A passenger in the gate area of a Delta flight snapped a photo of a woman preparing to board for Detroit – bringing with her a large dog and four carry-on items.
The dog wasn’t in a bag that fits underneath the seat, which is required for a pet in cabin. She had registered it with the airline as a service animal – but it clearly wasn’t. A pet in cabin is treated as a carry-on which means she should only have had a single personal item with her – not four.
Once on board the Bombardier CR-9 regional jet, the woman found she didn’t fit in first class seat 2A. She didn’t quite have room for herself along with her dog. So the flight attendant on this Delta Connection trip allowed her to move across the aisle to sit in 2C, and for her dog to take 2D. They did this even though both of those seats were assigned to other passengers.
The passenger who was in 2C boarded and was told she had to take 2A. But then the passenger who had 2D boarded. He was given 1C. Then the passenger who had 1C boarded and was told there was no first-class seat for him.
The first class passenger in 1C was “involuntarily downgraded to a comfort-plus seat” which is extra-legroom coach.
Naturally, the passenger who bought only one seat should only have been afforded one seat. Other passengers shouldn’t have been moved – let alone downgraded – to accommodate them. Need more than one seat? You can buy more than one. Although even an extra seat doesn’t increase your carry-on bag allowance.
Despite the shenanigans, Delta Air Lines flight 4331 pushed back 10 minutes early this morning and arrived into Detroit 20 minutes early.
Passengers can bring service animals on a plane, and don’t have to pay extra to do so. They just have to fill out paperwork, which largely amounts to attesting that it’s a service animal.
Emotional support animals aren’t supposed to be a thing on planes anymore, but it’s really an ‘honor system’ sort of thing.
That means that there are still plenty of animals on planes, even if it’s not the Noah’s Ark two of each animal situation that it used to be. The average passenger wanting to bring an emotional support animal also happens not to be very good at handling the paperwork in advance.
We reached the point a while ago that a national register of service animals needs to be made. These animals undergo extensive training and their users deserve all accommodations. However, it is clear that the honor system does not work. Businesses have their hands tied under the present rules, so it is time for the rules to be brought up to date.
Gary, curious how you know for certain the dog is not a service animal. “She had registered it with the airline as a service animal – but it clearly wasn’t.” As the father of a child that has a medical alert service dog, I am rather surprised by your assertion. Did you (or someone else) have confirmed knowledge to make this statement or is it based on your “professional” opinion? Is it because the dog is not wearing a vest? Truly interested in how you arrived at this determination.
The plus sized woman should have been asked to wait in the concourse until all the other passengers were onboard and they could determine if there were any options large enough for her. There should have been ZERO impact to the other passengers so yeah, the flight attendant screwed up. I guess this scenario has never happened, ever, on an airline before, where a flight attendant has to handle a situation like this, c’mon.
16
Gary has no clue including any of the details other than what someone tweeted.
Gary has proven over and over again that he is the antithesis of critical thinking but makes stories about hearsay without the facts = his blog wouldn’t exist if he actually researched anything rather than blowing up whatever he comes across and presents it as gospel.
But let’s be clear that Gary is on another of his childish crap on Delta warpaths because I had the nerve to tell him he doesn’t understand airline economics in another article. He argues with well-established and easily accessible facts and then resorts to his anecdotes to try to appeal to the lowest common denominator of his readership.
Grow up, Gary. If you would actually write a whole lot less that IS thought leadership and write the facts – no matter how hard they are for you to admit – you would get a loyal following of intelligence.
@Tim Dunn – “Gary has no clue including any of the details other than what someone tweeted.”
This is funny, since you cannot even seem to read properly, this doesn’t even stem from a tweet.
“let’s be clear that Gary is on another of his childish crap on Delta warpaths because I had the nerve to tell him he doesn’t understand airline economics in another article. ”
That’s even funnier considering the errors you made in your comment earlier.
I agree with the commenters who said that service dogs should be registered so only actual service dogs are allowed on flights. And she shouldn’t have been allowed 4 carryons. And when she didn’t fit, the seats should have gone to the paying passengers first. If anyone should have been bumped out, it should have been her—who broke many of the rules for carryons in the first place. They could have her wait in the boarding area and checked some of her bags, if the flight worked, and if not checked onto the next flight.
you are simply on a warpath with me and you think trashing Delta proves it.
You and you alone are the only one that relies on anecdotal stories to get page clicks rather than explaining what is really happening in the airline industry.
It doesn’t matter how the story came – you NEVER know all of the details because you want desperately to get page clicks and objectivity goes out the window.
Feel free to post all sides of the story and then we will see some objectivity. You can’t because you don’t have it
Doesn’t mean that the FA didn’t do something wrong but we have no idea what was involved because we don’t have the facts – and neither do you.
Grow up and write decent content instead of your childish anecdotes – regardless of the airline involved.
@Tim Dunn “you are simply on a warpath with me and you think trashing Delta proves it.”
Mostly I ignore you!
And why do you think that posting something about Delta has anything to do with you?
This isn’t even ‘trashing Delta’ it’s criticism of industry practices around service animals, but mostly criticism of passengers who lie about their pets being service animals.
@Gary Leff: So it didn’t come from a tweet. You don’t cite your source, so it’s even more questionable.
Service animal needs a ticket period, registered or not
Tim Dunn. Please stop bashing the author. Just state your opinion or comments. Your posts are getting old with your love for Delta and continuing bashing Gary.
@NedsKid – I quoted a passenger on the flight. They have been highly reliable in the past. They shared photos.
I’m a plus size traveler, and while I’m not as plus size as I used to be and could fit in a coach seat now, it would still be uncomfortable for me to do so for anything but very short flights. I “fixed” the problem of needing extra space on the plane by, get this, PAYING for a first class seat.
I did not expect a fellow passenger to sacrifice part of their seat space for me. I did not expect to be given a larger or extra seat that I did not pay for. I knew what was needed for me to fly comfortably and safely, for myself and those around me, and that’s what I booked and paid for. Flying is a privilege, not a right. If you can’t physically fit in what passes for a standard seat these days, either due to width OR height, you need to make other arrangements. If you can’t afford to book a seat that can accommodate your body, you can’t afford to fly.
You can make the argument that airplane seats have gotten too small with too little legroom, and you know what? I’ll entirely agree with you. I personally believe there needs to be some sort of regulations on minimum width/pitch from a safety standpoint alone. I don’t think though that every seat needs to be able to accommodate every passenger of every size.
This is part of a pattern that is unsustainable. Service animals, early boarding via wheelchairs, with a miraculous cure when the flight lands.
This happens because there are no consequences for lying and misrepresentations.
What do you have against passengers who travel with registered service animals? The judgment and assumptions you’ve made in several articles are leading me to unfollow. You have no idea what another human is dealing with health-wise or why she may need a service animal. I say this from the perspective of someone who has had several, who travels frequently, who respects the airline’s decision to shift passengers around but should not be downgrading anyone (without hefty compensation) and as a general observer who enjoys reading travel/airline-related content. Your assumption about others’ health/need for a service animal is just naive and disappointing at this point. If you do not want airlines to allow service animals because of your personal opinion, take that up with the airlines instead of blasting those of us who have reasons for needing service animals that are just none of your business.
This looks to be a smaller airport. Assuming DTW wasn’t final destination, I’d be interested to know what happened when she tried to board the connecting flight.
@Tim Dunn,,,,,,,are you happy?
you sound miserable but not much else going on in your life
While I agree that an honor system doesn’t work, and emotional support animals should not be given the same privileges as service animals (they are legally distinct), how does a national registry fix the problem? It just creates another barrier for disabled folks, especially for rarer uses like migraine or seizure alert. These handlers often train the dogs themselves. And that is perfectly fine under the ADA.
@stacy “What do you have against passengers who travel with registered service animals?”
I have nothing against passengers who travel with bona fide service animals.
I have an issue with passengers who do a real disservice to those whose needs are met by real service animals, claiming falsely that their pets are service animals when they aren’t, and imposing a cost on other passengers (in terms of space, safety, etc).
Just another data point for where society is going. They would have only gotten me off that flight with a nice big voucher. Seems this would have qualified as an IDB.
Maybe it’s a service animal maybe it’s not. It doesn’t look like one. The woman in the photo is large but not 2 seat large. The carryons are over the limit but many passangers push those limits.
I don’t believe it is a flight attendants perogative to make a passenger move. She should have called a gate agent, supervisor or flight captian to straighten out the problem.
If the flight attendend wrongly decided to accommodate her she should have been told to wait and accommodated in economy which is the type of ticket she purchased.
Overside passangers think their special, they are not. They are just oversized and should deal with it. Be cramped or buy 2 seats.
The average passenger who never complains, never rings the call button, never lowers their seat back etc gets stepped on all of the time. It’s time to make everyone shut the heck up and take your seat so the flight can depart on time.
I am perfectly happy.
Gary and others build their business model around creating stories and then leaving those stories open for comment.
There is nothing wrong with questioning not only specific stories and the general strategies of sites.
