A pilot recently asked passengers if they wanted to postpone a flight’s departure from LaGuardia Airport in order to clean the plane after a dog had an accident onboard.
Television host Jennifer Coffey detailed the incident on social media, stating that the pilot announced a dog had relieved itself during the previous flight and had to choose between cleaning the area or flying on schedule with a lingering smell of dog urine.
He then asked passengers to raise their hands if they preferred to just deal with the odor to reach their destinations on time. Coffey humorously remarked, “Democracy!”
The vote took place at LaGuardia, as reported by various outlets.
In a video that Coffey shared—she noted she wasn’t on that specific flight—travelers can be seen at a Delta Air Lines gate voting by raising their hands.
The results of this unusual vote aren’t clear, but the video went viral, garnering over 10 million views and sparking a lively discussion online.
One Instagram user guessed that there was likely a mom among the passengers ready to just grab some cleaning supplies and get on with it. Another chimed in with a humorous preference for being in a packed plane of dogs rather than one filled with people.
In an interesting twist, a commenter pointed out that the smell of dog urine is preferable to that of a baby’s diaper, which some parents change mid-flight.
Another passenger, who identified as a nurse and frequent traveler, stated they would much rather share a flight with dogs because, in their experience, people can be much less pleasant.
They added that, while accidents happen with pets, human messes on planes are often worse.
Conversely, some voices in the discussions strongly opposed allowing dogs on flights, despite many airlines permitting them.
One person strongly argued that pets should be left at home unless they are legitimate service animals and urged against pretending pets are service animals. Another user similarly expressed love for dogs but felt they should be kept in the cargo area of the plane.
According to Delta’s website, pets that meet specific size requirements are allowed in properly ventilated, leak-proof carriers stored under the seat in front of passengers.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages LaGuardia Airport, directed questions regarding the incident to Delta.
The airline had not provided comments immediately following the request for information.
