Talk about a rough flight.
A Delta passenger was outraged after being forced to give up their plush first-class seat for a fellow traveler, and much more so when they discovered that the lucky VIP was a dog.
“I was promoted to first this morning, only to be relegated 15 minutes later (to a worse seat than I had before). I asked the desk attendant what was going on, and she stated “Something changed,” the cross-consumer complained on Delta Air Lines’ Reddit earlier today.
“After being unhappy, I boarded only to find a dog in my first-class seat. And now I’m furious,” Redditor @ben_bob wrote in a post that showed the unwitting animal taking the place that was intended to be his.
After contacting Delta Support, the dissatisfied flier, who had received an extra legroom bulkhead seat, was informed that any human passenger may have to be relocated to accommodate service animals and that there is “nothing they can do” in such cases.
“There is no way that dog has spent as much with this airline as I have,” the frustrated VIP argued, calling the mix-up an “absolute joke.”
“What’s the point of being loyal to this airline anymore, truly,” said one of them. “I’ve sat back when others complained about this airline mistreating customers lately and slipping in service levels, but I’m also starting to question my allegiance.”
“Have you ever seen so many service animals anywhere else? “Go to the airport, and they suddenly appear,” one remarked.
Many Delta passengers quickly sided with the jilted jetsetter.
“Exclusively in the United States. It does not happen anywhere else. “It’s American main-character syndrome,” another added.
“The dog is probably a Diamond Medallion 2 million miler,” someone remarked, alluding to Delta’s highest status.
“2 million miler, good boi,” someone else said.
“You forgot a 2 million miler faux ‘ service dog,'” an unhappy holiday tourist remarked.
“I noticed so many service dog vests flying yesterday. It seemed as if everyone had a service dog. “It’s completely out of control,” they groaned.
While the situation may have been frustrating, one Delta employee jumped in to remind everyone that passengers with special needs and service animals are legally entitled to precedence in bulkhead rows.
“When I was in reservations, anytime people wanted the blocked seats I had to advise them that Delta has the legal obligation to move them if a passenger with disabilities requires it,” they recalled.
However, travel expert Gary Leff agreed with the human traveler in the doggo discussion.
“I genuinely don’t see Delta’s logic in bumping a passenger from first class to accommodate a dog in the bulkhead,” remarked Leff on View From The Wing.
“To be sure, airlines are generally compelled to provide reasonable accommodations under the Air Carrier Access Act, and one way they can do so is through bulkhead seats. However, a last-minute seat switch would be unnecessary,” he stated.
Leff observed that “Delta does seem to have gone to the dogs,” noting previous incidents where a first-class passenger was booted to make way for an emotional support dog and four carry-on bags, as well as dogs sitting up and eating off tables in the so-called premium Delta One lounges.
“It’s a dog-eat-dog world,” one Redditor observed.
“And some of us are wearing Milk Bone underwear,” another added, quoting a popular phrase from the television show “Cheers.”