Flying on a plane can be quite stressful for pets and their owners alike. What helps in these situations is having the support of an empathetic and kind cabin crew. Unfortunately, mistakes happen, and sometimes employees aren’t able to make their passengers and pet parents feel at ease during their travels.
Travel influencer Janelle Rupkalvis (@janelleonajet) went viral on TikTok and in the media after opening up about a recent stressful trip with Delta Air Lines. In a viral video, she shared how a flight attendant asked her to keep her cat—Asparagus, aka Gus—quiet or else she’d have to get off the plane. Scroll down for the full story.
Bored Panda got in touch with Rupkalvis, and she was kind enough to tell us more about what happened and how the company handled the situation with grace. She also shared some practical advice about traveling with a pet and told us all about her cat, Gus! You’ll find our full interview with her below.
“No airline is perfect. Delta’s response to this situation was thoughtful and reassuring. Mistakes happen, but it’s how companies handle them that makes all the difference, and Delta’s follow-up was a great example of that,” she said.
Traveling anywhere with your pet can be stressful for the animal, so it's natural that it makes a bit of noise
Image credits: EyeEm / freepik (not the actual photo)
Travel influencer Janelle Rupkalvis went viral after sharing how a flight attendant told her to keep her cat quiet or else they'd have to leave the plane
Image credits: janelleonajet
Flight attendant said the craziest thing to us yesterday. We’re flying from Seattle to Jacksonville with a layover in Salt Lake City, and our first flight was at like, 5 a.m. We get on the plane, we're in first class. We board with zone one because we want to get him settled.
We got to get our stuff put away, all that stuff, and I'm not kidding you, we sit down, and within like 30 seconds, a minute, maybe two minutes, flight attendant comes up to us, and I think that they're going to remind us that, "Oh, you have a cat, they have to stay in the carrier the whole time." Like, that's a pretty common reminder that we get when we're traveling with pets. But no, instead, she goes, "If your cat doesn't stop meowing, we're gonna have to ask you to get off the plane."
Image credits: janelleonajet
And I was like, what? One, he's a cat. Two, he's not screaming, he's meowing, because there's a lot of commotion. Bags being put in the bin. There's bags being put underneath the plane. There's just a lot going on, scary things for a little guy who's sitting in a little carrier underneath the seat.
I was like, "Are you serious?" I've never heard this before. We fly with him a lot, and she's like, "If you can't get him to stop, we'll have to ask you to deplane." The first thought, I didn't say this, but I was like, so if parents have kids that are crying, do we make them deplane? Like, how is this any different? But I did not say that. I did not go there. I was just like, um, okay.
Image credits: janelleonajet
So now we're panicked. No one said anything to this flight attendant, we've been on the plane for that little amount of time. This flight attendant just, I don't know if they don't like cats or what, but I could not believe how quickly this all happened, and I'm shocked again. It's five in the morning. We barely got any sleep, so now we're panicked, trying to get Gus to be quiet while everyone's boarding and making noise around us so we don't get kicked off this flight. But I also, I'm like, there's no way that this is a rule. I've never heard this before.
So I text Delta, and I asked them to clarify what the actual policy is so I'm prepared in case the situation escalates. They said, "I don't believe that you can be removed only because your cat is meowing. However, let me check the pet policies to be 100% certain." They come back and they say the requirements are that the customer is responsible for keeping the pet passive and in the kennel for the duration of the flight. And two, the pet must be in a clean kennel that does not create discomfort for other customers. Well, we have a clean kennel. There's no discomfort there, and the requirement is for the pet to be passive, not silent. Like, that is a huge distinction.
Image credits: janelleonajet
I was happy to have this information in case the situation escalated. It didn't. But before I let the agent go, I asked if there was any compensation that we could get because of the incorrect information that we were told on the plane, and how that caused a really anxiety- and stress-induced situation, because now we're worried about our cat meowing. He's a cat. The customer service agent came back and offered us either a $150 voucher per person, or 15,000 miles each for my partner and I.
So we took the miles, so we got 30,000 miles out of the situation. I feel like that compensation is fair. That helps smooth over the situation. We had the information that we needed in case the situation escalated with the flight attendant. But now, believe this. Let me know your opinion on the situation in the comments, because I was shocked.
You can watch the influencer's full viral video right over here
"Delta reached out to let me know that the policy had been miscommunicated to me and that additional training would be implemented to prevent a similar situation from happening"
Image credits: janelleonajet
We asked Rupkalvis about her initial reaction when she was told to silence Gus’ meows. She told Bored Panda that she was in complete shock. “When the flight attendant initially approached us about our cat, Gus (short for Asparagus), I assumed they were going to remind us to keep him in his carrier, which would have been entirely reasonable,” she said.
“We’ve traveled with Gus many times before, so when they said we could potentially be kicked off the flight if we couldn’t get him to quiet down, it really took us by surprise.”