As has been pointed out, Gary did not provide a source other than an anonymous passenger who has a track record which none of us can see.
And Gary most certainly DID NOT say this is an industry problem in the article – he only threw that in in reply to my comments.
Gary pushes plenty of low quality content out the door with spelling and grammatical issues which are poorly written.
This has nothing about Delta and are hardly trends that I alone have commented on.
What is clear is that Delta posted two anti-Delta articles in a row after I told him he doesn’t understand loyalty program economics despite calling himself a thought leader.
Gary is being a child instead of addressing the root issue which is that half of his articles are about anecdotes that people clearly see as abnormal or are about basic industry principles which Gary doesn’t understand or at least doesn’t explain.
Gary is free to close his comment section if he isn’t willing to take the negative commentary along with everything else.
Why don’t folks respect my emotional support pig & otter? Why only dogs ?
Gary this, Gary that, Gary Gary Gary…. Shut the hell up already.
Fat people who can’t sit in one seat should be made to buy two just as fat people who need to inhale two XL pizzas at Domino’s because one won’t cut it need to pay for both. Society needs to stop bending over backwards for these people who can’t leave their house without their dog (for whatever phony reason). Mentally ill people shouldn’t be allowed on airplanes anyway for security reasons. If you have a REAL need for a service dog, you already know how to conduct yourself to minimize impact on others just as if you have a deadly nut allergy, you already know how to prepare/protect yourself in the case of anaphylaxis.
I can’t stand snooty and entitled rich elites, so I would never fly first class. And since airlines don’t really understand demographics, I’ll be traveling by train, if I ever need to travel.
The issue isn’t the service animal it is that the woman couldn’t fit in a seat. That is bad enough. Everything else is just useless noise.
BTW Gary my daughter has a trained service animal and also trains them for other people. They serve a legit purpose and all disabilities aren’t visible. As for the clown that says they should have a ticket take that up with the Federal Government who has been very clear that service animals are allowed on planes, in restaurants and about everywhere else. Just because Gary and many of you have an issue with it that doesn’t mean it is wrong or will change – get over yourselves!!!
Tim – go AWAY if you don’t like it. Most of us would be happier if you did.
A responsible writer would provide a reason to back up the claim the dog was not a service animal. As for the 4 carry ons, some of these may have been medical items which do not count towards carry on allowance. One example of this is a cpap device can be carried on board without counting towards a passengers carry on limit. That being said the passenger should have coordinated better with the airline to ensure appropriate accommodations that did not disrupt other travelers.
Treat the flea bags like the cargo they are and dump them in carriers in the hold, and fatty boombalatty can but TWO seats in coach.
@Gary Leff: You missed the link of how the information came to you. Saying a passenger told you directly would probably be advisable as citing the source. Otherwise it sounds like the ambiguous “they” who canceled the flight or said no vouchers or whatever.
I have nothing against a legitimate service animal. Likewise, I have nothing against handicap people. However, if you can’t travel without an animal or are so handicapped that you depend upon other people to do basic things like use the bathroom or move around the terminal then I have problems with you flying. Same for elderly people. I can’t tell you how many old people I’ve had to help because they literally lacked the cognitive skills to travel by themselves, let alone with a bag.
Having worked for an airline in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s it was the rule that if you didn’t fit in a seat and required more room you were required to pay for an additional seat. If the extra seat was not available, you had to rebook for a different flight that could accommodate your size requirement. This is not something new that both passengers and airlines are should be aware of. Now this is an issue that airlines are being accused of discriminating against obese passengers. If a normal size person wanted an extra seat, the same rule would apply. Pay for the extra seat or do without. It is the customers choice, not the airline.
Once again Tim Dunn spouting off nonsense and attacking the writer. Aren’t you all tired of this? The service dog fiasco has gone too far I work in the airline industry and most of their service. Dogs are nothing more than a dog or cat With the vest and paperwork purchased on the Internet. The airlines need to require people to have a veterinarian certificate in order to certify a dog as a service animal. They also need to set size limits for these dogs, except in the case of legitimately blind or deaf persons. You’re right to travel with a pet ( service dog) should not take precedence over other peoples rights to travel In a safe sanitary, comfortable environment. I hope Delta gets sued by these passengers that they deboarded in order to accommodate this woman and her oversize pet
@AC “Gary my daughter has a trained service animal and also trains them for other people. They serve a legit purpose and all disabilities aren’t visible”
I don’t disagree with this at all.
@Tim Dunn: Actually, there is someone writing on this blog who proven over and over again that he is the antithesis of critical thinking but makes stories about hearsay without the facts. That individual is @Tim Dunn, and not Gary Leff.
Emotional support animals arent the same as service dogs. Service dogs are trained and certified. Emotional support animals arent. Property managers have this same battle when dealing with tenants.
@Tim Dunn “Gary and others build their business model around creating stories and then leaving those stories open for comment.”
I do not gain any material financial benefit from the comments. I leave them open so that folks can enjoy them, interact with each other, and call me out if you wish.
You can attack me again and again if you’d like. I do have an issue when you attack others, and that’s when I try to moderate comments.
I guess Tim Dunn is the emotional support animal here.
Wow – this is why we have ADA so the entitled if you are disabled, old, or fat – don’t fly folks are left behind in the discrimination dust where they belong! You can’t tell and frankly, it’s none of your business if someone is disabled or it is a service dog…last time I checked, passengers don’t own the airline. A service dog can be removed for BAD behavior – lunging, growling, or biting. The airlines, i.e. business owners can enforce this. Maybe we do need to register but how to do this so the people who need a service dog, often one of our poorest groups, are not priced out or timed out for access. The waiting list can be years with costs in the tens of thousands for a dog with an average working life span of 8-10 years. In other countries, see Canada, airlines are required to provide accommodations WITHOUT charge such as another seat for a service dog. Would people be this outraged if a person with a broken leg was accommodated with more leg room? Or would you say, walk instead you loser with a broken leg? What we need to insist on and start holding airlines to is the lack of accommodations provided and the real safety issues with cramming passengers in like sardines!
Reminds of the old joke (found it via Google at https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/6xp3qk/two_men_are_walking_their_dogs_a_doberman_and_a/ but I’ve heard variants of this since before the internet existed):
Two men are walking their dogs (a doberman and a chihuahua) when they see a restaurant.
They’re pretty hungry, do they decide to head in for a bite to eat. Unfortunately, they see a sign out front that says “NO DOGS ALLOWED”.
The man with the doberman says “I know what to do, just follow my lead.” He throws on a pair of sunglasses and walks in.
The waiter tells him “I’m sorry sir, we don’t allow dogs here.” The man says “Oh, you don’t understand. I’m blind and this is my guide dog.”
“A doberman for a guide dog?” The waiter asks, skeptical.
“Yes.” The man replies. “Dobermans are very loyal. They’re easy to train and protective too. They’re born for the job.”
The waiter sighs and leads the man to a table.
The second man, excited by this idea, throws on his sunglasses and walks in.
The waiter tells him “I’m sorry sir, we don’t allow dogs here.” The man says “Oh, you don’t understand. I’m blind and this is my guide dog.”
“A chihuahua for a guide dog?” The waiter asks.
“A chihuahua?” The man asks. “They gave me a chihuahua?!”
One strong indicator that an animal is not a service animal, regardless of the particular service they perform, is their behavior.
A service animal will be be attentive to its owner and under control at all times while “on duty”. An animal that is trying to interact with other people or move around on its own is not a service animal and is probably not a responsibly trained emotional support animal either.
If this dog is registered as a service animal and forms were submitted, which is required, then per DOT ruling US airlines are mandated to move a passenger from the bulkhead seat to accomodate this passenger. If this other passenger has a problem with how this was handled they should take it up with DOT and have it looked into. Cannot blame a company for government rules. People who sit in the bulkhead are advised they may be moved, and there is phrasology for it, so who the DOT says need to be accomodated will be or the company will be investigated and fined.
Delta has officially banned emotional support animals. Only certain kinds of animals who the owner swears are service animals by signing a form under the penalty of perjury are allowed.
@Ron Thompson: Great comment, 100 % agreed !!! The FAA should institute a national register of service animals. In addition, the FAA should institute a national policy on the accommodation of overweight people (for all classes below First or Business), for the purposes of Aircraft Safety in the event of an evacuation. It should spell out uniform terms for when an additional seat is to be purchased by them, spell out uniform terms regarding the extent to which any portion of their body may extend into adjacent passenger space, and spell out uniform terms for acceptable seating locations.
Gary – the only thing I have trouble with is that despite his low opinion of you and his certitude that you are not worth his attention, Tim Dunn still seems to be obsessed with you. I’m 76 years old and have met a few people over those years that I don’t like or respect. I STEER CLEAR OF THEM!!! `If he feels the way he does, why continue to read your blogs? It boggles the mind. I am glad that you don’t let his screeds go unanswered.
