A loyal Delta Airlines passenger has been left fuming after he was allegedly forced to give up his first class seat for a dog.
The seasoned traveler, who goes by @ben_bob on Reddit, posted a picture of the pet in question with its owner and shockingly revealed what had happened onboard on the r/delta forum.
‘I got upgraded to first this morning, only to 15 mins later get downgraded (to a worst seat than I previously had) [sic].
‘I asked the desk agent what was going on and she said “something changed”,’ he wrote.
It was then he saw a dreary-looking dog sitting in what was meant to be his extra legroom bulkhead seat.
‘Okay, fine, I am disgruntled but whatever, I then board only to see this dog in my first class seat. And now I’m livid,’ he shared.
The aggravated passenger went on to claim that they contacted Delta’s customer support and were told by an agent that people ‘may be relocated for service animals’ and ‘there is nothing they can do’.
‘There is no way that dog has spent as much with this airline as I have. What an absolute joke.
A loyal Delta Airlines passenger has been left fuming after he was allegedly forced give up his first class seat for a dog
‘What’s the point of being loyal to this airline anymore, truly. I’ve sat back when others complained about this airline mistreating customers lately and slipping in service levels, but I’m starting to question my allegiance as well.’
According to the airline’s website, service animals are not allowed to ‘occupy a seat or encroach upon another customer’s space in any way’.
The specially-trained animals are only allowed to sit on their owner’s lap, in foot space or in a neighboring foot space’ if an additional ticket for the animal has been purchased.
Those with service animals are also not allowed to sit in exit rows.
Since the jilted jetsetter’s angry disclosure, numerous Delta travelers have come together to offer support and joke about the situation.
‘The dog is probably a diamond medallion 2 million miler,’ one Redditor chaffed while another quipped, ‘It’s a dog eat dog world’.
‘Does a real service dog get its own seat? If yes, does the traveler have to pay for 2nd seat?
‘And is there a handicap hierarchy. What if one passenger has a terrible dog dander allergy, and another has a service dog. When people have peanut allergies, I’ve had the FA ask the whole plane to refrain from taking out any peanuts they may have.
The aggravated passenger went on to claim that they contacted Delta’s customer support and were told by an agent that people ‘may be relocated for service animals’ and ‘there is nothing they can do’
‘Last year, I had an upgrade, but then the GA called me up and said I would be sitting next to a dog (not sure if they meant a dog had its own seat, or a human with a dog at their feet), and so I opted to stay in my exit row seat,’ another wondered.
However, one Redditor argued against the passenger’s complaints and said: ‘If you’d paid for your seat then I think it’s a legitimate gripe.
‘Complimentary upgrades can be taken away for a variety of reasons though, not just service dogs, without compensation.
‘Doesn’t hurt to try with a complaint email or a call to your medallion line, but be prepared for a second rejection just in case.’
But another countered: ‘To lose the upgrade is not an issue, but to be downgraded to a seat worse than the one you originally had is ridiculous and an absolute failure of customer service.
‘This is why redcoats exist, and if they’re not willing to help, then a complaint better yield a bunch of miles and/or other compensation.’
But while some, including one alleged Delta employee, argued that the decision was fair, travel expert Gary Leff instead sided with the irate traveler.
‘I genuinely don’t see Delta’s logic in bumping a passenger from first class to accommodate a dog in the bulkhead.
‘To be sure, airlines are generally required to provide reasonable accommodations under the Air Carrier Access Act, and one way they do that can be with bulkhead seats. However a last minute seat switch certainly wouldn’t be required,’ he wrote in View From The Wing.
DailyMail.com has approached Delta for comment.