According to Rupkalvis, Delta Air Lines “handled the situation well” after what happened. “As I mentioned in my video, both my partner and I were compensated with 15,000 miles each. I also submitted a formal complaint, hoping to prompt a review of the policy and possibly some retraining,” she said.
“A few days later, Delta reached out to let me know that the policy had been miscommunicated to me and that additional training would be implemented to prevent a similar situation from happening in the future. I really appreciated their follow-through on this.”
With so many of us being pet parents and animal lovers, Bored Panda wanted to hear the advice that Rupkalvis would give other owners who have never traveled with their cats by plane.
“One thing I’ve learned from traveling with Gus is that when he starts meowing, it’s not usually because he’s hungry or thirsty—it’s often because he’s too warm. During the boarding process, the air conditioning isn’t always running, and that can be uncomfortable for pets. We now bring a small portable fan with us to keep him cool, which has made a huge difference,” she shared with us.
“I also recommend bringing familiar items like a blanket or a toy to help your pet feel more at ease in an unfamiliar environment.”
The influencer told us that her cat, Gus, is now nearly 5 years old and is part Siamese, a “naturally vocal and social breed.”
“He’s been on multiple adventures with us, and it’s always fun having him along for the ride.”
Rupkalvis was also kind enough to share a bit about her journey to becoming a travel influencer. Initially, she started out as a budget traveler, “using points and miles to make travel more accessible.”
“Over time, I transitioned to sharing my experiences traveling in business class and staying at luxury hotels,” she said.
“My goal has always been to share realistic travel content—the good, the bad, and everything in between—and to inspire others by showing that this kind of travel is attainable.”
The entire situation was addressed by the company very quickly
Image credits: Delta News Hub / flickr (not the actual photo)
The incident happened on February 19, when Rupkalvis, her partner, and their 4-year-old cat Asparagus were flying from Seattle on a Delta Air Lines flight, in first class.
The influencer shared that she was shocked when the cabin crew demanded that she keep Gus quiet or they’d have to deplane. The cat was meowing a lot because of all the commotion.
Meanwhile, the influencer got in touch with an agent at Delta, double-checking their pet policy, about how pets have to be kept passive, but not necessarily silent.
Delta told People magazine that they were aware of the incident and were investigating the details of the event. “Per Delta’s pet policy, pets must remain inside the kennel with the door secured while in a Delta boarding area, during boarding and deplaning, while in a Delta Sky Club and while on board the aircraft.”
Rupkalvis ended up getting compensated for the anxiety-inducing situation. She and her partner were offered either a $150 voucher or 15,000 miles each. They took the latter.
“While the initial experience was frustrating, I really appreciated that level of customer service and the effort to acknowledge and address the situation,” the influencer told The New York Post.
There's a lot of information that pet owners need to be aware of before traveling by plane
Image credits: EyeEm / freepik (not the actual photo)
According to Delta Air Lines’ website, small dogs, cats, and household birds that “meet the age, health, size, and kennel requirements” can travel in the cabin for a one-way fee that’s collected at check-in.
“Dog or cat travel outside the contiguous U.S. is permitted only if the customer possesses all required documentation for the pet to enter the destination and return to their country of origin (if applicable), and also complies with age, health, size, and kennel requirements.”
Here are the company’s safety and health requirements for small pet travel via plane as carry-on:
- Your pet must be at least 8 weeks old for domestic travel;
- Your pet dog must be 6 months old if traveling to the U.S. from another country and a pet cat must be at least 16 weeks old;
- Your pet must be at least 15 weeks old when traveling to the European Union.
Meanwhile, one pet is permitted per kennel, with these exceptions:
- 1 female cat or dog may travel with her un-weaned litter if the litter is between 8 weeks and 6 months of age. There is no limit on the number of animals in the litter as long as they can fit safely in the kennel.
- 2 pets of the same breed and size between the ages of 8 weeks and 6 months may be allowed to travel in 1 kennel, as long as they are small enough to fit into a single kennel and are compatible. If the pets are allowed to travel in 1 kennel, they will be charged as 1 pet.
As per Delta, the pet should be able to fit into a soft-sided ventilated pet kennel that then goes underneath the seat right in front of the passenger. Pets in kennels count as one item of carry-on baggage. You’re allowed to bring one personal item on board the aircraft alongside the kennel.
The New York Times notes that Delta Air Lines recommends pet carriers “no larger than 18 inches long by 11 inches tall and 11 inches wide.” The pet must be small enough to have some room to move around the carrier. Meanwhile, the kennel should have ventilation openings on three sides.
“Delta charges $95 for pets traveling as carry-on companions, and the passenger can bring only one personal item along with the pet. Certain seats cannot be booked for travel with an animal, such as those in an emergency exit row.”
Have you ever flown with your pets before, dear Pandas? What was the experience like? How did you keep your pet’s anxiety and stress under control? How did the flight attendants and other passengers treat you and your pet? We’d love to hear about your experiences. Feel free to share them in the comments.
Many internet users were very supportive of Rupkalvis. Here's what they said about her experience
A few people had a slightly different take on things. Here's their perspective
