A holiday travel meltdown dubbed “Two Cats Karen” is going viral after a woman was filmed screaming at airline employees who refused to let her fly with two cats crammed into a single carrier.
Alexandra Compton was trying to return home to Portland, Oregon, on Sunday when Alaska Airlines staff at the Las Vegas airport told her there wasn’t enough room under the seat for both of her cats in one carrier. The explanation set off an explosive confrontation that quickly made its way to TikTok.
In the viral clip, Compton demands to see proof of the policy, accusing the airline of sabotaging her holiday plans.
“Why are you ruining Christmas?” she shouted at a gate agent. “You’re telling me I can’t go home for Christmas!”
The employee calmly explained that the issue had nothing to do with the cats’ weight, but rather their ability to move comfortably inside the carrier. According to staff, the cats didn’t have enough space and would need separate containers.
That explanation only fueled Compton’s outrage.
“You haven’t even seen my cat,” she yelled. “I don’t live here. I live in Oregon. I have an Oregon ID. I need to go home for Christmas.”
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At one point, an employee asked her to lower her voice as she continued to argue that she’d traveled with her cats “for many years” without a problem and insisted the airline’s website wasn’t clear about the rules.
The TikTok video — titled “Two Cats Karen” — has racked up hundreds of thousands of views and likes, with commenters sharply divided between defending airline staff and sympathizing with Compton’s frustration.
According to Alaska Airlines policy, up to two pets of the same species may travel in the same carrier only if they are similar in size, fully able to move, and not in distress — with no body parts protruding from the carrier.
It remains unclear whether the cats were officially deemed distressed, and Alaska Airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Compton ultimately did make it home — but not before being forced to leave the airport, purchase a second carrier, and book a later flight.
“They made me leave the airport, buy a second pet carrier, a second seat, and take a whole new flight three hours later,” she wrote on Facebook.
She ended her post with a not-so-holiday-friendly message directed at the airline, blasting its policies and customer service and wishing employees “coal for Christmas.”
Don’t fly Al Ass ka again.