2 Southwest workers looked after a passenger's pet fish for 4 months after it was banned from her flight

• Two Southwest employees cared for a passenger's pet fish for nearly 4 months when it couldn't fly.
• Customer service agent Ismael and fiancee Jamee looked after Kira's fish Theo over the summer.

Two Southwest Airlines employees looked after a passenger's fish for four months when it was not allowed on her flight, the airline said.

In a Twitter thread on Thursday, the airline said a passenger called Kira was unable to bring her pet fish Theo on a flight in May after finishing her freshman year at college.

To ensure Kira did not miss her flight but could also save her pet, a customer service agent named Ismael offered to look after the fish for her. Text message exchanges show Ismael saying he bought a bigger bowl for Theo over the summer.

—Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) September 15, 2022

Ismael cared for the Beta fish with his fiance Jamee, who is also a Southwest employee, for nearly four months before meeting up with Kira in Tampa as she was about to start her sophomore year of college.

Text messages appear to show Kira shared a gift card with the couple to thank them for their efforts.

Insider contacted Southwest for more information.

The story is a rare bright moment in what has been a summer of flight chaos with many passengers suffering cancellations, diversions, crew time-outs, as well as lost luggage, pets and even children.

While Kira was blocked from travelling with her fish prior to the flight, other passengers have unfortunately lost track of pets that were permitted to take to the skies.

In July, Air Canada sent passenger Abbas Zoeb's cats from Toronto to San Francisco without him when he encountered visa issues. The airline initially suggested he travel to San Francisco to collect them before sending them back 15 hours later.

The actions of Ismael and Jamee highlight the steps some staff have taken amid the unprecedented chaos. In August another Southwest customer service agent told Insider recent struggles had been challenging, with police having to step in to control an angry passenger on one occasion.