There are some truly appalling people in this comment thread that make me sad for humanity. The lack of empathy and the vile trash spewing from these people is disturbing and disgusting. I don’t know who hurt you but I hope you get the help you need.
For an elevated, premium travel experience from ATL or SLC, please choose Delta. Whether you invest in the First Class or Basic Economy experience, you are considered a premium guest.
I’d simply refuse to move from my legally purchased and assigned seat. Period.
She was also able to get away with because she is a woman of color and they were afraid of ramifications of saying anything to her.
Here’s how to fix this if only airlines had the courage not to bend to the whiniest among us:
1) if a pax doesn’t fit between the lowered armrests of their seat(s), they will be moved to two empty adjacent seats. If two empty, adjacent seats are not available on the same flight, the pax will be accommodated on the next available flight.
2) if any pax in the immediate vicinity of a “”””service animal”””” has allergies, the pax with “””service animal””” will be denied boarding and accommodated on the next available flight.
Everyone is accommodated and the chance of being denied boarding will incentivize larger pax to buy two seats and for “””service animal””” fraudsters to have a healthy attachment level with their pet (i.e., board them at a local kennel and go on vacation without pets like normal people). Personally, I would pay extra to have guaranteed animal free flights due to severe animal dander allergies.
Passengers are required to show ID to get on a flight; why shouldn’t a service animal also have to sho ID identifyng the animal as a trained service animal? I’m assuming that when someone obtains a service animal that there are papers or cerificates of some kind showing that the animal has received the approprie training.
@Garyst16 the assertion that this is clearly not a service dog is arrived at with very little logical acumen.The dog pictured is obviously some sort of Doodle lab experiment. It may be a wonderful Emotional Support pet but would be a very unlikely candidate as a professionally trained/certified service animal.
What evidence do you have that the dog was an ESA and not a service animal? Furthermore, I’m bigger than her and fit fine in a coach seat, so commenting on her size just seems like low hanging fruit. There seem to be a lot of assumptions in this blog post with little proof to back anything up.
Service dogs have an ID card and number. Pretty easy to get proof. I have one so I know. I would not need to bring it on a plane. I have seizures and would pre-medicate. he is a bloodhound. Delta erred big time here. I hope the person that was downgraded got a full refund
Mr. Dunn: You posture as an intellectual, but the entirety of your manic comments only points to one inescapable conclusion: you are a fragile individual who overcompensates through temper tantrums and narcissistic tendencies. It’s not a good look. Case closed.
This is better than SNL
A great reason why it’s time to criminalize disability fraud.
There should also be a policy against disability fraud, something like: “Any false claims of a disability to obtain an accommodation will result in the permanent loss of travel privileges on any Delta flight.”
Easiest solution is to go back to the days when flying was an elitist activity reserved for only the wealthiest and most worthy among us.
Raise fares back to 1970s levels and put troglodytes like this woke fat-ass ho back on Greyhound.
Flying is NOT for plebs.
I agree with above coment. I am allergic to cats and dogs as well. I was recently on a Southwest flt and I was sitting in my aisle seat when 2 people with cats boarded the plane last and sat next to me. I complained about my allergies and they made me move to a less favorable seat to only have the woman sitting ahead allowed her dog to come out his kennel. I felt like I was flying with a bunch of 4 legged animals and was very unhappy with my flt experience.
If there weren’t 2 seats next to each other that she would fit in then she should be rebooked to a flight that can accommodate her. And yes, I put my armrest DOWN. Always. If that makes the middle seat person (fly comfort plus) uncomfortable oh well!! Not making it my issue
She should have not been allowed to board until all rules are complied with.
I always book row 1 on AA and have never been bumped. But Delta does warn you when you choose a seat that pax in row 1 can be bumped for other pax with special needs. So I’ve always been afraid to choose row 1 on the rare occasions I fly Delta. And I’ve noticed that row 1 always seems to be the last to fill up on Delta so other pax are likely just as nervous about booking seats in that row as I am. Paying for first and getting bumped to coach is total BS in my opinion. A great way to lose loyal customers.
The problem is just like the inconvenience we face with the country the way it is! Catering to the less than 10% has brought us here. Either buy two seats or don’t be allowed! Why move the people that follow the rules to benefit the people that will always push it!
Service animals is the biggest scam perpetrated on the public. These peoples should be made to pay extra.. Do you want to do a cross country trip with a dog under your feet?
Let’s not pretend that Delta actually cares about passengers these days.
To “Kuck Famala. Just because someone is a larger person doesn’t make them a bad person. I won’t use your terminology but I will say that your ignorance is on full display. There are thousands of people who have weight issues that are no fault of their own. DNA, diabetes, thyroid disease and other causes can make weight an issue. Rude and ignorant comments about them are do kindergarten level. I agree that she should have checked her bags but she has every right to fly. She knows about her weight. At least she may be able to lose some but you on the the other hand cannot lose your ugly mouth. As a retired nurse and Army Combat Helicopter Medic I find you to be the one who should take the Greyhound bus. As far as the “elite and wealthy ” you sure are not in that group. Just make sure you lock the doors on your Fleetwood trailer.
Could the fact that she’s “plus-sized” be removed. There’s no point in body shaming, and she’s honestly not even beyond a normal American. We can disagree with what she does without being rude.
Ken,
All I can say is, being compassionate has only encouraged bad people to walk all over the Compassionate!!!!
Gary
it is complete hogwash that you don’t financially gain from the comments to articles on your site and anyone that understands the business model knows it
Once again, you wrote a story based on hearsay from someone else that wasn’t even involved in the situation, you don’t have the story of both sides of the story but you call yourself a thought leader?
Yes, there are people that will continue to call you out for what you wrote. Some comment about grammar.
I focus on your incessant focus on anecdotal events in an industry that serves over a billion customers per year and your inability or unwillingness to present the facts that drive decisions when it is clear that you either know them or you aren’t really a thought leader.
but I gave you a bunch of page clicks for this story which proves that I do want you to succeed – I just want you to do better. I don’t “steer clear” of you because I don’t dislike you.
I just know you can do better because you have. Today is just not reflective of the quality of work you do – a small percentage of the time.
I identify as an emotional support rhinoceros. Give me 6 seats for the price of one.
Flight is an hour, 240 miles, Northern MI summer vacation area to Detroit. Lady obviously has medical needs and the baggage type indicates at least one medical device carrier. Dog is unknown, so any one’s guess as to service dog veracity is just that: A guess.
The assumption is that the flight attendant F’d up by booting paying customers out of their seats to accommodate this person, when a better solution seemed possible. But we dont know any details, of anything. Besides a picture and anecdotal story from an unknown source.
I gotta wonder at the reason for posting this as a legitimate story. What’s the point? Fat shaming? Sick of dogs on planes? It may help to have some, any, factual information when writing these stories. Because without evidence, these are just that: stories. And its becoming obvious there’s an agenda behind this blog/thingy.
Thank you Delta. No consequences means she’ll do it again, and likely more frequently.
@Brett Larsen, your comment indicates you don’t have much knowledge of the service dog community. While attending the training with my daughter for her service dog, there were many mix breed dogs, all doodle mix, that were there with their new clients. Doodle mixes are incredible medial alert service dogs. This is the organization that provided my daughter’s service dog https://www.4pawsforability.org/ Interesting they have a doodle on their home page. It is always best to be educated on a topic where you comment.
I hate to get political, but this nonsense is why Democrats lose elections. And I’m a registered Democrat. Airlines don’t have the balls to stand up to people who are clearly bending the rules, and flight attendants pretend they don’t see fat people who clearly can’t fit in their seat, and let other pax fend for themselves and deal with the discomfort instead. You can’t call anyone fat anymore. If you are too fat to fit in the seat and there aren’t two seats, get deplaned.
Maybe she paid for the dog to travel? But that’s not a service animal
As for luggage seems like alot, should have checked the roller
The real issue is she was flying a CRJ 9.
4 carry-ons are a no-go to me. 2 or 3 ought to have been ‘gate checked. Playing Russian roulette is bleedin’ ridiculous. I’m sorry, I feel the flight attendant was in error playing seat shuffle with paying customers. Especially, sending a. 1st class paying customer back to the economy prime. This whole deal was a game of errors.
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
4 carry-ons are a no-go to me. 2 or 3 ought to have been ‘gate checked. Playing Russian roulette is bleedin’ ridiculous. I’m sorry, I feel the flight attendant was in error playing seat shuffle with paying customers. Especially, sending a. 1st class paying customer back to the economy prime. This whole deal was a game of errors.Your comment is awaiting moderation.
4 carry-ons are a no-go to me. 2 or 3 ought to have been ‘gate checked. Playing Russian roulette is bleedin’ ridiculous. I’m sorry, I feel the flight attendant was in error playing seat shuffle with paying customers. Especially, sending a. 1st class paying customer back to the economy prime. This whole deal was a game of errors.
