A Baltimore woman was forcibly removed from her Southwest flight headed from Baltimore to Los Angeles after she stated that she had a dog allergy.
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The incident unfolded Tuesday night after Anila Daulatzai, a professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art, alerted the crew that she had severe allergies to dogs, and asked that an emotional-support dog and a pet dog that were on the flight be removed.
Of course, the dogs didn’t get removed, and once she couldn’t prove that she had a health risk by showing a health certificate, the officers dragged her off the plane and, while doing so, ripped her pants.
Passenger Bill Dumas shot footage of the incident and said people were begging her to cooperate as the officers were pulling her down the aisle.
“They spent a long time talking to the woman, explaining to her what the situation was, trying to work with her,” Dumas told CBS. “The pilot said they wouldn’t leave until it got resolved.
“If you look at the police, they were being overly aggressive. Really, she wasn’t giving them much of a choice, and the people on the plane were saying, ‘Just get off the plane,’” he said.
Southwest’s policy on customers with allergies states that it’ll make attempts to seat passengers with allergies away from animals.
The airline later issued an apology to Daulatzai for the way she was treated:
We are disheartened by the way this situation unfolded and the customer’s removal by local law-enforcement officers. We publicly offer our apologies to this customer for her experience, and we will be contacting her directly to address her concerns.
But that apology did not prevent charges from being filed against Daulatzai, according to the Los Angeles Times. Daulatzai was charged with disorderly conduct, failure to obey a reasonable and lawful order, disturbing the peace, obstructing and hindering a police officer, and resisting arrest, according to Lt. Kevin Ayd of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.
So, folks, make sure you carry a health certificate on your next flight, just in case you’re allergic to dogs.
Read more at CBS and the Los Angeles Times.
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