10/19/2026
Delta threw me and my cat off our flight
Story-time! This happened during Christmas (December 23rd) but was only recently "resolved" and I'm still fuming about it.
First of all I never thought I'd ever need to fly with my cat but due to unforeseen circumstances I knew he'd need to come with me for the holidays. I was extremely self-conscious of traveling with him and being a burden on my fellow passengers, so I tried to do my due diligence to make sure I understood Delta's rules, TSA/FAA policy, and general best practices to make it as stress-free for him and others.
My flight was booked in mid-October. Days after, via the Delta app, I connected with a representative to have him added to my trip. They told me there was space on the flight and asked for some info about him including his carrier and size. The carrier in question was the medium Sherpa Delta Airlines Travel Pet Carrier, which claims to be “approved and guaranteed onboard” and was purchased specifically for this trip. The representative confirmed that both carrier and my cat were well within the regulations and that he was cleared to fly so long as I paid the $95 pet fee upon arrival at the airport. I called Delta’s support line a few days later to reconfirm that he was listed on my ticket.
To further prevent any duress, I took him to the vet to make sure his vaccines were up to date and receive Gabapentin to sedate him for the journey. The medication I got was to be administered orally and required refrigeration. It was supposed to last 12 hours. I also purchased and packed a portable litter box, two Ziplock bags of litter, a travel water bottle, food and treats, p*e pads, a pillowcase to line his carrier (so it smelled like home) and some toys. I was nervous, but felt ready.
Two hours before leaving for the airport I administered the sedative. By the time I was in my Lyft, he was pretty much out. I arrived at LAX and promptly went to check-in with an actual representative. She confirmed there was room for him on the flight and I was charged the $95 pet fee. I checked my one bag and proceeded through TSA where he and the carrier were hand checked and cleared. From there I went to my gate and waited about an hour to board. This is where the good times ended.
I was in Zone 3, which means we boarded close to last. As I was in line, maybe 4-5 people from the agent and scanner, my name was called out over the intercom and I was instructed to go to the front desk. The agent proceeded to tell me that Delta has a 5 or 6 pet limit per flight for coach and that my cat and I meant they were 1 over so we were no longer permitted to fly. I was honestly shocked. I told the agent I had paid the fee and even confirmed months ahead that he could come with me to which the agent said he’d check with the flight crew to see if they could make an exception. When he got back, he said they would not be making an exception because my cat was deemed “a safety hazard.” Then I got to watch as my seat was given to someone on standby and the plane was pushed back from the gate. Oh and my checked bag with all my clothes was still onboard.
The supervisor was extremely kind and patient with me given the situation. He rebooked me on a later flight and gave me a voucher for lunch. He also told me he would put a note on my updated ticket to allow me to board early in case there were other pets ahead of me. I asked if there was any place I could go to wait with my cat and was pointed in the direction of the pet relief room. Never in my life have I been in a more disgusting space. After waiting in line to use it, we were greeted with a stinky room covered in puddles of dog p**s. My cat wouldn’t even get out of the carrier. I ended up resorting to periodically taking him to the nursing room to use the litter box, but because it was sandwiched between the bathrooms, the constant sound of footsteps and toilets meant he hid in his carrier for the most part.
When they announced early boarding on the new flight, I immediately got up. This time the gate agent wasn’t as nice. He said I was boarding out of order and when I told him what the previous agent had said I was met with, “we don’t get to decide that, the flight crew does.” I protested and he eventually relented and let me board. By the time we were in the air, my cat had been kenneled for nearly 12+ hours. About halfway through the trip, the Gabapentin wore off and he became irate, meowing and scratching at his carrier, eventually completely soiling himself, the p*e pad, and the pillowcase. I ended up making around 5-7 trips with him to the airplane bathroom in an attempt to mitigate the mess and to prevent the other passengers from having to deal with the noise.
After all was said and done, it was an excruciatingly long and horrible experience. After my return flight, which luckily went off without a hitch, my dad and I reached out to Delta about the incident. They apologized, but said the best thing they could do was offer me a $200 gift certificate, which after paying $190 to travel with my cat means I got a $10 apology (and that ignores all the money I spent on vet trips and supplied in preparation). Delta made $4.6 billion in profit for 2023. At this point, I don’t think I will voluntarily fly with them ever again.
TL;DR: Paid $190 to fly with cat, got thrown off the flight, received a $10 apology.
Edit 1: Bolded the TL;DR because apparently y'all are upset with having to read a text post.
Edit 2: I'm honestly shocked at the number of people blaming me for this mess despite multiple Delta employees telling me I was cleared to fly ahead of time.
Edit 3: I tried to preboard my second flight. That's when the gate agent said "we don't get to decide that, the flight crew does" per the instructions of the previous gate agent.
Edit 4: Since some of you are mocking me for having my dad help, he's Diamond Medallion with Delta, whereas I rarely fly.
Edit 5: The $200 I got from Delta was not cash. It was only redeemable on gift cards.
Edit 6: A few people are shaming me for using the unoccupied nursing room. If I ever fly again I guess I'll let him p*e in the terminal for everyone to watch. Is that better? He was too scared to leave his crate, so he didn't use the litterbox. I just sat there in the room and watched him do nothing.
Edit 7: The TSA doesn't even understand its policies (much like Delta). LAX let me fly with cat litter, but in Boston it was confiscated and I was told to never try flying with it again.
Edit 8: This my last edit for a bit. Y'all are exhausting and rude. For those asking "what do you want?" Ultimately, I don't think there's anything that can or will be done about it. It happened and the chapter is closed. I just wanted to share my experience with other people who may consider flying with a pet. Don't like that I flew with my cat? Go cry about about it because it's perfectly legal and allowed by the airlines.
Edit 9: Big thank you to whoever downvoted every single comment I've ever made. This has been a fun one.
Edit 10: Cat tax
