Passenger forced to give first class seat to dog

A passenger was furious after being forced to give up their plush first class seat for a fellow traveller — a dog.

A passenger was furious after being forced to give up their plush first class seat for a fellow traveller — a dog.

In a Reddit post, the passenger who flying with budget US airline, Delta, said they got upgraded to first class only to be downgraded 15 minutes later “to a worse seat than I previously had”.

“I asked the desk agent what was going on and she said ‘something changed’,” they wrote.

“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.”

The passenger who goes by the name of Ben shared a photo of the unwitting animal occupying the space that was supposed to be his.

After contacting Delta Support, the frustrated flyer, who had received an extra legroom bulkhead seat, was irked to be told that any human passenger may have to be relocated to accommodate service animals — and that there is “nothing they can do” in these situations.

A passenger was forced to give up their first class seat for a dog. Picture: Charly Triballeau/AFP

“There is no way that dog has spent as much with this airline as I have,” the exasperated elite insisted, calling the mix-up an “absolute joke”.

“What’s the point of being loyal to this airline anymore, truly,” they continued.

“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.”

Plenty of Delta travellers were quick to side with the jilted jetsetter.

“Notice how nowhere else in life do you see this quantity of service animals? Go to the airport and all the sudden they appear,” one mused.

“Exclusively in the US. It doesn’t happen anywhere else. It’s American main-character syndrome,” another chimed in.

“The dog is probably a Diamond Medallion 2 million miler,” someone joked, referring to a top Delta status level.

“2 million miler good boi,” someone else offered.

“You forgot a 2 million miler faux ‘service dog,’” a frustrated holiday traveller interjected.

He shared a photo of the unwitting animal occupying the space that was supposed to be his. Picture: Reddit

“I saw so many service dog vests flying yesterday. Like every other person had a service dog. It’s so out of control,” they moaned.

But while the situation may have been annoying, one Delta employee jumped into the conversation to remind everyone that legally, passengers with special needs and service animals are granted priority in bulkhead rows.

“When I was in reservations, anytime people wanted the blocked seats I had to advise them that Delta has the legal obligation to move them if a passenger with disabilities requires it,” they said.

But US travel expert Gary Leff sided with the human traveller in the doggo debate.

“I genuinely don’t see Delta’s logic in bumping a passenger from first class to accommodate a dog in the bulkhead,” Leff wrote on View From The Wing.

“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 explained.

Observing that “Delta does seem to have gone to the dogs,” Leff noted other instances where a first class passenger was booted to make room for an emotional support dog and four carry-on bags — as well as dogs sitting up and eating from tables in the so-called exclusive Delta One lounges.

“It’s a dog eat dog world,” one Redditor mused.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission