Delta Pilot Asks LaGuardia Passengers to Vote on Cleaning Dog Urine or Leaving on Time

NEW YORK, Oct. 30, 2026 — Passengers waiting on a Delta Air Lines flight at LaGuardia Airport were handed an unusual decision this week: wait for the plane to be cleaned, or leave on time and put up with the smell.

According to a video posted Monday by TV host Jennifer Coffey, the pilot came to the gate and announced that "a dog had relieved himself on the plane during the last flight," Simple Flying reported. He then reportedly asked for a show of hands. One option meant ordering a cleaning crew and delaying the departure. The other meant boarding on schedule with a cabin that smelled of dog urine.

Hands went up. The clip is short, and it does not make clear which side won.

Coffey said it wasn't her flight, and that she "had no idea this would be such a divisive video." The clip has passed 10 million views, the New York Post reported. Delta had not commented publicly in the coverage.

Animals in the cabin fall into two groups under U.S. Department of Transportation rules. Airlines must accept trained service dogs that come with the proper forms. Pets are up to each airline, which sets its own size, weight and age limits and keeps them out of bulkhead and exit rows.

Accidents still happen. Simple Flying pointed to a Southwest flight in September where passengers had to step over a mess left by a service dog.

The story was first reported by View From The Wing.