Months after a viral video of United Airlines forcibly removing a screaming passenger provoked outrage among the public, another incident onboard a flight involving a women’s adamant objection over her allergies bears striking similarities.
The below video shows the forcible removal of Anila Daulatzai of Baltimore following her request that two dogs be removed from a Southwest Airlines aircraft, citing life-threatening allergies to the animals.
Per a witness via a Los Angeles Times report, a flight attendant subsequently asked the complaining woman to exit the aircraft. When she refused, the 46-year-old college professor was forcibly removed by law enforcement officers who had been called to the scene by flight attendants.
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Southwest Airlines issued a statement on their relevant policy and how it pertained to the treatment of the removed passenger:
“Our policy states that a Customer (without a medical certificate) may be denied boarding if they report a life-threatening allergic reaction and cannot travel safely with an animal onboard. Our Flight Crew made repeated attempts to explain the situation to the Customer, however, she refused to deplane and law enforcement became involved.”
The passenger who recorded the video, Bill Dumas, offered his account of the incident to KTLA, recalling, “Everything was very quiet up until a decision was made that this woman would have to be physically removed from the plane. She just put up a lot of resistance and was adamant about not being taken off the plane.”
Without admitting fault, Southwest Airlines offered an apologetic statement to the passenger for her experience:
“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. Southwest Airlines was built on Customer Service, and it is always our goal for all Customers to have a positive experience.”
Southwest spokesperson Chris Mainz claimed that Daulatzai was unable to provide medical documentation of her allergy but demanded an EpiPen from the flight crew prior to her removal.
In the wake of the incident, criminal charges have been filed against Daulatzai. They include (via the Los Angeles Times) “disorderly conduct, failure to obey a reasonable and lawful order, disturbing the peace, obstructing and hindering a police officer and resisting arrest.”
