Already onboard flight 1525 were two dogs, one an "emotional support" animal and the other a pet.
According to Bill Dumas, who filmed the incident, the passenger wanted the dogs to be removed from the flight over her deadly pet allergy, but after authorities said they could not remove the paying customers who owned the animals due to their policy, she agreed to let the issue go.
But the situation didn't end there.
Per the airline's policy, any passenger can be denied boarding if they fail to report a life-threatening allergic reaction and cannot travel safely with an animal on the flight. Since the passenger was unable to provide a medical certificate stating it was safe for her to travel, she was asked to leave.
"Everything was very quiet up until a decision was made that this woman would have to be physically removed from the plane," Dumas told Los Angeles-based station KTLA5. "She just put up a lot of resistance and was adamant about not being taken off the plane."
In the video the woman, claiming to be a professor, ended up being dragged off the flight as a police officer wrapped his arms around her chest.
"What are you doing?" the shocked passenger yells out, repeatedly asking the officers to not touch her. "What are you doing… what are you doing?"
"I need to close my pants, what are you doing?" she continued. "You ripped my pants."
But once officers gave her space so she could pull herself together, the dragging commenced.
"I will walk, don't touch me."
Amidst the yelling several passengers can be heard telling the woman to "show them you're walking."
The woman was eventually taken off the plane, and Southwest Airlines quickly issued a statement condemning the force that was used.
"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," the airline said in a statement Tuesday. "Southwest Airlines was built on Customer Service, and it is always our goal for all Customers to have a positive experience."
The "Love Is Still Our Field" airline later added that prior to the escalation its crew members had made repeated attempts to explain the situation before law enforcement was called in.
The flight, which was scheduled to depart from Baltimore to Los Angeles, later took off. The passenger was reportedly on her way to the Golden State because her father was having surgery the next day.
"It was a no-win situation for sure," Dumas added.
