Southwest Airlines Community

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 food 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. ... View more

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. ... View more

I fly a lot and this is a growing problem on Southwest; but not so much on other airlines. I have witnessed a woman pre-board a SW flights with two full-sized dogs on leashes. When I inquired why, I was told they were emotional support animals; both of them for one woman. They took up the whole front row she did not have tickets for all 3 seats; no one would sit by her with those dogs. It worked out great for her but not for the business select customers that paid to get on early in hopes of getting those seats. SW's open seating and "no questions asked" to pre-board encourages passengers with pets to claim a disability in order to get on early to take the spacious seats up front.  This doesn't happen on other airlines because pre-boarders still have to take their assigned seat and without the assurance that they will get the extra spacious seats they get on SW they don't try to bring their pet and pass it off as an emotional support animal. This is becoming a real problem with SW preferring pre-boarders with pets over the health and comfort of their other passengers. SW needs to change their policy or go to assigned seating. ... View more

I agree with you about how annoying it is to have dogs on the plane that are not in a carrier.  I fly a lot and it is a real problem on Southwest; but not so much on other airlines. I have witnessed a woman pre-board a SW flights with two full-sized dogs on leashes. When I inquired why, I was told they were emotional support animals; both of them for one woman. They took up the whole front row she did not have tickets for all 3 seats; no one would sit by her with those dogs. It worked out great for her but not for the business select customers that paid to get on early in hopes of getting those seats. SW's open seating and "no questions asked" to pre-board encourages passengers with pets to claim a disability in order to get on early to take the spacious seats up front.  This doesn't happen on other airlines because pre-boarders still have to take their assigned seat and without the assurance that they will get the extra spacious seats they get on SW they don't try to bring their pet and pass it off as an emotional support animal. This is becoming a real problem with SW preferring pre-boarders with pets over the health and comfort of their other passengers. SW needs to change their policy or go to assigned seating.  ... View more

Your customer service response to dragging this woman off the plane is pathetic!   As a frequent flier of SW,  I have seen many instances of SW catering to passengers with bogus "service animals"  over the needs of human 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. I am never informed by SW beforehand when there will be dogs on their planes because passengers just show up at the gate and claim their pet is a service animal. They allow them to board with their pet without regard to how other passengers may be affected. That's not right.  ... View more

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.. ... View more

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 Sucks! ... View more