- Ariel Dale said on TikTok that American Airlines lost track of her cats on a flight.
- Dale said staff couldn't find the cats after landing at JFK Airport in New York City.
- American Airlines told Insider in a statement that Dale had since been reunited with her cats.
A woman said American Airlines lost track of her two cats during a cross-country flight from Los Angeles to New York City.
Ariel Dale, a voice actress and singer with 56,000 followers on TikTok, first spoke about her experience in a video posted Sunday that has more than 3.8 million views. She captioned the video: "This is actually my worst nightmare. They've already been in the kennel for over 14 hours bcuz their flight was cancelled."
Dale, who was moving to New York for graduate school and wanted to bring her two cats, Stevie Nicks and Mr. Tumnus, told Insider that American Airlines was the only airline she found offering nonstop flights for her cats. She said in a TikTok video that because her cats, who are rescued, get anxious around other people, she chose not to bring them on a commercial flight with other passengers.
Dale told Insider that she considered driving the distance but thought it would be "too stressful to make them sit in a car for 12 hours a day and then be introduced to a new Airbnb every night."
Dale followed up her TikTok with three videos explaining the scenario.
Dale said in one video that when she arrived at the airport in Los Angeles, American Airlines gave her the wrong drop-off location for her cats, which she said caused her to almost miss her flight.
After she boarded, she received a text that her cats' flight had been delayed, and then it was canceled, she said. They were eventually booked for another flight, but the rescheduled flight was delayed as well, she said.
Dale said in another video that after she landed in New York, she got in contact with an American Airlines spokesperson who assured her that both cats were being well taken care of.
Dale said that when she arrived later at Terminal 8 at John F. Kennedy Airport and asked to pick up her cats, the staffer didn't know what she was talking about.
"When the American Airlines worker told me they didn't have my cats and didn't know where they were, I panicked, and my heart dropped to my stomach," Dale told Insider. "I immediately fell to the floor and started crying."
Dale said that the staffer spent two hours trying to find the cats and that another hour passed before she was reunited with her two pets.
Dale told Insider on Wednesday that American Airlines had not contacted her nor offered an apology or explanation.
A spokesperson for American Airlines told Insider in a statement: "Caring for our animal travelers and ensuring they have a smooth and safe travel experience is always a top priority for us. We never like when travel plans are disrupted and are sorry for any inconvenience. Our team was in regular contact with Ariel throughout her pets' journey and she has been reunited with her furry companions since then."
