A woman traveling to New York on a Delta flight says a flight attendant assaulted her mid-air while she tried to rest with her service dog. Dominique (@miniipuff) shared her experience in a video that has drawn more than 160,000 views.
In the video, Dominique described “discrimination, harassment, belittlement, and general disrespect” from Delta staff that she said began at check-in. She accused the airline of violating the Air Carrier Access Act, which protects travelers with disabilities.
The problems started at check-in
Dominique said she had notified the airline in advance and provided all necessary documentation for her service dog. At check-in, she told a Delta employee that she carried a small bag with her dog’s essential items.
“Because service dogs are considered a medical accommodation, their items do not count toward your baggage limits. It falls under the category of assistive devices,” Dominique said. The worker reportedly replied, “Absolutely not. No. You don’t get a free checked bag because of your service dog.”
Dominique said she pulled up Delta’s official service animal policy on her phone to show the employee. “She takes my phone out of my hands and refused to read it,” Dominique said. “[She kept] telling me she won’t check the bag, that she’s never heard of this. [The employee said] there’s no such thing as this, as she [held] my phone in her hand refusing to read [the policy].”
The employee called a supervisor, and Dominique said she overheard staff mocking her request. She recalled them laughing at her for suggesting the bag could be checked for free, even though she had already paid for her personal items. Staff eventually checked her bags, but, according to Dominique, handled them roughly, breaking bowls inside one of her carry-ons. The worker also tried to classify Dominique’s cross-body leash as a personal item. Dominique said she needed it attached to her in case she lost consciousness.
The situation continues on her flight
The situation escalated once she boarded her flight. Dominique said she selected an empty row with three seats to accommodate her 20-pound Shiba Inu. A female flight attendant reportedly insisted the dog stay on the floor, even though Delta policy allows service dogs on passengers’ laps.
“She keeps trying to insist that I can’t have her on my lap, I have to have her on the floor,” Dominique said. “[I said], ‘This is a service dog. She is allowed on my lap. There’s nobody in this row next to me. We’re not bothering anyone.’”
Dominique said a male flight attendant then jabbed her repeatedly as she tried to rest, leaving bruises on her shoulder. “To be honest, it was so aggressive and abrupt. I just immediately assumed it was a passenger bumping into me. [I thought] there was absolutely no way a staff member would ever touch a passenger in that way. And then I [felt it] again, and again, and again,” she said.
She added that the attendant spoke in a condescending tone and questioned her use of the empty seat next to her.
“In the most condescending voice, he says, ‘What would you do if someone was sitting there?’ Confused, I was like, ‘there’s nobody sitting here.’” Dominique said she felt targeted, especially since other passengers used empty seats without issue.
Rather than escalating the situation, Dominique said she calmly asked for the flight attendant’s name to report the incident.
@miniipuff Replying to @Chaires I am still shaken up about what happened so this was really difficult for me to film without competely shutting down but I tried my best @delta #delta #deltaairlines #servicedog #ada #fyp ♬ original sound – ????????? ✩࿐
Commenters give their thoughts
Commenters on her TikTok offered support and advice. “This [angers] me off [so much]. Putting their hands on you was definitely retaliatory. They singled you out,” one wrote.
Another said, “I’m so sorry this happened. I fly with my service dog too, and the things they make you go through are unreal. They don’t know their own policies, ask you to prove so many things as if you were a criminal, and sometimes ask for things that aren’t listed or fail to acknowledge paperwork.”
The Mary Sue has reached out to Dominique via TikTok to confirm whether she reported the encounter to Delta Airlines. We also contacted Delta via email regarding the two employees.
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