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Woman Dragged Off Southwest Flight Over Allergy
A woman on a flight to Los Angeles International Airport was dragged off a Southwest plane Tuesday night by two police officers after claiming she was deathly allergic to two dogs on the flight. Video shows the woman being forcibly removed by two law enforcement officers. She can be heard yelling, “Don’t touch me,” and at one point also accused the officers of ripping her pants. The kerfuffle was preceded by the woman telling the flight crew that she had a life-threatening allergy to two dogs on… (losangeles.cbslocal.com) More...
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If she was deathly allergic, why didn't she got off the plane right away? During all the time she spent arguing with the crew, wasn't she afraid that the allergy would kick in?
I know I would have. Even if the animal were removed, the allergy is to proteins in the saliva and dander ... and that gets all over everything and can't easily be removed.
When I was young, I had an allergy like that to cats. Within minutes of entering a room where a cat had been -- or even a room where a cat owner covered in bits of fur had visited -- I would have an immediate reaction. If I didn't leave, I'd feel my throat constrict, and I'd have to be carried out.
Well-meaning relatives would tell me that they confined a pet to another part of the house and vacuumed "really well." Ha. That does little to no good.
To answer others, no, I never had an epi-pen or a doctor's note -- this is before that product was invented (it first went on the market in 1987). But I usually had Benadryl and a keen sense of staying away from those creatures. And, fortunately, many allergies tend to change over time.
I hope there's more to the story, but I doubt we'll hear about it. Nobody cares much about the follow-up because there are no headlines in that.
When I was young, I had an allergy like that to cats. Within minutes of entering a room where a cat had been -- or even a room where a cat owner covered in bits of fur had visited -- I would have an immediate reaction. If I didn't leave, I'd feel my throat constrict, and I'd have to be carried out.
Well-meaning relatives would tell me that they confined a pet to another part of the house and vacuumed "really well." Ha. That does little to no good.
To answer others, no, I never had an epi-pen or a doctor's note -- this is before that product was invented (it first went on the market in 1987). But I usually had Benadryl and a keen sense of staying away from those creatures. And, fortunately, many allergies tend to change over time.
I hope there's more to the story, but I doubt we'll hear about it. Nobody cares much about the follow-up because there are no headlines in that.
In the pecking order of mammals Humans trump dogs, dogs don’t buy the tix and people abuse the reason for dogs - >23lb dogs- in cabin vs luggage hold.
Except that defies the reason for a service dog.
Not defending this lady in any way but this does bring up an interesting concern regarding animals/pets on planes. I am a pet lover and don't have a problem with cats or dogs but that doesn't mean that I want to spend my time on a plane with your dog or cat in close proximity to me. Most pets and certainly all the true service animals are well behaved but there are situations that I have experienced where an owner for example takes their dog out of its carrier and cuddles it right next to me or a situation where a dog escaped its carrier and then pawed and clawed its way across me which is unacceptable. Where do we draw the line on this. As I say I like dogs/cats but that doesn't mean that I want to spend a flight with your pooch in my face while you make kissy face with it while it gets hair on my clothes.
"Then we'll reschedule you to another flight."
"Oh, wait a moment...that's not what I was trying to accomplish."