A man just wanted a quiet flight with his music. Instead, he got a surprise seatmate — a lap dog that wasn’t supposed to be out. Now he’s being called the “airplane a-hole” by another passenger. Was he wrong for speaking up?
Let’s unpack it.
He paid for a peaceful aisle seat. Not a barking neighbor.
The man (35M) boarded his Delta flight to LA expecting a standard trip: no TV, no Wi-Fi, just some music and chill. But only 10 minutes into the flight, the woman sitting across the aisle had other plans.
“She starts rustling around, opens her personal item… and pulls out a dog,” he explained in a now-viral Reddit post.
He wasn’t thrilled.
“I’m not dog friendly,” he said. “So I told her firmly, ‘You better put the dog back in the carrier.’”
Her response? The dog was “cramped” and “would rather be in her lap.”
That’s when he drew the line.
“I told her to put it away or this can be a bigger scene for you,” he wrote.
Reluctantly, the woman zipped the dog back in. But that wasn’t the end of it. For the rest of the flight, she baby-talked the dog, gave him dirty looks, and called him an “asshole” loud enough for others to hear.
After landing, he reported her behavior to the flight crew. But now he’s second-guessing himself.
Was he the jerk? Or just the only one willing to say something?
What Reddit Thinks
The verdict was swift: Not the A-hole.
Top comment:
“If it’s a pet and not a service animal, airline rules are clear. You don’t get to just decide your dog needs extra legroom.”
Another added:
“You paid for peace. She paid to follow the rules like everyone else.”
Many applauded him for holding the line:
“People think small dogs are accessories, not animals with boundaries. You were totally right to speak up.”
A few users did point out that his tone may have escalated the situation:
“You could’ve asked more politely at first, especially since it wasn’t barking or bothering anyone… yet.”
But even those commenters said the woman broke the rules and shouldn’t play the victim.
So… was this about dogs, or entitlement?
For some Redditors, this wasn’t just about one flight.
“It’s the growing trend of people thinking rules don’t apply to their dog. And if you object, you’re the problem?”
Others agreed:
“Your dog being ‘cramped’ isn’t a free pass to make others uncomfortable. That’s why the rules exist.”
In the end, most people felt his frustration was valid — and his reaction was justified.
What do you think?
Would you have said something? Or just suffered in silence?