. I mean it’s a blog and not actual new so the standards of objectivity don’t have to be maintained, but then why have a comment section if you’re not open to all viewpoints?
If your animal can’t fit in YOUR FOOTPRINT, then you need to buy a comfort seat for them. PLANE (ha) and simple.
Service dogs do not need the owner to use their legs to contain them.
Why are so many posters not acknowledging the fact that the passenger was moved to a WORSE seat in economy class than the one they originally had???? This is what had really pissed off the passenger!
When trying to reserve a front right bulkhead in Europe the other day (another airline), I had a warning that I had to acknowledge about the possibility of being preempted and reseated for just this reason. It sounds like that warning doesn’t happen on Delta, and/or if the reseated person was a gate upgraded passenger they may not have been told — if it is the case where this is a standard accessibility location. It makes sense because the front seats are going to be the easiest to access.
“I then board only to see this dog in my first class seat … And now I’m livid.”
Sounds like a lot of whining here. Mostly from the aggrieved passenger, maybe a little from Gary too.
The dog is a passenger, just like any other. Delta double-booked an assigned seat. Why? We would have to ask them — which apparently neither this passenger nor Gary did
@sullyofdoha…Exactly! That was my first thought as well. I would’ve requested Delta to at the very least give me my original seat or better yet, put me in a better seat than the one I had.
I’d ask if the dog could sit in my lap. Seems win-win to me. I love dogs. Seems like there is enough space for the dog and two people based on that photo, but not up to me I guess.
While it is possible that this wasn’t a fake service animal, it doesn’t look like the guy is visually impaired. He’s looking as his cellphone. As a teacher of the blind, I know it’s possible for visually impaired people to use cellphones using accessibility features like VoiceOver, but they don’t stare at the screen like this guy seems to be doing. Of course, there are other legitimate disabilities for which service animals are appropriate.
It sounds like people in some cases are not sure of the difference between Emotional Support Animals (ESA) and Service Animals. Emotional support animals are just like they sound and are for people with mental health issues (possibly extreme fear of flying let’s say), have no specialized training (though must behave to be allowed on transport) and have rights pertaining to transportation and housing, and that is all. Service animals are fully trained animals that provide some type of additional means to the disabled person (seeing eye dog, dog providing a clear area around a person with PTSD, sense symptoms and cue person to take necessary medication, etc.). In both instances, a letter from the treating physician is required to be provided to the airline in order to embark the animal as an ESA or sevice animal.
Also, there is no legal requirement or regulation that a service animal must wear a vest to announce it as such, it can look just like any other animal. I agree there probably should be more regulation in this area, but its not as simple as someone showing up to a plane with their pet, claiming “I need emotional support” and then having their dog or pet with go with them.
I have also been on trips with my ex-wife, who absolutely had to have her dog everywhere she went, and was allowed to purchase a ticket to transport the animal inside the cabin as long as certain stipulations could be met.
To the really angry people: get a pet, research says it enhances your overall mood and happiness.
I can see a legit guide dog for a blind person, but basically, as I understood the post, anyone can game the system by saying their dog is a service animal or needed for emotional support. But I do not recall seeing whether the person with the dog paid for an extra seat. So on Delta, anyone that wants to bring their do gets to take up an extra seta by saying the dog or other animal is an emotional support animal. Is some doctor’s note needed or is it a big scam? So if I need my psychiatrist with me to travel, does he/she get a free seat next to me? More info is needed. So how should an airline prevent fraud yet at the same time, facilitate travelers with documented needs.
I love dogs and have 3 of them. I would never put them on a plane in the cabin. Narcissistic assholes do that. All the fake service dogs these days are total nonsense. Garbage humans.
I never side with Diarrhea Delta but if this bumped passenger was an upgrade and the other passenger paid for first class, the paid seat should always–without exception–take precedence. The bumped passenger needs to recognize his SkyPesos are utterly worthless.
FWIW, the dog looks like a Great Pyrenees. I’ve never heard of a Great Pyrenees as a Service dog.It couid also be an English Cream Golden Retriever. GRs are common service dogs, but I haven’t heard of service dog lines that have very light colored GRs (although genetically it’s possible).
1. That seat wasn’t “first class.”
2. Those seat was never yours. You didn’t pay for it when you booked.
3. You want a specific seat? Fùcking pay for it when you buy your ticket
@Renee – your comments were flagged by the system as possible spam, and it was 11:20p Eastern when this comment was posted so it waits a few hours to get cleared manually.
@Misty and yet…