I’m really surprised by all your assumptions in this article. I certainly would not believe you were a “specialist” or a journalist. You have not provided even one known fact in this situation. You obviously are writing with much judgement and dare I say anger. You don’t know what her disability was. They may have allowed her so many carry ons because she would have been unable to retrieve her luggage without assistance so to save time they allowed her to bring them with her. Or maybe there was life saving equipment in them. IMy assumptions are as valid as yours. It was a situation between her and the airline. I’m really disappointed to see another “journalist” and/or specialist in this field reporting without any facts. You certainly seem like you are tightly wound. Maybe it’s time you take one of those seats and have a little vacation so you can calm yourself and reevaluate what you should be doing with your life.
I don’t believe a word of it.
@Garyst16 seems like pretty much any dog can join the service dog community: Color me skeptical I would love to see whether these dogs can actually fulfill their missions:
4 Paws service dogs can be trained in high and low blood sugar detection for children with diabetes, by responding to the smell of the chemical body changes that occur as blood sugar levels increase or drop. Uniquely trained to the scent of the individual they are placed with, service dogs can detect and alert to the changes, oftentimes long before adverse medical reactions occur.
Whether or not she is plus size is irrelevant. Whether or not the dog is a support animal is irrelevant. She bought one seat, the other first class passengers each bought one first class seat. Giving her two first class seats while denying another first class customer their paid first class seat is outrageous.
You know what’s sad? Is that nobody was put out that bad in this situation, instead of showing some sort of class and being decent human beings, all you posters show just how disrespectful and uncaring that you are. Everyone made the flight and got to the next destination early. I am sure the downgraded seat got a discount. Such disgusting despicable people. Including the supposed journalist who wrote this.
There should be serious financial repercussions to Delta for this. The passenger forced to downgrade should have had full fare for the seat awarded and maybe even double that. Once it starts costing Delta real money, they will start applying rules like the person with too much baggage having to buy two seats on a later flight if that person doesn’t fit in the space bought.
In Michigan, claiming your animal is a service animal or service animal in training when it’s not is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to 30 days of community service, and/or 90 days in jail.
This seems implausible. I have a service dog. He’s registered with the USDA and I have to get pre-approval from the airline before every flight and provide his USDA number. Regarding the commenter who says I should be tossed off if any passengers are allergic, it’s a tough dance when two people have conflicting medical issues. I wash my dog right before every trip. I work with people who are allergic. They’ve had no issues because we’re clean and I put a tee shirt on him to make him even cleaner.
How is this “clearly not” a service dog? People have invisible disabilities that benefit from the aid of a service dog. Why are you shaming a disabled person and posting photos of them on the internet because someone is upset about being downgraded from first class?! Articles like this are deplorable.
@ Gina. USDA does NOT register Service Dogs. If you are a breeder transporting pets then yes, you need to register with the USDA, otherwise it’s just one step further along the fake service dog scam.
All the childless cat people are out in force in the comment section I see. Look, you and your fake “service” animal should only be allowed to fly on Spirit. Either that or get back in Greyhound where you belong.
Quadruple airfares. I don’t care….I can afford it. Time to start pricing these people out of air travel again. We didn’t have this nonsense in the 80′ and 90’s.
Ideas in another comment lead to another more equitable solution. Have the woman with too much baggage and a dog take the seat in comfort plus with an extra seat beside her. This allows for her to travel with her dog that needs extra room. When the person in the extra seat shows up, reseat them in first. No hard feelings from people getting moved and the only person getting downgraded gets an extra seat in compensation.
Unless you’re blind you don’t get a dog. Simple fix. This country has turned into an idiocracy. I’m bringing a horse with me next time I fly!
Fact people – there is no “official” service animal registry, only online scams that will sell you a sweater for your ESA and a fancy certificate. There is a large legal distinction between ESAs and service animals.
Bring my emotional support skunk that gets nervous when close to people and sprays.
What BS, only trained dogs, real ones, not all this fake crap.
I was on a flight where a small dog was scared so much it was puking and peeing, service dog ya right.
Couple of points to hit as a Disability rights advocate:
– There is no indication anywhere that this dog is not a service animal. Service animals do not have to wear a vest especially if that may impede their job, endanger them, or cause discomfort.
– There is no registration of service dogs. This is for the benefit of the business owner. If a dog is not acting like a service animal, ie barking, jumping, growling, eating food off the ground, defecating. It does not matter how disabled the individual is, that is no longer considered a service animal.
– This picture was taken at the gate, so the large suitcase either may be being checked, and she was able to take it through the TSA because it contains supplies for her service animal, or it may be a medical device/mobility aid that will be placed in a special spot. Similarly, many airlines allow you to bring an extra bag with supplies for your service animal, which is possibly what the other bag is, you have to usually call in advance to get that cleared. Though again, we are taking this on the basis of this clearly biased reporter, and she may have checked all of the bags, or she is flying with someone else and those 2 bags are someone else’s.
– If there is not enough seat for her service dog to fit, it is a requirement of the airline to make accommodations.
– It sucks to get downgraded and reassigned, but people get kicked from flights for less, such as overbooking. Plus those reassigned passengers would be able to get reimbursement for losses.
– Golden Retrievers and Poodles are some of the most common service animals so I don’t see any reason a doodle couldn’t be. Hell, some of the best alert dogs I’ve met have been Pomeranians, which would surprise many people.
This article right here is why we will never know if we are alone or not in the universe.
Higher intelligent beings will monitor us and see how idiotic we are across many fronts and come to the conclusion that making contact with us will only make them dumber. The end result is they will steer away from us or blast our planet from existence from far away.
Maybe the dog is trained to schlep all those carry on bags she needs
I have absolutely zero respect for the author of this posts. You are full of assumptions. While I agree that the airline did a bad job managing passengers and should have made her check 2 of her items, I do not agree about your assumptions about her service animals. She is IN THE RIGHT to travel with her animal. And no absolutely she does not owe you or any of your opinionated a list fan base “proof” of her disability. And Service Animals ARE NOT PETS. The Americans with Disabilities Act does not require registration with any entity and there are extremely limited questions that can be lawfully asked. And this is for GOOD reason…. To require every person with a service animal to register would place a multitude of undue burdens onto the disabled. If you see a “registered” service animal, know that literally anyone can go online to do this and get a legal but meaningless card saying the animal is registered with their organization. Unfortunately there are a million of these shady businesses online offering a certificate with zero proof, just a money making scheme to accommodate the feelings non-disabled people like those in this comment section.
No, I do not have a service animal, however I am disabled although you might not know at first. I also have a child with an invisible disability. I will always advocate for disability rights. You should be ashamed of your uneducated and ill-informed attempt at an article.
Raylan was 100 % correct in the answer that was given.
PERIOD.
The picture explains it all.2 components tell me they did this to try and avoid a PR nightmare. That failed miserably
I am stunned at the level of nastiness and ignorance in many of these remarks. Nobody, including Gary, has the complete story here but so many are rushing to post their uninformed thoughts. First, you cannot say with any degree of certainty whether this dog is a service dog or not. Almost every breed can be trained as a service dog. Second, you cannot know whether in fact the passenger did show the gate agent the paperwork that confirmed the dog’s status. Third, I’m unsure why she didn’t fit in the seat. She is overweight but no more so than many of the passengers, often business people, who I see in airports. She may have needed a seat belt extender but she looks as though she should fit in the seat. Which raises the question as to whether she had some sort of medical device attached which caused the problem or needed to be near a medical device in one of those bags. Again, nobody here knows. I know I would not appreciate my first class seat being unavailable when I boarded but this is a short flight and even the front of the plane is not that spacious on these regional jets. She had a first class seat as well. Finally, it is disgusting that people can use such derogatory language, such as “ho” on this site. It happens over and over again from the same set of posters but apparently Gary believes these types of comments are just fine. They are not.
@ Kuck Famala— your name says it all. Obvious troll is obvious.
@Michael- yes, yes you do want to get political. You probably couldn’t wait to do so.
@DLF- the regular readers of this blog are trolls, elitist, and/or just little snowflakes. I have yet to read of of Gary’s posts that wasn’t toxic- both in his whiny and entitled anecdotes and in the comments.
Omg so someone put the seat back? Who cares? Oh your poor allergies? Again, who cares? How dare someone get something you don’t and it’s just not fair. Life isn’t fair. Again, who cares?
For one of a pax has a DOT paperwork signed saying an animal is there service animal we can not argue with that . Or we will get a DOT fine . Also a service animal is allowed to have a carry on as to why she had multiple bags
A few years ago shortly before Christmas, I was flying home from DEN to BOS on UA.
Plane was actually only about 50% full.
A young college age woman started having an apoplectic meltdown at the gate because she was going to have to check her “Emotional Support Hula Hoop”
The Gate Team and Flight Crew accommodated her by sticking her in an unoccupied row.
Everybody is overlooking that the passenger could fit in 1A but there was not room for the large dog. Perhaps a small person plus dog could have fit, but really it is up to the passenger with an animal to buy what they need. FAs should never boot a paying lst class passenger to coach, but maybe it wasn’t a paying passenger. Since that passenger and large dog needed two seats, they are the ones who should have been given the choice to move to two seats in economy if available, or wait for a flight that could accomodate.
