A woman named Alex was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight to Los Angeles after her kitten pooped in its carrier due to a rough landing. The incident, which Alex detailed in a post that gained over 20 million views, led to her being kicked off her next flight and stranded in a random city with her pet for 12 hours, during which she had to ration supplies for her kitten.
Alex’s seven-month-old kitten, named Oni, was frightened by the turbulent landing, causing it to poop in the carrier. Despite Alex’s attempts to clean up the mess in the lavatory and dispose of the trash properly, the smell lingered on the plane, leading to her removal from the connecting flight. The flight crew blamed Alex for the incident, with one flight attendant telling her that the bathroom was not a litter box.
The new crew on the connecting flight was less sympathetic and eventually decided to remove Alex and Oni from the flight due to the lingering smell. Despite the situation, Alex was provided with a $200 voucher toward a future flight and was eventually rebooked on another plane with a connection. The unplanned layover in a random city caused distress for Alex as she had only packed supplies for a short flight, leading her to ration supplies for her kitten.
Users on social media expressed sympathy for Alex over the incident, criticizing the airline for not handling the situation better. Some users found it ridiculous that the smell was contained in the bathroom yet still caused issues with the flight crew. Others were appalled by the lack of proper handling between flights and the minimal compensation provided to Alex for the extended delay.
In a separate incident in September, a transatlantic Delta flight had to be diverted to New York City after a passenger experienced diarrhea in-flight. These incidents highlight the challenges that can arise when traveling with pets or dealing with unexpected situations on flights. Airlines are often criticized for how they handle such incidents and the level of compensation provided to affected passengers.
