A Delta Airlines passenger was left frustrated after being bumped from their first-class seat to accommodate an unexpected VIP—a service dog, the New York Post reported.
The fuming traveller, who shared their story on Reddit, said they had been upgraded to first class, only to be downgraded minutes later. “I asked the desk agent what was going on and she said ‘something changed,’” wrote Redditor @ben_bob.
Upon boarding, the traveller was shocked to find a dog occupying the seat they had been assigned.“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,” they added, sharing a photo of the furry passenger in their place.
After contacting Delta Support, the flyer was told that airline policy allows service animals to take priority, even if it means relocating other passengers. “There is no way that dog has spent as much with this airline as I have,” the traveller said, calling the situation an “absolute joke.” The airline also said that there was “nothing they can do,” as quoted by the New York Post.
Other Delta passengers shared their frustrations. “Notice how nowhere else in life do you see this quantity of service animals?” one wrote. Another called it “American main-character syndrome.”
A Delta employee explained that bulkhead seats, which are rows directly behind a partition offering extra legroom and easier access, are often saved for passengers with disabilities or service animals. “Delta has the legal obligation to move [passengers] if a person with disabilities requires it,” they said.
A travel expert Gary Leff sided with the displaced flyer, saying he didn’t understand Delta’s decision to bump a passenger from first class for a dog in the bulkhead. “I genuinely don’t see Delta’s logic in bumping a passenger from first class to accommodate a dog in the bulkhead,” he said, according to the New York Post.
