A dispute between a passenger and Alaska Airlines staff at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas went viral over the Christmas holiday after a traveler was denied boarding with two cats placed in a single carrier.

The incident occurred Sunday as Alexandra Compton attempted to fly from Las Vegas to Portland, Oregon.

According to a widely shared TikTok video, an Alaska Airlines gate agent told Compton that she could not board the flight because both cats were placed in the same carrier and did not have sufficient room under the seat.

The exchange escalated after Compton questioned the airline’s policy and objected to being prevented from boarding the flight.

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“Show me the policy, then, before I booked the flight, that said that I had to have a certain weight of cat to go under the seat!” Compton said to the employee in the video.

The Alaska Airlines worker responded that the issue was not the weight of the animals, but whether the cats had adequate space and a full range of motion while in the carrier.

The employee explained that, under company rules, pets must be able to move comfortably and may need separate carriers if space is insufficient.

Compton continued to object, raising her voice and disputing the decision.

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“You haven’t even seen my cat, so you’re not letting me go home for Christmas!” she said.

“You’re telling me I can’t go home for Christmas!”

She also told the employee that she did not have arrangements for her pets in Las Vegas and emphasized that she lived in Oregon.

“I don’t have people here to watch my cat. ‘I don’t live here. I live in Oregon. I have an Oregon ID. I need to go home for Christmas,” Compton said.

The video, titled “Two Cats Karen,” shows the airline employee asking Compton to lower her voice while continuing to explain the airline’s policy.

At one point, Compton referenced prior travel experiences with her pets and said she had flown with them without encountering similar issues.

“My mom tried to and your website obviously isn’t user-friendly, so I’m asking you to show me right now, where she would’ve learned that before she booked my flight, so this issue would’ve never happened?” Compton said in the footage.

The airline employee reiterated that Alaska Airlines staff are responsible for enforcing company rules.

“I’m letting you know that there is a policy around your pets that don’t have enough room, and you don’t get to decide the company policy,” the employee said.

Alaska Airlines’ pet travel policy states that “up to two pets of the same species and similar size may travel in the same carrier,” provided that “no body parts protrude from the carrier and the animals are not in distress.”

The policy also requires that pets have sufficient space to move comfortably inside the carrier.

It was not immediately clear whether Compton’s cats were considered to be in distress under the airline’s standards.

Alaska Airlines did not immediately return a request for comment Friday regarding the incident.

The TikTok video documenting the exchange accumulated significant attention online, drawing 228.5K likes.

@ibeensaiddat Karen with two cats in a tiny bag is angry because she didn’t register them for the flight or know she can’t put two in a small bag. ##karen. @Alexandra Compton ♬ original sound - IBeenSaidDat

The footage circulated widely as holiday travel disruptions and airline policies became a frequent topic of online discussion during the busy travel season.

According to a Facebook post later shared by Compton, she ultimately complied with the airline’s requirements.

She wrote that she left the airport, purchased a second pet carrier, and booked another flight several hours later.

“They made me leave the airport, buy a second pet carrier, a second seat to put the second cat under On a whole new flight 3 hours later,” Compton wrote.

In the same post, she expressed frustration with the airline’s handling of the situation.

“F**k Alaska Airlines, their ‘policies’ and lack of customer service. I hope you all get coal for Christmas,” Compton said.

Image Credit: Facebook Screenshot - Alexandra Compton

The incident highlights ongoing tensions between travelers and airlines over pet policies, particularly during peak travel periods.

Airlines generally enforce strict guidelines for animals traveling in cabins to ensure safety, compliance with federal regulations, and comfort for both pets and passengers.

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