Tara Reid says she voluntarily left flight and that she wasn't kicked off the plane
Tara Reid attends the premiere of "Betrayed" on Sept. 26 in Hollywood. Credit: Getty Images / Alberto E. Rodriguez
"Sharknado" franchise star Tara Reid is disputing reports concerning the reason she left a Los Angeles to New York flight on Monday.
After TMZ.com initially reported that the actress, 42, had become enraged and was loudly complaining about her seat and other issues on Delta flight 613, the website subsequently posted a video showing a calm scene and Reid leaving her seat to disembark without commotion.
In an Instagram post Wednesday, Reid wrote that "stories about me being kicked off the plane because of [a] disturbance are completely false.”
She went on to explain in a long statement that she had previously notified the airline she would be accompanied by her 3-month-old Yorkshire terrier, Beso, as an emotional-support animal. "The flight attendant wanted me to put my dog in its carry on and in the overhead bin which was an absurd request considering animals cannot breathe in there . . . [T]herefore I refused to comply with this ridiculous request. Then the flight attendant suggested that I put my puppy in the belly of the plane I again refused another ridiculous suggestion. . . ."
Reid said she left the airplane voluntarily. "Within minutes I was back on another plane with a different [Dog friendly] airline which accepted that I carry my dog on the plane with me on my lap heading to my destination. I arrived safely to NYC," where she is shooting the movie "The Fifth Boro."
Delta told TMZ on Wednesday that a flight attendant had suggested Reid put her dog carrier, not the dog, in the overhead bin, and that the actress could keep the dog in her lap or at her feet. The airline additionally told Newsday, "The customer's comments are inconsistent with reports from our flight attendants and customer service agents directly involved with the situation. She was deemed unfit to fly as her unruly and disruptive behavior was not what we expect from our customers and ultimately caused the flight to be delayed."
Reid's post included a photo of an ID card for her dog. No federal or other official entity issues such cards for emotional-support animals, though unofficial companies offer them for a fee.
Reid's representative did not respond to a Newsday request for comment.
