A passenger on board a Delta Air Lines flight has aired her frustration on social media relating to an uncomfortable flight involving a 50-pound pitbull, and its owner who smoked an e-cigarette while inside the aircraft.
The passenger, whose real name, Newsweek revealed, was Kiana Fowlkes, flew on a flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) on June 18, 2023.
Fowlkes took to Twitter to air her ruff experience, first saying she was next to a passenger who asked her to give up her seat for a pitbull.
Fowlkes told Newsweek that she immediately refused, but when she got to her seat, she found the 50-pound pitbull already occupying her seat.
In her Tweet, Fowlkes said that the pitbull’s owner started to act as though she was the one being unreasonable.
Fowlkes ended up in her original seat, with the pitbull and its owner next to her.
Due to the confined space, Fowlkes said that proximity to the dog caused “blemishing” of her purse, and that she and the passenger on the other side of the pitbull and the owner became covered in dog hair.
Fowlkes then said that, to make things even more uncomfortable, the pitbull’s owner started to smoke using an e-cigarette, also known as vape.
As per the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) latest regulations, carrying an e-cigarette or vape inside an aircraft cabin is allowed, but smoking it is not.
Fowlkes made it clear in her Tweets that she did not have an issue with the pitbull itself, because it was “non-problematic”, and it wasn’t to blame.
Instead she called on Delta, tagging the airline in her Tweets to air her frustration and uncomfortable position on the 4-hour flight.
The flight made it safely to ATL airport without any incidents. However, many reactions on Twitter took Fowlkes’ side, with some saying that, as much as they love animals, they also support human rights.
The other issue also lies with Delta’s regulations on pet travel. On its website, the airline states that small pets which can fit in a cabin kennel are allowed to travel in the aircraft cabin itself.
A Delta Air Lines spokesperson told Newsweek that it is conducting an investigation.
“What is displayed in these videos … is both in violation of Delta and federal policy. We are currently conducting an internal investigation and apologize to the customers inconvenienced by this situation,” the spokesperson said.
