Airline staff don’t have it easy. While it may seem like a pleasant enough job, the internet is full of videos featuring childish passengers throwing tantrums and making the lives of the staff on and off board that much harder. Such is the case with one woman who had a meltdown after Alaska Airlines crew refused to allow her to stash her pet cats underneath her seat.
The passenger, who was later identified as Alexandra Compton, from Portland, Oregon, was recorded in a TikTok video as she lashed out at airline staff who refused to allow her to bring the two cats on board due to the company’s pet policy.
“Show me the policy,” she can be heard saying as she confronts staff. “You haven’t even seen my cat, so you’re not letting me go home for Christmas,” she continued to berate them, “I need to go home for Christmas.”
The patient staff tried to explain to Compton that the issue wasn’t with the weight but rather the size of the cats she was trying to bring aboard. The argument carries on as she continues to demand that staff show her where the policy is regarding pets on board.
@ibeensaiddat Karen with two cats in a tiny bag is angry because she didn’t register them for the flight or know she can’t put two in a small bag. karen. @Alexandra Compton
♬ original sound – IBeenSaidDat
At least she’s being up front about her pets, some people would try and sneak them on. Anyways, the staff claim she never had a pet in her reservation but she claims that the information on the company site was unclear and that was the issue. Compton stated there was nothing on the site that made mention of pets which is why it doesn’t show on her reservation. She also stated that she had never had an issue bringing on her pets before.
People on TikTok are split over who was in the right
Despite the person who posted the video labeling Compton a “Karen,” many actually took her side. “She’s not wrong.” Writes one viewer who shared a screenshot of the information available on the Alaska Airlines site, “It says 2 pets can be in one carrier.” Another viewer also gave their two cents writing, “I don’t see this as a Karen. It seems like the info wasn’t clear.”
However, plenty of others did think her behavior warranted the prestigious title of “Karen.” Her condescending and stand-offish attitude towards staff who are just trying to do their job certainly ticks all the Karen boxes. “YOUR responsible,” one person commented, “RESEARCH your flight bookings for passenger pets.”
Despite the heated argument Compton was eventually able to get home for Christmas according to an article from the Daily Mail. She had to buy another carrier and board a later flight but at least her holiday plans weren’t entirely ruined. “The post has gotten more than enough attention and my side has been shared enough,” she told the news outlet, “I’m not tripping to explain any thing more.”
