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Southwest Airlines Community

Pets on planes

winston
Explorer C

A woman was removed from a plane on Tuesday Sept 26, 2017 because she had a pet allergy and there were 2 pets on the plane. Southwests on report says neither of the pets were American with Disabilitiy Act pets. Why was the passenger that complained removed from the flight? Why weren't the animals removed or placed in the cargo hole? ADA only protects dogs that are true service animals, emotional support animals are not ADA protected. When did animals become more important than people?

9 REPLIES 9

Re: Pets on planes

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

Re: Pets on planes

m1waters
Explorer A

This doesn't surprise me at all. As a frequent flier of SW,  I have seen many instances of SW catering to passengers with bogus "service animals"  over the needs of passengers with allergies to dogs. The irony is that the passenger with an allergy must produce documentation of their allergy but passengers with "service animals" don't have to provide any proof that their animal provides any necessary service to the passenger. Southwest always chooses the rights of pets over human passengers. i am sick of it..

Re: Pets on planes

m1waters
Explorer A

As I write this, I am on a SW flight from Seattle to St. Louis. There is a pre-board passenger with small dog that I assume she passed off as a service animal of some type because it wasn't in a carrier. That is a usual occurrence in my experience flying numerous Southwest flights.  I have previously seen dogs in the isle and on the seats but today was a first. This dog was laying on the lady's fold down tray in plain site of the flight attendants linking something off the tray. This is completely unsanitary and a health risk to future passengers that sit in that seat on the next flight and use that tray for their food. SW does not clean or disinfect the tray tables between flights. I know that SW fiercely defends service animals and pets rights to fly in the cabin over the comfort and medical consequences to other passengers but now they have stooped to a new level of exposing passengers to unsanitary conditions.

Re: Pets on planes

jr65
Explorer C

disgusting

Re: Pets on planes

LizF
Explorer B

I lost a significant amount of my hearing from an autoimmune disorder. I can't hear soft noises or any higher pitched sounds such as a SMOKE DETECTOR, CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR, POLICE AND AMBULANCE SIRENS, TORNADO SIRENS, RATTLESNAKES, doorbells, kitchen timers, rattlesnakes, and etc... I am blessed with a hearing alert service dog that alerts me upon hearing such important sounds. I have never experienced a fire or CO2 poisoning in my home, but my service dog alerted me to a timber rattlesnake that was within 2 yards of my feet and a tornado siren.

This is the USA. There are rights for people with disabilities in the USA. My hearing alert service dog weighs 4.6 pounds and you may think it is a pet, but I depend upon my service dog to save my life. 

Re: Pets on planes

jr65
Explorer C

I agree 100%. My wife has allergies with dog and cat hair and we couldn't figure out why she was feeling bad on the plane until we saw two dogs and the owners leave the plane in carriers when we were deplaning. One of them were two rows behind us. We also noticed a large dog with the family were able to pre board and took the first row seats with more leg room for the dog to spread out. the dog was a large poodle type about 30" tall in no carrier. I was appalled they allowed this but l guess pets are more important than us lowly humans. We also had several bites around our ankles and one on my arm and we logically deducted they were flea bites from the dog a couple rows behind us as we had no bites before we entered that plane. My wife being allergic to insect bites had 3 welts on her ankle and leg, mine just itched like heck. We will be looking for alternate airlines in the future. No large pet should be able to fly out of a carrier.

Re: Pets on planes

floridaguy
Aviator C

You all need to get over this.  People with disabilities have rights.  If a doctor certifies that they have a service animal, then that's the way that it is.  I sit beside people in the FRONT ROW on nearly every flight that have a service animal.

 

Yes, I preboard and themiddleseat get aggravated that I do so, but I could care less.

 

I like the service animals and I preboard.

 

...over the ocean blue...

Re: Pets on planes

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

@floridaguy don't put words in my mouth. No one cares that you preboard. I also don't care for your tone in this reply. 

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: Pets on planes

floridaguy
Aviator C

I don't care for your tone either.  

 

Anyone with a disability has rights and I am beyond tired of the complaining that someone gets on a plane before them, etc. etc. etc.

 

The number of posts about everyone bickering about seating is so old I can't describe words for it.

 

Fly Delta.  I used to when I was in Atlanta.  Get your assigned seat and ride First Class like I did for 20 years