John Wayne Airport — Attraction in Costa Mesa

On Wednesday November 22 at 6:31am PST I was kicked off the flight with my 4pound cavapoo puppy Sasha (service dog). I was humiliated and embarrassed. As a representative of northwestern mutual and a first year top advisor in Beverly Hills I am very proud of my career and what I have overcame. I was wearing my northwestern fleece having a great morning when I arrived at SNA airport. I didn’t get wheelchair assistance on this day because this airline unlike LAX, ORD, ATL is very small and after tsa you are right at your gate. So I arrive at my gate 9 and the agent prints my pass sight checks my bags and clears me to take seat 14F.

I board as everyone compliments my dog. (Backstory in early October the EMS was called to target on Westlake Ave in Los Angeles because my blood sugar dropped and I fainted. It was then suggested I get a service dog that can be trained to smell blood levels.) on October 25 I took a non rev flight to Atlanta where I purchased 11week old Sasha. The handicap assistant at ATL airport brought me through security and to my gate. (I actually kept the handicap lady name and number who escorted me at LAX and can provide that information when I return home) At that time we went to the gate and asked the agent what was needed for my puppy to board the flight because the non rev site does not give me an option to add an animal. She informed me that because I was non rev I was not required to pay $75 each way for the puppy. I boarded the flight and I had no issues.

However today, after taking my seat in 14F I amd my dog was kicked off. (mind you by law the state of California states the dog does not need to be registered and the refusal to service a disabled person with a service dog at minimum is a 4K fine). The African American flight attendant standing at the front (as I’m being escorted off) said I’m sorry I didn’t think it was that serious and another lady said just get a bag with a zipper but hurry before doors close in 4 min. I left my suitcase on the plane in the overhead and I did my best to run to purchase a bag with zipper from brooks and get back to the gate before doors shut. When I got back to the gate they said you’re getting off this flight. I said wait how? Why? What did I do? I bought the carrier with the zipper. They said come with us and get your luggage. At that point I begin crying because I have NEVER in my life EVER been in trouble. I skipped 1st 11th 12th. I’ve studied at uc-Berkeley, the Ohio state university, and Howard university. I have no run ins with the law. I also was wearing northwestern gear I was not going to ruin my reputation and further demoralize and humiliate myself. Going paralyzed with no children and no husband at the age of 30 is enough to deal with. Being discriminated against it is even worse because I didn’t choose this.

The manager of united over Orange County at SNA by Mike realized he was legally wrong for how he handled he tried to figure out a way to put blame on me. He states bc my mom bought a flight I never checkin in to and I was on standby that I and my aunt (the employee) benefits woukd be revoked. Funny how now AFTER all this happens you start digging for dirt to retaliate against my aunt with.. Mike literally stopped talking about the puppy and started throwing up that he was a supervisor and my aunt would lose her benefits. Videos will be posted on my YouTube TikTok & I’ll post links soon

Pic will show dog on lap on flight...

John Wayne Airport (SNA) is nestled right in the heart of Orange County, surrounded by manicured palm trees, wealthy suburbanites, and that distinctly polished Southern California aesthetic. On the surface, it’s a lovely little airport—clean, compact, and staffed by professionals who mostly do their jobs with a smile. But beneath the polish, it’s a master class in how to take potential and squander it.

Let’s start with flights. If you enjoy options, you’ll need to keep driving up the freeway to LAX, because SNA is astonishingly limited in where it can actually take you. For an airport that prides itself on serving such a well-to-do area, you’d think they could connect more than a modest list of destinations. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re happy shuttling between Dallas, Denver, or the occasional short hop up to San Francisco, you’ll be fine. But if you’re hoping to travel widely without tacking on layovers, prepare for frustration.

Then there’s food—or should I say, the sad attempt at it. SNA decided that in a space this small, the ideal solution was not one, but two McDonald’s. That’s right: for all the wealth in Orange County, for all the premium shops and pricey snacks, your hot meal choices essentially boil down to whether you’d prefer McDonald’s on the left or McDonald’s on the right. It’s the kind of logic that makes you wonder who was in charge of planning—because it certainly wasn’t someone with a palate.

Now let me tell you about security, which is supposed to be the shining jewel of any airport in these times. Except here, it’s a joke. I fell asleep last night, phone plugged in, only to wake up with it gone. Stolen. I went to the sheriff’s office to make a report, only to find out that the sheriff’s office doubles as the airport’s lost and found. Lo and behold, they had my phone. Except here’s the kicker: they said it was found in the terminal, where I hadn’t even slept. That’s peculiar at best, alarming at worst, considering the army of sheriffs and airport staff supposedly keeping watch all night. If this is their version of “secure,” I’d hate to see what happens when something truly serious goes missing.

Budget travelers—take note. If you plan to overnight here, don’t. SNA doesn’t allow anyone to sleep in the terminal, which already makes it one of the least accommodating airports I’ve dealt with. LAX, for all its chaos, at least understands that weary travelers sometimes need a corner to rest in.

Finally, let’s talk bathrooms. Or more accurately, the shocking lack of them. For an airport flaunting its wealth, the restroom situation is abysmal. The lines are long, the facilities are scarce, and if my count was correct, there are only two sets inside the terminal. Ladies, prepare for a wait that rivals Disneyland. It’s absurd.

In short, SNA is an airport with style but no soul, polish but no practicality. If you’ve got money, patience, and iron bladder control, you’ll survive. If not, save yourself the headache and fly through literally...

Never again! I arrived on Sunday 510 am and found out after arriving they don't open until 6am and my flight was 7am.

Clearly they need to do 530am on the weekends as the TSA experience was rushed and stressful.

The TSA agent in my area was harassing me and another person in line doe not moving fast enough and taking all layers off. They actually threatened to send us to the back of the line.

As someone who is aware of ADA laws, and struggle with a disability myself, I was shocked at the lack of respect for all folks in line. Normally you might experience someone on the other side of the bins explaining what you need to do in a calm manner. Thus person was on the other side of line behind our backs and yelling at the line which caused many of us, who were early for TSA and arrived early at the airport prepared, much stress and anxiety. There were a handful of us talking about it after.

Not only that but after getting through the check there were no accommodations for seating g for shoes.

This airport clearly needs to deal with seemingly angry employees who feel the need to threaten those who might need more time by telling them they will have to go to back of line again if they don't comply and keep moving.

While waiting for the clerks to open. The luggage check in they took their time, waited in line doe Starbucks and clearly didn't care about the 30+ people waiting in line. They were 10 minutes late at that and could care less about the timeline or stress of passengers.

Regardless if noise ordinance, which needs to be more visually to new passengers at the airport. The clerks should care about the customer experience and no one deserves what our line went through with the TSA checkpoint.

The woman who threatened to send us back had black hair with some grey and average height. Their behavior is not acceptable and needs to be addressed and clearly rhe employee may not be be happy to have to work for this airport. I will be telling my work travel team to re route to lax next time regardless of the size and inconvenience for location.

Folks paying over priced tickets do not deserve this treatment.

One positive note is gate B 12 had a bar that had a lovely bartender who let 4 of us vent about the experience and she was very kind and...