- Southwest Airlines shared a TikTok video that showed a flight attendant returning a lost stuffed animal.
- After Southwest's nationwide meltdown in December, commenters are calling the video "damage control."
On Friday, Southwest Airlines posted a TikTok chronicling the journey of Dog Dog, a stuffed animal that was left behind on a recent flight to Dallas.
The video, which racked up nearly 600,000 views by Saturday, showed photos of Dog Dog sitting on the tarmac, looking out the airplane window, lounging in the cockpit, and finally, after it was returned home.
"POV: A Southwest employee retrieves your left-behind stuffed animal and mails him back to you along with a photo album showing his adventures while he was away from you," the post reads.
But following the airline's massive meltdown in December — which left thousands of passengers stranded and caused chaos at airports across the country — some TikTokers were weary of the company's feel-good post.
Comments calling out the company for what users perceived as "damage control" garnered thousands of likes. Some wrote it was the marketing department's attempt at repairing the company's reputation, and others cracked jokes at Southwest's expense.
"I'm surprised the stuffed animal's flight didn't get cancelled," one comment read. "That's cool and all but y'all still left me stranded at the airport for three days," read another.
Other TikTok users who viewed the video appeared less skeptical, applauding the airline for reuniting Dog Dog with its owner.
According to a statement Southwest provided to Insider, Dog Dog's owner is a child named Luna, who was traveling with her mother, Jessica, a Southwest employee. Jessica was en route to Dallas to celebrate her 10-year anniversary at the company, when she realized they'd left Dog Dog behind, the statement read.
"I couldn't believe we left her stuffed lovey behind, so I quickly called my colleague Christina who has been a friend through work for years, and she offered to go pick it up," Jessica said, according to the statement.
"A week later Christina's house flooded and I was hesitant to reach back out," she continued. "But to no surprise, she kept Dog Dog safe and pulled in a few other employees to make some memories with Luna's stuffed pup."