Airline passengers flying coach aren't the only ones who face hassles when traveling. Minka Kelly, a star in the popular "Friday Night Lights" TV show and girlfriend of New York Yankees' shortstop Derek Jeter, reportedly gave up her first-class seat for takeoff and landing in order to be with her dog, Chewie.
Kelly was sitting in first class on a New York-to-Los Angeles flight on Tuesday with her 5-year-old pet in a carrier at her feet, according to the New York Post.
A Delta Air Lines flight attendant reportedly told the 30-year-old actress that there wasn't enough space for her dog's carrier, and that it had to be moved to the plane's baggage compartment or another part of the plane.
"I called my manager's assistant to make sure she arranged everything and went through certain steps to make sure the dog can fly," Kelly told the Post.
Kelly later took up an offer of "a wonderful, wonderful woman next to me [who] said, 'My parents are flying coach. My dad will switch seats with you if you want,' " the Post reported.
The actress and her dog sat in coach for takeoff and landing, returning to her first-class seat for the rest of the flight.
Delta refused to comment on the specific incident, but spokesperson Susan Elliott said passengers traveling with pets as carry-on have room to store approved carriers in all classes in the cabin.
Delta charges passengers $125 to fly with a pet as carry-on for domestic flights. "Your pet must be small enough to fit comfortably in a kennel under the seat directly in front of you. Maximum carry-on kennel dimensions are determined by your flight," according to the airline's Website.
Elliott said bulkhead seats — located behind the partitions dividing the plane into different sections — sometimes don't have as much space for storage, but noted it's difficult to know since Delta operates so many "different variations of aircraft."
