- The woman claims she was one of three people removed from a Southwest Airlines flight due to an accident involving a dog.
- The woman recorded the flight in a series of videos and posted them on TikTok.
- A Southwest Airlines representative said the passenger was removed from the plane because he did not follow the airline’s protocols.
An accident involving a dog on a Southwest Airlines flight has caused at least three people to be removed from the plane, one of the officials said.
Since Sunday, a TikTok user calling herself Sarah Price has posted five videos on TikTok about the same flight, claiming that she and her husband were on board. Insider has not been able to independently verify her claims.
In the first video, Price says a passenger was kicked off the plane for petting his dog. In one of her follow-up videos, Price said that both she and her husband were then asked to leave the plane. Officials were unable to confirm the identity of the dog’s owner.
The first video shows a woman wearing an Oregon State Beavers sweatshirt unloading a bag from the plane’s overhead bin and heading for the exit. “Southwest Airlines kicks woman off plane for petting puppy,” the text overlaid on Price’s video reads.of video As of its release, it has been viewed over 1.4 million times.
“The pup was crying a little bit and the flight attendant who was all on board approached the pup and told him if he wasn’t quiet he might not be able to get on the plane,” Price wrote in the caption. After the ride, the dog’s owner, who was sitting in the same row as Price, placed the carrier bag on his lap and continued to pet the dog. Price said the flight attendant approached the dog’s owner and asked him to zip up the carrier and put it under his seat.
A summary compiled by Price and shared in a second article. videoIt is noted that the woman thought it was okay to continue stroking until everyone was on board.
Price added that the flight attendant returned to the gate and decided to remove the dog’s owner from the plane.
In Price’s video, the dog’s owner can be heard refusing the flight attendant’s assistance. “I’m not going to let you touch my stuff. You’re rude. You’re a mean person. And I’ll never fly to the southwest again,” says the dog’s owner.
Other people can be heard comforting her in the background of the video. “She wasn’t letting the dog out. She was petting the dog,” one of the men can be heard saying. In one of her follow-up videos on TikTok, Price said the man was her husband.
A representative for Southwest Airlines told Insider in a statement that the report shows the passengers did not follow the airline’s policy of keeping the kennels closed.
“Our employees are trained to ensure that customers follow procedures, and in situations like this, we will remove a disruptive passenger from the aircraft due to the customer’s repeated refusal to follow crew instructions. The decision has been taken,” the representative said.
The Southwest Airlines flight was scheduled to depart from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Price wrote in the video’s caption. The price did not specify the flight date or destination city. Insider could not independently find that information.
Price did not respond to Insider’s request for comment outside of normal business hours.
Price says she and her husband were also asked to leave the plane.
But Price’s story didn’t end there. In one of the follow-up videos Price shared on her TikTok on Monday, she said she and her husband were also asked to leave the Southwest Airlines flight.
a video Footage shared by Price shows Southwest Airlines staff approaching the plane’s galley and talking with the pilot.
Price wrote in the video’s caption that her husband said the dog’s owner’s treatment was ridiculous. After a discussion with her pilot, staff asked her to leave the plane because of her and her husband’s behavior, Price wrote.
fourth video, also posted on TikTok on Monday, Ms. Price showed screenshots of what she said were messages between her and the Southwest representative. In one of the screenshots, the other party apologizes to Price, writing that she and her husband “regret” that “she was not able to travel to San Diego as planned.” The official added that Southwest Airlines has processed refunds for the one-way tickets.
According to a screenshot of Price’s video, the person told Price he could not comment on the dog’s owner, saying he could not discuss other customers’ experiences.
Insider could not immediately confirm whether Price and her husband received refunds for their tickets.
Regulations in the American Southwest require pets to be kept in a “suitable carrier”
According to Southwest’s website, Passengers must leave their pets with an “appropriate carrier” when flying with the airline. According to the website, pets are only allowed on domestic flights and if they cause a nuisance, they may be refused boarding. No restrictions on petting pets are listed on the website.
Several people online came to the woman’s defense.
“I want to pet the dog and check on him to see if he’s okay,” one person wrote.
Another person said, “My dog is on medication for flying, so he’s usually fine, but sometimes he cries during takeoff and landing. ” he commented.
This isn’t the first time a passenger has been removed from a plane because of a pet. In October 2022, a woman was removed from a Delta Airlines flight. she refused to take the dog off her lap He became aggressive towards the flight attendants and other passengers. In October 2019, Two passengers were ejected from the Norwegian plane. After being provided emotional support, the French bulldog showed signs of distress on board.
October 24, 6pm SGT: This article has been updated throughout with more information about the flight and context from Price’s TikTok video. It also revealed which of Mr. Price’s claims could not be independently substantiated.
25 October 9am (SGT): This article has been updated with a response from a South West representative.
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