LOS ANGELES, Jan 25 — Actress Andie MacDowell called out American Airlines for downgrading her to ‘tourist class’ despite paying for a first class seat because she brought her dog on the flight.

The Magic Mike XXL actress tweeted about her experience on Friday along with a picture of her smiling widely in a group photo with fellow passengers.

She said that her pet, who was a 7-pound (3.1-kg) rescue dog named Ava Gardner, was within the limits set by the American Airlines.

American Airlines’ pet policy states that up to seven pets, not including service animals, may travel on a domestic flight as a “carry-on” in the cabin of a plane if they meets certain age, size and health requirements and if they stay in its carrier under the seat in front of their owners’ for the duration of the flight.

However, it appeared that there was no seat in front of MacDowell’s first class seat.

MacDowell said she encountered “the rudest person I have ever had to deal with” while checking in for the flight at Charlotte, North Carolina, claiming that “there was no excuse why the guy would not just let me ask someone to change seats” and that “he (the American Airlines staff) had a power trip”.

The actress is communicating with a representative from the American Airlines after the issue blew up on Twitter. She asked to be reimbursed for the second part of the trip, later asking for the money to be donated to charity.

While some on Twitter has slammed the actress for creating a fuss, others have supported her decision to stand up for her rights.

MacDowell said she spoke out about the issue because it was a matter of principle, tweeting, “I’m very happy flying in coach I’m happy on a bus or the subway but if I play for first class, that’s where I want to be. That was the point.”