Doodle make great Service Dogs. They are hypoallergenic for those with allergies. I agree that Emotional Support animals are not medically necessary. Service Dogs are medically necessary. How about Service Members with PTSD, the blind, those with severe diabetes that they can sniff and save their life? I have friends with those problems. ONLY DOGS CAN BE SERVICE ANIMALS! Gone are the days of the Support peacock. And airlines (apparently not Delta) have a rigorous process in place for Service Dogs to fly. This lady obviously did not follow it.
Many of you don’t understand ADA laws on legitimate service animals, unfortunately for YOU your “dander allergies” and discomfort do NOT trump federal laws. And no, there is NO legitimate registration for service animals (that can be owner/handler trained), and we’re under NO obligation to prove anything to you. I do sympathize with others regarding the abuse of ADA laws/accessibility when the fakes are passing their pets off as service animals. ESA may not be regarded the same, but suffer no illusion that they’re not just as beneficial and necessary for those genuinely needing their companionship and comfort. It never ceases to amaze me the lack of tolerance and compassion afforded to those with disabilities, including mental health disorders. Like we have any control over things of that nature, and not all disabilities are visible. Lighten up and educate yourselves.
Don’t know what’s more pathetic, people defending her despicable actions or delta for being so pathetic to accommodate her. America needs to grow up and stop accommodating people to lazy to check ahead of time about rules. 4 carry ons aren’t allowed anywhere. Service animals should be verified and if someone can’t fit in a seat then they can buy a second seat or take the bus. This clown knew she and her dog couldn’t fit in one seat. Why suck up to her?
I will give her this – she reserved a first class seat with no one adjacent. Better than the selfish folks who book a coach seat and expect the people adjacent to give up space they paid for.
But what service dog is a groomed show dog breed like that. Give me a break. And she should book two seats to handle an animal of that size.
A any time a customer is downgraded it’s a fail. No further background to establish that failure on the part of the airline, in this case DELTA.
Bad form to publish the picture of the woman in a case of hearsay.
Delta didn’t do the right thing. But there is no evidence that this is not a service animal.
Also in my understanding service animals fall under ADA rules in the US. They do NOT count as a carry-on bag.
I am no fan of people gaming the system, still you can’t just randomly point at someone and pass judgement. If you have more information then share, otherwise clarify that you simply assume, but don’t know,
I looked up Delta flight 4306. It’s ONLY a 4 hour drive to Detroit. If this passenger drives, she could have driven round trip from Pellston to Detroit with her dog and extra luggage instead of flying. I’ve been a dog mom for years and ALWAYS drive 4-12 hours, so I can take my dog with me. (My dog is not a service dog.) When I fly, I leave my dog at home with a pet sitter.
I’m curious how much extra aileron control had to be exerted to control roll
@Ken, you need to get a refund on your med school tuition. Oh, wait a minute … you were too stupid to even get admitted. Diabetes does not cause someone to be overweight. Being overweight is a condition which contributes to getting diabetes. Stick to changing bedpans.
Anyone who thinks those is normal is part of the problem.
Regardless if it is a registered service dog or not. If you can’t be without you animal for a few hours or a few days you have issues and shouldn’t be traveling.
Please don’t be dumb enough to say she might be traveling to get help.
Sure she was on Social Media the entire time because she needs to be in everyone’s business or their support of her pathetic situation.
The world is so soft and everyone wants to jump in online.
Anyone who thinks I am wrong, go 3 days without checking Social Media or tell how you would get food outside of a restaurant or your local store every 3 days.
We have become so pathetic. We are more worried about this versus actual things going on that will affect generations behind us.
Over privileged person couldn’t whine, get her way and take a mutt on a flight?!
Hope we get to a point we are so well off as a country thar this should matter.
Emotional support animals are not service animals under ADA. Airlines shouldn’t act they’re the same thing.
It is disingenuous to vilify the disabled pax , f/a and gate agent. This was a no win scenario for the f/a , pax and the gate agent. Deny the disabled pax there is consequences with the feds-d.o.t. and fines to the airline. There is 14 cfr 382 to consider that protect disabled pax and rightfully so. Involving a 1st class pax was probably the lesser of evils in the situation at hand. Also the 1st pax may have been a upgraded and not paying for the 1st class seat anyways and compensation should have been appropriate and CHEAPER than a dot fine. It is a no win situation for sure so a bit of compassion for the crew involved. As to the # of bags it is hard to say what was medically necessary, there may have been batteries for a mobility aid that are removed from the device and would need to be in the cabin and travel with the disabled pax. Lithium batteries anyone. Also since this was a crj9 those bags would have gone in the front cargo bin as a valet bag anyways and wouldn’t matter in the long run. There is closets onboard but there is limited capacity in those closets. As to the animal it was a service animal and go with the pax like it or not. Don’t get me started on the emotional support animals, a whole different subject than the service animals that fulfill a specific function. Sight , blood sugar , seizures awareness and so forth. It is just the emotional support animals we’re abused by the masses in the past that has brought about the current regulations on them. I haven’t worked the job in a few years but I believe emotional support and pet in cabin animals now have to be declared in the passengers reservation due to past abuses from pax claiming a family pet is a trained service and emotional support animal when it is not
DS is an idiot.
The woman isn’t even that large- compared to the average American. We don’t know anything about the back story here.
My daughter has CF and her respiratory equipment actually came with a bag that looks like a typical rolling suitcase. I cannot have this checked – she needs it and it is extremely expensive. To avoid checking at the gate I typically ask to board in an earlier group. A lot of the time they let me board *waaaaay* early- they hear cystic fibrosis and think handicap. So I wind up boarding early with actual handicapped people – all the while feeling like a fake and a liar. I want to scream “no I’m not pretending to be debilitated to board early-literally all I want is to not wind up checking at the gate…” (my daughter has typically been zooming all over- clearly not debilitated)
My experiences have taught me that sometimes there’s a back story- not obvious to those judging
You all need to learn about things before you comment. Any dog can be a service animal if it’s trained properly. To say “it’s a doodle so it can’t be a service dog” is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. It needs to be trained to do a specific activity for the person with a medical issue. To say “obviously it’s not a service animal” without any supporting information is just stupid. Also, there is no national registration for service dogs. In addition, medical equipment is not counted in the bag count. CPAP, TENS unit, a bag specifically for medical equipment doesn’t count. If she has a CPAP and a bag with say her blood testing supplies, those don’t count to the bag limit.
I have never seen so many people jump to conclusions based on nothing before. Now granted, could the airlines have done something different say, give the front row with more space at the feet for the dog, probably and that’s on them, but to attack the passenger who most likely is disabled or at the minimum suffers a medical issue is just not right. Do better people.
To ken, when you are born, your not born fat. You get that way because you had bad parents. Never said no to you and let you eat all you want , medical condition my ass.Read the Bible,it talks about obesity and how God does not like that,it’s a Sin and I don’t about you but,most of America believes in him,we even have on our currency in God we Trust, remember that.people that are heavy just don’t care,they given up on themselves,low self assteam.Read your Bible if you have one.
People here don’t even know the difference between service animals and ESAs are.
Look it up. ESAs are actually probably a good idea for perhaps a person who has PTSD from being a soldier in war or similar, but none of these things are highly regulated.
I work with therapy animals which are not ESAs or service animals. Service animals are really the only one that can go in stores, etc.
This exact situation is exactly why if I were in congress, I would put forth legislation to officially certify Service animals and ESAs through the ADA. There would be Behavior standards, ALL SAs, ESAs, and their handlers would be required to attend and pass a government approved training program, and a doctor would need to put in a letter the exact reason for the need of an SA/ESA. This document is required to put the animal/handler through training. The training would also emphasize behavior training as well. After training, the training organization would submit the appropriate documentation to the ADA who would be in charge of specifically approving these animals/people to receive a certificate and ID card (an OD for the animal, and an ID for the handler). If the animal/handler fails training, they’re not issued a certification and they’re not eligible for training again. If they need an animal, then they would be required to seek one from an approved organization that specifically trains and provides animals for their conditions. In terms of transportation, I would mandate that no paying passenger or paying passenger who was upgraded, would be booted from their seat to make way for people with these SAs and ESAs. If they ARE booted, the airline would be required to pay said passenger(s) and those on their itinerary, quintuple the original cost of the fare, PLUS accommodations, PLUS meal vouchers, PLUS rebook them on a comparable flight with the exact same seats as the original flight(s). If a booting causes a pax(s) to miss a connecting flight, the airlines would eb required to pay decuple (whatever ten times is lol) the original cost of the fare with the same other benefits as previously mentioned. Oh, and this wouls apply if they got booted in favor of a fat person too…
Personally, I am tired of the people don’t abide by the rules and how everyone has to walk on eggshells when these people need to be challenged. ESPECIALLY when the animals can’t behave. I’m tired of REAL SAs and ESAs getting the shaft in public image because people like THIS woman can’t do things correctly.
