An American Airlines passenger brought his 140-pound Great Dane on a flight, booking 2 extra seats to hold her

17.08.2023 - 09:49 / insider.com / Airlines

An American Airlines passenger who brought his 140-pound Great Dane on a flight had to book two extra seats to accommodate its size.

In a video posted to TikTok, a man whose handle is @gibbon1215, said he took his service dog on a cross-country American Airlines flight from Los Angeles International Airport to New York LaGuardia Airport.

It is unclear when exactly the flight was, but the video was posted last month. 

The video shows the massive gray dog — named Darwin — lying comfortably across the two seats during the flight while its owner sits next to her. At one point, the Great Dane also pokes her head through the seats in front. 

"Who says Great Danes aren't airplane dogs," the caption said. "Shoutout to American Airlines for making our move to Brooklyn a piece of cake though! (Yes I bought 3 seats for us on the plane)."

The video, which at the time of writing had more than 18 million views, elicited many comments, including one from a person who wrote: "Instantly demanding a refund for my recent flight which unreasonably lacked a Great Dane."

Another comment said: "I would lose my absolute MIND if I was blessed to be in the general vicinity of this."  

In a follow-up video, the passenger explained that he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease — an inflammatory bowel disease — that leaves him in immense pain and with a lot of anxiety. 

The dog, he said, must be by his side at all times to accompany him to the bathroom and perform pressure therapy for pain treatment. 

He said that after filling in many forms with the Department of Transportation and American Airlines, he was able to get his dog on board. 

"I bought three seats with the agent and that was pretty much it. It was definitely a shocker for people walking through the airport to see a literal horse walking coming them," he said in a later video. 

The dog was originally on the floor, but when he asked the flight attendants if it could sit on the seat, they agreed, he added. 

According to American Airlines policy, fully-trained service dogs "may fly in the cabin at no charge if they meet the requirements."

The airline did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.