American Airlines Accidentally Sends Pet Corgi to Hawaii
Joe Cortez December 02, 2015
Pembroke Welsh Corgi will rack up over 6,000 miles after being accidentally sent to Hawaii on American Airlines.
A Pembroke Welsh corgi was taken for the vacation of her lifetime after American Airlines accidentally put the dog on a flight to Hawaii. Dallas CBS Affiliate KTVT-TV reports the dog was supposed to travel on a short flight but was instead transferred to the long-haul aircraft by accident.
Bethany, the corgi in question, was traveling with her owner Paul Chen out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) on Saturday, November 28. The pair were set to fly to Jackson, Mississippi, which is only 352 miles away. However, Bethany ended up on a flight bound for Honolulu instead – over 3,200 miles away from her intended destination.
When Chen ended up at his destination without his companion, he took to Facebook to ask for help in finding his dog. American sent out a system-wide alert at the same time and later found Bethany safe and sound in Hawaii. The dog went under the care of a local veterinarian and was ultimately reunited with her owner. The entire trip encompassed over 6,000 miles of flying for the corgi.
Statistics collected by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) suggest that lost animals on commercial aircraft are the exception and not necessarily a regular situation. Through September 2015, only two other animals have been lost by commercial air carriers in the United States. However, animals flying in cargo may be subject to hazards not faced by smaller animals that can fit travel in the cabin.
“When dogs fly in cargo they face a lot of risks, including extreme temperature changes,” Dr. Dawn Truesdale, a veterinarian at Linworth Animal Hospital in Columbus, Ohio told FlyerTalk. “Before traveling, flyers should make sure the dogs are tagged appropriately and their kennels clearly labeled with the owner’s name, phone number and microchip ID number.”
Although many animals get to their final destination every day without incident, the DOT reports over 20 animals have been injured this year while flying. American is opening an investigation to determine how the animal got lost.
[Image via Paul Chen/Facebook]
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Who paid the vet bill?
I don't even like dogs but that dog is cute. Hope she had a good time in Hawaii! Too bad is was Honolulu I think she would have had a better time at Kona, more places to run around.
One of two scenarios likely. Cargo guy tags it wrong, drops it at the game Ramp just trusts the cargo is right and loads it. OR Cargo guy tags it right, drops it at the wrong gate. Again, ramp lead doesn't read the tag and loads it. Purely human error on this one. As a former ground handler I'm usually on their side, but this is just shotty work. If it's tagged right but on the wrong gate, the ramp lead should notice. If it's tagged wrong, on the right gate, ramp lead should be checking the manifest to see no live animals are being boarded and deny it or at the very least question it to their load plan/cargo planners.
Did the dog get 6000 miles?