This why I do not fly Delta they don’t even follow their own rules..
@J.C. I’m not supporting all that Ken said but as a retired RN there’s LOADS and LOADS of clinical information about Insulin Resistance that starts before the diagnosis of Diabetes! When blood levels of both insulin and blood sugar climb and while muscle tissue and other vital cells go without, FAT cells use the insulin to grow fat stores! So, there is clearly a very serious link between the development of Diabetes and weight gain! Even when a pre-diabetic starves themselves they can NOT lose weight. That’s Real! This process can start 10-15 years before they even meet the criteria for a clinical diagnosis of Diabetes.
Larry, hate to tell you, but you’re wrong. There is no paperwork, and no required training. They’re *supposed* to have SOME kinds of training, but the owner can do whatever training they think is enough. There is no evidence needed, and airlines are too afraid of being sued for being anti-disabled people if they start enforcing rules. I personally think there needs to be a certification system.
Larry R said: Passengers are required to show ID to get on a flight; why shouldn’t a service animal also have to sho ID identifyng the animal as a trained service animal? I’m assuming that when someone obtains a service animal that there are papers or cerificates of some kind showing that the animal has received the approprie training.
To Ken
It doesn’t matter if you have diabetes,thyroid or anything else your fat because your feeding your body with crap, of the millions in Hitlers concentration camps there were no fat people because they didn’t eat and there had to be some with those diseases you mention but they weren’t fat
To Ken
Diabetes does not lead to being overweight being overweight leads to diabetes you didn’t see any fat people in the concentration camps because they didn’t eat and I’m sure there had to thousands in the camps with diabetes
To Anonymous
Theres’ nothing normal about her size she’s a fat horse by any measurement
Delta airlines new motto “we reward bad behavior & have untrained passenger facing gate staff”
The personal comments posted about this story are disgusting. And the story itself is almost as bad. Think about it.
How about animal free flights?Or a section at the back of the plane reserved for the people with ‘emotional support’ animals? I guarantee when they can only sit at the back of the plane, they will stop traveling with their pets.
Unless it’s a true service animal – for a blind person or specifically trained for detection of a medical condition – a separate full fare should be required if the animal does not fit under the seat. If an adjacent passenger is allergic, the pet owner should be moved, not the paying passenger who does not require support to leave his/her house.
Road trips will make a come back!
Can we stop coddling these land manatees already, I don’t wanna hear about thyroid or diabetes, stop stuffing your fat face that would help and these grown people that need support animals should be forced to walk to places, if you’re over 3 yrs old and need a support animal there is only one option…
I 100 pct agree that there should be pet sections on planes. Lots of people are seriously allergic to pets( I am not one personally) Why should they be miserable so you can feel better? If someone lets the airline know in advance they need to fly with a service animal they should accommodate. Also… those of you Fat shaming .. Don’t be stupid! People have been fat for much longer then junk food has existed. You don’t know what their situation is.
That’s a pet, fatty needs to get over herself and airlines need to stop with the BS!
I tried to read the article, but then got interrupted by flashing ads and then some broken glitchy audio track that I could not easily figure out jow to stop. So, I turned on ad blocking and ended up here. I was referred here by a service that I will now use to block all news articles from this site and will hopefully never be back again.
The only reason this person was allowed all these privileges & to violate the airline’s rules is because Delta was afraid of being called out (or sued) for racial prejudice. Had it been a white person, this would never have happened.
You weren’t coddled and they accommodated someone with a disability so you snap a pic and fat shame and humiliate her online. You sound like a hell of a person.
I’m not understanding why they didn’t move her to a row 1 seat. I have flown 1st class many times and there’s more room in row 1 than 2. I’m glad to hear that she actually purchased a 1st class ticket, but I’d be hella pissed if I got moved because of a dog. I fly 1st so I can deplane quickly. If I had to wait for a dog and 4 carry-ons to get off first I’d be rather pissed. No I’m not entitled, I only have 20 minutes to connect in ATL. I also don’t like sitting next to dogs on a flight because I don’t know how they’re going to react to the flight. ( I’m talking about “emotional support” dogs, not legit K9’s with a job to perform, as they probably have more flight time than I do.) I need emotional support when I leave my 80lb Bully with the babysitter so I don’t traumatize him by taking him on a plane.
Personally I think airlines need to offer a pet option like seating in the back of the plane for all the pet people, and charge for the privilege of bringing your animals aboard and inconveniencing other people just so you don’t have to leave them at home.
Why do you call them “Plus-Sized” passengers? They are FAT.
I quit flying years ago when it stopped being fun and turned into a sardine packed flying city bus, complete with sidewalk circus-show people. It’s really gross now. Just a bunch of slobs thinking they are entitled to something extra because they breathe air.
Typical fat entitled person. Sorry but if your overweight self can’t fit in the seat you don’t fly. It’s not other passengers problem you are obese.
Society is hilarious these days in the cater to me attitude. It’s also why ADA is the biggest entitlement joke. Once again anything to force others to cater to you
Even without the dog, she looks too fat to fit in a seat.
Poodles actually make great service animals. As for carry-ons, the green case looks to be medical, most likely oxygen supplies. All passengers are given a free medical bag allowance if needed and they attest it is such. Then the roller bag as her regular carry on and the bag on top of it must have been the service animal supplies. Then she had a purse as her personal item. After reading the article headline, I was expecting the last to be like 400 pounds, not more like 200 pounds. She is fairly in the average category especially since she has a medical illness. The only issue is moving other passengers and downgrading. I really hope Delta asked for a volunteer at the gate to downgrade and offered it as a free flight for them or such. Obviously the writer was privileged to know all the details of this case.
Yes before everyone comes for me, I am 200 pounds, I have 1 leg and a prosthetic leg, I take over 70 meds a day to live, I recently had 4 flights on Delta, I paid for comfort plus and sat in the 1st row of it. 1 of the planes had the 1st row with about 4 feet of leg room, like a missing row of seats, the rest were a little tight trying to get the prosthetic to fit. I am over 6 foot tall.
The Delta flight attendants were amazing to try and help anyway they could. I was boarded 1st and yes had a wheeled ride around each airport, that I tipped generously as they were awesome. My only complaint was exiting the plane, everyone jumps up at same time. Several of us medically needed and had wheelchairs waiting with attendants just off the plane, they were blocking the ramp basically but all the regular passengers were blocking asle in plane so we couldn’t get out. I almost missed a connection but the attendant pushing my chair ran so fast and getting me from gate to gate. What I am saying is, Delta did great, passengers sucked!
In the good ol’ days, the fat c**t and her dog would have been escorted off the plane for disruption of a flight. Begging the question as to why Delta didn’t do that. There was every reason to do so. The very fact that fat people have “extra” rights for their extra weight is an affront to common sense. We should be PENALIZING them and forcing them to buy a row of seats if they plan to fly. As for the “emotional support animal”, this c**t would have been needing some emotional support by the time I finished berating her.
Im larger than that lady and I travel all the time. In a regular coach seat. I don’t ‘spill over” or touch the other people next to me. I agree that she should have checked some of her bags and that other people shouldn’t have been moved. Body shaming isn’t helpful. Grow up
Let’s call fat people what they are: LARD A–ES.
I agree about the 4 carryons – BUT if you have a sleep apnea device – you can take it as an additional bag as it is exempt of the 2 piece carryon rule. As a plus sized person she probably has a sleep apnea machine. so that would be three not four.
These comments always depress me. I was diagnosed with PTSD and, after trying all sorts of medication, therapy, and more for over a decade, I was advised to get a service dog. I recently got a mini doodle (as someone mentioned, they make great service animals) and I’m currently working with a team of professionals to get him trained and certified — spending close to $10k, which I’m only mentioning so you can see that I am going the legitimate route, and not the “just pay money to self-certify him as a service dog online” route.
That said, I look like a fit, healthy person. I’m lucky that I have the means that if I fly with my dog, I can (and will) buy the seat next to me, but reading these comments makes me realize how people will view me when I’m just trying to travel with my service animal. It also makes me wonder if I’ll end up on one of Gary’s posts for simply traveling legally with my service log.
I am with everyone who is annoyed at people who abuse the system. But you cannot assume that someone is abusing the system just because they “look like they don’t need a service dog” or because the service animal doesn’t look like what you think a service dog should look like.
This whole service dog issue has gotten out of control. Prohibit any animals in the cabin who cannot fit in a carrier under your seat! The exception would be seeing eye dogs and law enforcement dogs.
