Flying with a service animal should be straightforward when you’ve got all your paperwork in order and years of incident-free flights under your belt.
But one woman’s experience at the San Diego International Airport has ignited a heated debate about airline policies, disability discrimination, and what really constitutes proper service animal documentation.
Woman Claims Southwest Airlines Falsely Accused Her Service Dog
Content creator Erinn (@er1nnh) shared the terrible experience she had at the hands of Southwest Airlines staff. Her video has more than 242,000 views.
“Currently at the San Diego Airport experiencing the largest gaslighting experience of my entire life. Thank you, Southwest,” she says.
Erinn, who has cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and a double lung transplant, says she was traveling with her service dog. She says her service dog has successfully flown 25 times in 2024 alone. Erinn says she arrived early, checked in at 7:01pm, submitted her service dog paperwork, and settled in to wait for her flight.
Everything seemed fine until an hour and a half later when Southwest called her name, she recounts.
“They’re like, ‘Yeah, we have to deny your service dog.’ I’m like, ‘Why?’ They’re like, ‘He had an accident,'” Erinn recalls in the video. “I’m like, ‘No, I didn’t. No, I didn’t. I wear him attached to my hip. He’s been attached to my hip the whole time. I think I would notice if he had an accident.'”
How Is That Possible?
According to Erinn, airline staff claimed someone witnessed her dog defecating at the check-in counter. But she maintains that’s impossible. Not only was the dog leashed to her the entire time, but nobody approached her immediately after this alleged incident to address it, she continues. Instead, she claims Southwest waited an hour and a half to call her up.
“How did you get my name an hour and a half later? You couldn’t stop me right there?” she questions in the video.
She says that when she asked to see video evidence or the location where this supposedly happened, staff couldn’t provide either. They only had hearsay from an unnamed witness, she claims. Plus, she says there were multiple other dogs checking in around the same time.
“Keep in mind, there were other dogs in line checking in. How do you know it was my dog an hour and a half later? Because it wasn’t,” she says.
Southwest ultimately charged her $150 for the dog to fly in a carrier rather than as a working service animal, defeating the purpose of having a medical alert dog with her.
“You’re gonna deny me and charge me $150 for him to get on the flight and sit in the carrier if he’s trying to sit on me to alert me if there’s a problem,” Erinn explains.
Customer Service Offers Partial Resolution
In a follow-up video, Erinn provides an update after calling Southwest’s customer service line. She says the representative confirmed the timeline she described and restored her service animal designation on her Rapid Rewards account, confirming he can fly in the future.
They also acknowledged that the dog has taken 15 flights just this year without any incidents.
But getting her $150 back? That’s another story. Erinn claims she was told she’d need to file a separate report and go through an internal investigation before any refund decision is made. She says she is still waiting on that money.
“I did explain to them that I did feel like it was discriminatory—that I do not look disabled even though I have this giant scar down my chest,” she shares in the update. “Obviously, the customer service rep can’t speak on that, basically ignored me, and was like, ‘You know, I’m just here to do my job, blah, blah, blah.'”
The investigation supposedly includes reviewing security footage, which Erinn believes will prove her dog did nothing wrong.
What Does the Law Say About Service Animals?
Airlines can’t just arbitrarily deny service animals. Under the Air Carrier Access Act, airlines are required to accept trained service dogs in the cabin at no charge. But there are specific circumstances where they can refuse transport:
- If the dog poses a direct threat to safety
- If it violates safety requirements, like being too large for the cabin
- Or if it causes significant disruption in the cabin or at airport gate areas
According to the Department of Transportation, airlines can determine whether an animal is a service animal by asking two questions: whether the animal is required because of a disability and what work or task the animal has been trained to perform. They can also require passengers to submit a DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form.
The DOT also states that “your service animal must behave properly. An animal that engages in disruptive behavior (e.g., barking or snarling, running around, and/or jumping onto other passengers, etc. without being provoked) will not be accepted as a service animal.”
According to Southwest’s policy, service animals must be “harnessed, leashed, or otherwise tethered to you at all times at the airport and onboard the aircraft. They must also be trained to behave and under your control.”
Disability Complaints Are on the Rise
Disability-related complaints against airlines have skyrocketed in recent years. According to USAFacts analysis of DOT data, travelers filed 1,693 disability-related complaints against U.S. airlines in 2022. That’s up 167% compared to pre-pandemic levels. That’s also more than triple the complaints filed in 2020.
Before the pandemic, the airline industry averaged just 477 disability complaints per year between 1999 and 2019.
The issues these passengers face are varied, including problems with wheelchairs, mobility aids, seating accommodations, and service animals.
Commenters React
“This sounds like lack of ADA compliance. I’d get an attorney,” a top comment read.
“It’s an airport, so cameras are everywhere. Therefore, if you can’t show video proof, it didn’t happen,” a person said.
“Ok, but like a pet pooping is not an easily unnoticed thing. When my cat shits in her litter box, I can smell it within a few minutes into it happening. There’s absolutely no way you wouldn’t have noticed you dog shitting right next to you…” another wrote.
“I’m here for the downfall of Southwest after being a loyal Southwest girlie for over a decade,” a commenter added.
@er1nnh If you’re desperate for money Southwest just say that. #southwestairlines #southwest #disability #servicedog @Southwest Airlines
BroBible reached out to Erinn for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Southwest Airlines via email.