Woman Kicked Off Southwest Airlines Flight Over Pet Cat's 'Smell'

A woman claimed in a viral social media post that she was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight after her pet cat defecated due to stress during a rough landing.

Newsweek reached out to Southwest Airlines via email and the woman, Alex, via social media for comment.

Why It Matters

Over 1 million pets travel by air every year in the United States, according to the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association, and 22 percent of cat and dog owners reported taking their animals on at least three flights over the past year.

Many airlines have implemented policies to maintain in-cabin pets, including size restrictions and designated seating areas, to maintain hygiene and accommodate passengers with allergies as pet travel demand increases.

What To Know

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, viewed over 20 million times at the time of publication, Alex said that Oni, her 7-month-old cat, had an accident in his carrier during a rough landing. She cleaned the cat up in the airplane bathroom before a connecting flight.

She said that she initially thought it was only urine and then realized there was also feces. She said she wrapped the soiled paper towels and disposed of them in the trash, saying she believed it would be emptied between flights.

She then asked flight attendants for a garbage bag to manage the mess better, finished cleaning Oni and the carrier, and said that she had left no odor behind. She said that the staff were very sweet and understanding.

Alex posted on X that, upon reboarding the same plane, she discovered the trash had not been removed, leading to a "smell" that caused the crew to close the bathroom.

She said that a new flight attendant was hostile, accusing her of treating the bathroom as a "litter box," and she said that the flight attendants had made her cry. She claimed that she was escorted off the flight.

She said that she was then waiting for several hours before she got to her destination. She also said that the attendant who escorted her off the flight told her that she had done nothing wrong and gave her a voucher for a future flight.

In the guidelines on its website, Southwest Airlines states that any pets that show what it describes as "disruptive behavior" may be denied boarding. This includes "urinating or defecating in the cabin or gate area."

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 approaches San Diego International Airport for a landing from Phoenix on December 20, 2024 in San Diego, California. A woman has claimed that she was kicked off a Southwest Airlines... Kevin Carter/Getty Images

What People Are Saying

After explaining the series of alleged events on X, Alex wrote in a post: "WE LANDED! Checked my bags at 9:45 a.m. PST and have finally landed in LAX and have my bags in hand at 2 a.m."

Southwest Airlines does not appear to have publicly commented on the alleged incident at the time of publication.

What's Next

As pets traveling on planes increases, it's important to stay up to date with the different rules airlines have over pet travel, and ensure you have the supplies you need.

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