Thanks the ADA disability always comes first. Boot 10 to accommodate 1 if needed
Issue is some of the regulations surrounding the ADA act. It isn’t always clear if a business or other entity, even on private property, is allowed to require proof that a service dog is a service dog. It’s paramount to asking someone what condition they have or what prescriptions they take. I work at a college and it is a nightmare. We have 10 times as many animals on campus as before, and not all roommates are ok with that, so we have to move people around constantly. We are only allowed to ask if the animal is a service or emotional support animal (unless it obvious that it is), and what service does it perform. We can only ask someone to leave an area or ban the animal from campus if it is aggressive or is otherwise a threat to others’ safety. I don’t know how airlines work – they may have different rules. But federal law is federal law. We need to push for changes to these laws for the sake of safety and fairness. Personally I believe that there should be a federal registry for service animals, just like there is controlled substances, but only for use by airlines, public transit, or other public facing entities – NOT FOR HOUSING. Denying someone housing because they have a pet, or because their pet is a certain breed, should be mostly illegal. But NO – YOU SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE YOUR GOLDENDOODLE ON A DELTA FLIGHT AND EXPECT TO BE GIVEN AN EXTRA SEAT BECAUSE YOU ARE OBESE. Anyone can get paperwork for an emotional support animal. I know because I’ve done it for housing reasons. But flying is an entirely different…. animal.
Never ceases to amaze me how the internet trolls will jump on a subject/subjects and give an opinion! Scroll, read and keep it moving!! No need to put your 10 cents in on every article that you see! Some of these comments are just downright shameful!! No one but a few seem to possess empathy for their fellow human these days! It’s really sad! If you cannot say something nice or helpful, keep it moving!! There’s enough negativity in this world already!!
It’s a freaking CRJ9. People are so damn stupid to pay a premium to fly on that crap junk bucket in first class.
Behavior like these entitled posters is exactly why I left the airline industry. After 17 years of flying I got very tired of being called every name in the book. Grow up people.
I bet she was only called a ‘ho’ because she is a black woman.
As a black man I am reminded everyday in these comment sections just how the ‘white’ wing really feels about people like me.
It is obvious why she was accommodated.
How do you know it wasn’t a service dog? Service dogs come in all shapes and sizes and provide a wide range of tasks.
Talk about entitlement.
That is completely unacceptable If I’m paying a premium I should not be booted, because someone is fat and mentally ill. Greyhound exists for a reason, USE IT!
Some of these comments represent the worst of humanity. Can you imagine someone posting a photo of you, sharing it to thousands of people and pointing out your physical flaws? Why is this photo on here? Dang.
My daughter has a medical service dog she travels with often. The TSA contacted the vet and the dog trainer to verify it was actual 20K service dog
Service dogs are supposed to be for people that are possibly blind, or similar disability.. the rest of those needing animals for service are “emotional support” animals, dogs or whatever..this was an obvious emotional support dog, and I have no problem with this except when it puts others at a discomfort..and to have a first class passenger being told his seat has been stolen by someone else?? I would have so irate, the cops would have had to be called the in.. absolutely totally wrong what happened..totally wrong.. the woman should not have had more than 1 carry on and one personal, her dog either pays for a ticket(seat) or is in baggage, simple.. the stew really messed this up, probably a friend or something of the sort, but still wrong..that’s why I also.never pay for 1st class, even though airlines NEED this financial asset, the stews can ruin everything, at the last minute for no reason, and nothing is done to correct her stupid mistakes.
.
Andy, I agree that it probably is a service dog and that the service it provides is likely licking up peanut butter.
Who cares if it’s a legit service dog? Why is another passenger being inconvenienced so she can take two seats that she didn’t pay for? Downgrade her.
Every pet serves an emotional support role. The question should be if she had a diagnosed disability or not. The journalist does not say one way or another.
The airline can be faulted for not enforcing their carry on regulations.
In my opinion there should be a federal law prohibiting the act of changing someone’s paid seat without consent.
Hmmm.. 1C sounds like they were upgraded themselves and then it back in their normal seat.. no one “picks” the first row.
But still I feel both sides. Sometimes weight is a complete health crises and unstoppable. But also I live my Delta Diamond 1MM upgrades. I’d be aggravated too but if digging down it’s a health thing, they can have it. Upgrades occur every week.
If I’m being displaced due to these circumstances, I’m demanding a refund plus a free flight on the same route .
Otherwise, I ain’t budging..
This PC crap is over the top.
Sick of it.
This “article” is incredibly presumptuous and ableist. I can understand that bystanders might be unaware of the ins and outs of being disabled, but to write something up based on their perceptions, as if those perceptions are verified fact is both lazy and inappropriate.
It’s a service dog if it’s been trained to accomplish specific tasks for the disabled person, and no one can know whether that training has been done by looking at a dog (who I will mention, in this photo seems to be perfectly calm, as I would expect a trained service animal to be).
Federal regulations also provide people with disabilities the ability to bring medical equipment as extra carry on luggage as long as the bags only carry that equipment and accessories. These bystanders have no idea what is in those bags, but it’s also not their job to make assumptions about it.
I’m never in favor of booting someone from the seat that they picked out and paid for, but it’s up to the flight attendants to determine how these situations are resolved, and this is what they chose to do. It’s even possible that this woman would have been fine in her seat, with her service animal sitting where it is supposed to, right in front of or under her legs, but that the flight attendant didn’t find that to be safe in this situation for whatever reason.
Please be more respectful about human beings with disabilities when you are reporting. Especially when it is solely based on hearsay.
A few things to note:
4 carry-on bags may or may not have included medical devices. The 2 carry-on limit does not include medical equipment, which is allowable in addition to 2 regular carry-ons. (Cpap being among the most common addition bags.)
Service Animals & Emotional Support Animals are very different yet indistinguishable to a passerby. The airline limits the type of animal allowed. Very little is done (by law) to verify that a Service Animal is indeed a Service Animal (& not an Emotional Support Animal). There are only 2 questions that can be asked, 2.
Allergies are a conflicting medical condition and both are valid.
The plus size mention, which some found offensive, is key. The airline can require purchasing an additional seat to accommodate for size. In a case where a person did not purchase 2 seats, a paying customer should not be inconvenienced. Bulkhead comfort seats are also a disability seating option, & upgrade the comfort pax to the now vacant 1st. If time/space doesn’t allow for this, then the pax needing additional yet unavailable seats should be moved to the next available flight.
The lack of ifactual information and abundance of assumptions is mind-blowing & irresponsible.
All of the nasty experts should read the ADA, and be happy you don’t need a service dog.
Just wow. I have diagnosed PTSD and recently moved across country with my 100% disabled veteran partner and our four emotionally supportive cats for health reasons. But they aren’t service animals, so I don’t treat them as such! I bought four plane tickets to do so — one for each cat to have its own under-seat space — hired friends to help as escorts, and paid 4 pet fees. It cost thousands. Each human had one carry on, so we had 4 seats with 7 small bags, cats and extensive medical supplies included. It took months of planning, saving, and research. It’s really angering that some people skip all this work at the expense of (not the airline) customers who made the effort to do the right thing.
Shame on Delta for enabling cheaters at others’ expense! I didn’t know I could save thousands by just ignoring the rules!
I have a service dog. She’s an Akita. Not your typical breed for a service dog. Many do abuse the system with ESAs. Especially since they’re not allowed many places anymore.
Since there is no longer a national program or testing to have a service dog, it’s an honor system. However, any establishment can ask “what service does your dog perform?”. If an answer like “they calm me cuz of anxiety” or anything to thay affect, then that is not a service dog, and you pet can be removed. It’s up to that establishment.
I must fill out a bunch of paperwork for my service dog for air travel cuz technically, she’s medical equipment, not a pet and I gotta have all ducks in a row.
Honestly wherever I go even in town. I even carry a medical bag incase I seize.
Granted we don’t know the full story, it’s just off a photo seems like assumptions. The removal of the 1st class passenger would peeve me off cuz they paid for that seat and should have accommodated them as well. It like when families guilt trip a person to move so they can sit together. Nope….
When the flight attendant determined this passenger needed more space than one first class seat, they should have stopped and looked at the full flight chart instead of playing musical chairs and relocating passengers as they boarded. It’s just silly that so many ended up shuffled from their assigned seats.
Since somebody was moved back to comfort plus, it sounds like there was at least one open seat there. A more fair outcome would have been to upgrade a comfort plus passenger to her first class seat, and give this woman the 2 seats together in comfort plus, and leave everyone else alone.
Black people expect everyone else to bend over backwards and compensate them for free and if met with refusal they will just resort to calling you a racist!!! Then they play dumb and wonder why people of EVERY other kind HATE them so much….
Sorry – is no one else confused what this person is complaining about? They didn’t have to move their seat, that guy likely got a credit from Delta (hence the reason he didn’t write this article complaining), and sat only 1 class down. Shock horror how did he survive! With extra leg room and a free drink likely. Lastly, they arrived early. This person wrote an entire post to complain about sitting in their assigned seat and having their flight land early? Because there is no way in the year of our Lord 2024 this random woman, who’s body size did not need to be mentioned in the title or at all, and her dog were any of your business. You will not be in your 90’s reflecting on life thinking about this woman. Or this supposed issue. Do your kids know you’re on the internet complaining about something that literally did not affect or delay your day. Did her 4 bags stop you from bringing yours on?
If they booted me out of first class when I paid for it I would have demanded a complementary bj from the flight attendant.
The world we live in now is so angry and worried when it’s truly not your business. Find something kinder to talk about. Really the language of some is rude and uncalled for. I have a husband has lost a leg and toes on the working foot he has a licensed and trained 80 Lb Staffordshire terrier. We have no problem flying. Delta is not my favorite airlines. But long story short. SO JUDGING. MIND YOUR OUN BUSINESS. Make our would less judgmental and please be KIND. ❤️Angry
Be kind and mind your business.
I have a trained service dog and the TSA form requires you to provide who trained the dog, your physician, where, and what it’s trained to do. It is a 1st degree felony if you make a false statement and the crew has access to all that information. Bumping people to accommodate someone is totally unacceptable and that person should have bought an extra seat like we do or don’t fly.
Simple solution: do not do business with Delta. You are a second class person if you try to purchase first class services.
The very best in DEI idiocy.
Why are we posting rude photos of the other passenger instead of the gate agent/FAs who bumped other passengers? It seems unnecessarily nasty.
Also there are some really gross comments on here about other humans which also seem unnecessarily nasty. I’m fine enforcing size rules, but there’s no need to publicly shame someone on a wide readership blog based on one angry dude’s version of the tale and a stealth photo.
According to some commenter’s, they can ‘just know’ whether it’s a service animal. Just like you ‘know’ if someone is disabled just by looking at them! Patent absurdity! The immature attitudes displayed above is evidence of humans in humanity.
Allergies are not a reason to deny service animal admittance. The law explicitly states this! I’m allergic to BS. Does that mean I can bar anyone from flying because they are full of it?
Frankly, anyone complaining of a dog on a flight should be given the opportunity to disembark and rebook their flight. I have little compassion for whiners, snowflakes and immature adults behaving like little brats.
Think about trying to evaluate a burning jet around all that mess. If the person can’t fit through a plug type Window emergency exit (plus they have a lg dog and 4 carryons that she’d probably want to gather before jumping out). This clearly would stop the flow of the other passengers escaping with their lives. As a retired flight attendant I have experienced this woman more than once. And it’s not always due to the size of the person. People can just be like that. Self serving clueless people.
Second guessing the airline staff…. attacking the passengers appearance, assuming the dog isn’t a service animal based on what you “think” a service animal looks like, all without knowing any of the underlying facts. It’s says way more about the entitled know it all poster/ Karen
Wow!! A lot of people sure are with out any compassion. I’m not talking about someone losing their seat they paid for, that’s wrong in its self, and yes I definitely would be a little bit upset with the airline. That being said, but dragging someone through the mud is absolutely unnecessary!! Who on this plane knows what this woman’s medical history is?? It seems that she was just trying to do what she was told by the airline. Be kind, you may be in this situation one day.
Commercial flights, like any public situation requiring humans to overlap their personal space, require a modicum of social acumen.
If you’re illiterate in the in the art of common customs and courtesies, you have no business being in such an environment. There’s a reason why certain behaviors in public will land you in jail. That is to remove foolish disruptions to everyday life and allow the world to continue making progress instead of being held up by utter nonsense.
If your can’t bring yourself comply with the already very loose rules of airline seating and basic decorum on flights, YOU CAN’T FLY. Either charter your own plane, take the bus or learn how to live in polite society like the rest of us. If you’re in need of an emotional support animal, then you also need a parental/legal guardian when in public. Simply having an ESA is enough evidence that you are not stable/strong enough to be in public unescorted.
No one said being a responsible adult is easy. Though, it does come with certain perks. Such being able to take a trip somewhere with a top tier airline and not getting booted out of your very expensive first class seat for a text-book-definition idiot!
So much misinformation about service dogs here! THEREVIS NO CENTRALIZED LICENSING OR CERTIFICATION FOR SERVICE DOGS. For every one company that legitimately trains service dogs, that are 10 that will sell you some type of paperwork saying so. The only thing that can be legally asked is whether or not they are service and what service they provide. ANY dog can be trained to be a service animal depending on the need of the owner. To think about Labradoodle can’t be one is ignorant.
The day I get downgraded to accommodate an animal is the day I switch brand loyalty. What did people do before the term ESA was coined? Anericans are big, whiny brats.
I’d never heard of ESAs until I moved to the US from Europe. I’ve never seen any animal in cabin until I flew here. I’ve still never seen one flying in Europe and Asia. Why? Just curious
Hey Dack,
We choose 1A-F all the time because my wife prefers the bulkhead. Why don’t you go park your ass in 36B?
Grow up Mel. Some of us people of color no longer carry the “whitey” chip on our shoulder. The GA should never have let this happen.
Regional Jets and Delta’s 717 seats are not comfortable to anyone over the age of 4, and most people who are over the age of 8 don’t fit.
That is the reality of the sardine cans they call commercial airliners.
Baggage fees have driven people to put their whole household into suitcases and backpacks and try to carry them on.
Combine those with animals that are not trained as service animals and you get a cramped, uncomfortable cabin with flight attendants who are poorly trained and paid in the regional jets.
They are ripe for issues like this.
Many people do not even consider, including many very selfish people who have emotional support pets or even “service dogs” that are really not, the implications for allergic people. Many people are allergic to dogs. It is not commonly known that the dogs can leave hair and dander behind that can affect allergic people for weeks after that flight. It is a balancing act, but if you are blind, it is more than understood. If you do not need the service animal every second for the flight it should be checked. What is amazing is how many people need their service animals when flying domestically, but when flying internationally, where it is very hard to travel with pets, the pet is not with them. Further, no service animal should ever be on a seat. Anyone who does so should be fined.
As a retired airline pilot (ATP), my guess is the cabin crew had to attempt to make decisions that would help avoid an escalation of an already difficult situation. They broke some rules, yes, but if it helped to make an on time departure, then the crew did the responsible thing. The stated aircraft named here would mean that the flight is operated by a Delta contractor. Though Delta requires that the contractor adhere to its policies, there are often times when these short flights, usually regional, are given a certain amount of leeway. On a common (Delta piloted flight) domestic flight or an international flight, I feel quite sure that a Delta corporate operated flight crew would have handled this situation differently. But as a regional base flight, this flight crew probably handled this situation to obtain the best outcome for this flight.
As a service dog handler (service dog for the blind), I know and follow the rules and regulations. Though it’s not the most comfortable firm we’ve sat in regular coach and fit in one seat and my dog tucks neatly under the seat even in harness. And nobody is allowed 4 carryon items. How she got through tsa with all that is beyond me. But how she was allowed to board with all that extra is beyond me.
Here in EU, a service dog have a special sign saying it’s a service dog. You need an ID for the dog written by a Vet that include photo of the dog and its chip number, the vaccines etc. All this Will be checked before the service dog can go onboard the plane. Or cat. They are doing a job for a person who need it.
Non service dog/cat:
You can bring your dog(s) and cat(s) with you as checked luggage and smaller dogs and cats in the cabin if they can fit in a bag where it can eat and have water. If you come with more animals than the passenger paid for (or larger), the passenger need to pay a fee and check in the animals.
All these Americans wanking off about first class this first class that wouldn’t have a clue what a first class seat actually looks like. I hate to break it to you folks but you’re so-called first class is nothing more than a business class seat anywhere else in the world if that. Secondly who would care what this woman does and how it’s handled it’s no one else’s business. If the person downgraded has an issue they can handle it themselves. Wanking off publicly on something so irrelevant in life makes no sense whatsoever. We got to find better things to do that b**** about this crap but it doesn’t concern us.
Shame on Delta
Time to leave the animals at home, i cant believe the amount of people that can bring their animals anywhere and not expect a reaction from others. Ive seen the same type of behavior in grocery stores and restaurants to.
I completely agree with Phx Flyer. Apart from the topic of carry on’s and questionable service dog, the appropriate thing to do was to upgrade someone in coach to first & give the lady two (or even three) seats to accommodate everyone.
Don’t forget, the passenger clearly could have elected to purchase two 1st class tickets…problem solved!
When the airline makes the seats smaller we blame the airline.
When the person is fat, has outlandish “needs” and someone complains or points it out, we put them on a pedestal and call it stunning and brave. RIP in piss
The question is, “What skills has the dog been trained to do?”
If I encountered this woman with 4 bags and a big dog, I’d rebook my flight. If I were the gate agent, I’d call security and management … let THEM figure out WTH to do with her. She obviously knows just how to game the system and is probably more than ready for a nasty confrontation. You can’t win with these kinds of self-absorbed jerks.
The comments are amazing; first assuming the woman was disabled or folks were racists in their response. First, typically services dogs are marked Service and if she did not do the paperwork, she should not have been allowed to board. Laziness by the agents. Also, if not a service dog, then their should be a carrier and is 1 carry one. The nonsense about medical equipment is just that; someone with that many additional items, isn’t every traveling alone or is assisted by airlines so if that is not happening, they are not in that disposition. Common sense or courteously doesn’t prevail and selecting 1C happens when they are no other seats so to assume it was a free upgrade is conjecture.