boat9781

Eventually what’s going happen is UA banning in cabin pets and probably getting rid of the pet safe program too. It’s too big a liability for the company.

vca

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4624979/

Stress can kill dogs with Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome which I assume is the case here.

vkng

For the last time, it was a police officer. Stop trying to make that incident something it wasn't

wrp96

In this particular the case, it isn't recommend to put this particular breed of dog in the cargo hold because of possible breathing problems, so I would think that a dog owner would be aware enough about that to think maybe the overhead wouldn't be a good place for them either.

EBiafore99

I think we need to take a step back on this one and wait for more facts. Looking at the picture that's been posted, you have a mom with an infant, dog carrier, stroller and teenage(?) daughter trying to board an aircraft. That's a recipe for a high stress experience. So, before going gangbusters on the F/A, let's find out what happened. I know there was a witness, but I have to believe there were other witnesses.

blockski

Yep. The dog looks to be a French Bulldog, who have notoriously bad breathing. Three hours in an overhead bin without any clear airflow seems like, sadly, a completely plausible scenario to kill a dog like this.

Aussienarelle

I feel sympathy for the FA as I am sure when she turned up to work today she had no intention of harming a human or an animal. I have heard pax argue with FAs about the carryon, and we all the know the policy of under the seat in front of you or in the overhead - it is for safety. I see the reports that other pax heard the mother state it was an animal but that does not mean in the chaos of trying to get the plane ready for take-off the FA heard the statement. Also, looking at the photo that looks like a large carryon item that would very well fit in the overhead and I am not so certain it would fit under the seat, but then again I was not there and it may just be the angle of the photo. At some stage we all need to be accountable for our actions. UA has taken responsibility for their part, and I personally hope it results in a policy of no pets in the cabin. The pax also needs to take some responsibility for this incident - size of the dog carrier, checking on the animal during the flight, politely reiterating there was a dog in the carryon.

My son flew unaccompanied from the age of 8 - making connections to international flights, and a teenager is certainly, or should be, capable of checking on an animal during the flight, helping the mother with the baby and the animal, and I did not originally realize there was a teenager so yes IF the dog carrier fitted under the seat then it could be placed with the teen, but as I have posted elsewhere the photo of the dog carrier looks potentially too large to go under the seat.

rufflesinc

This. It's not like there's some kind of seal

laxmillenial

The 'slight' problem I have with people saying "why didn't someone stand up or she should have stood up more or she should have absolutely refused to put the dog in the overhead bin..." is...

In post 9/11, disobeying a flight attendant is how you end up:

• In handcuffs
• Kicked off your flight
• Having the airline refuse to fly you on a future flight and you have to buy tickets on another airline yourself
• Arrested, jailed, etc.

I know many of us (myself included) go... "Oh I would've stood up" but seriously, how many of you stand up on a day to day basis against FA's (who you assume have your interests and safety in mind) and don't have one of those above happen to you.

We've been conditioned to just sit down and shut up and what the FA says, is what happens, else repurcussions happen.

bhunt

I would guess it passed from heart attack or something from shock of flying. Not from suffocation in overhead bins. If it was a proper carrier.

But I agree should of never been put up there in first place.

HNLbasedFlyer

That is so over the top - it is one thing to be defiant and cause a scene - leading to being removed from the flight versus having a calm conversation - "Miss/Mr., you probably didn't realize, I have a dog in the carryon. It wouldn't be safe for my dog to be in the overhead bin - and if needed, can I talk to the purser, pilot, or gate agent please.

I also know that in all the hub airports of which IAH is one of those hubs - if there is an escalation on board, the new process is a fairly high level supervisor comes on board to assess the situation - and I've seen that process now a couple of times and it works well.

Lastly, I'd rather get kicked off the plane (which I see 0% happening) than have my dog die.

james dean

United has already said it's taking full responsibility so at least give them credit for that, yes a sad situation but what is done is done, lets see how this unfolds if we will ever find out that is...

Beltway2A

Impressive. Instead of blindly backing the FA and attacking the passenger, UA is issuing a measured response and actually trying to figure out what happened.

In a statement to TPG, they even assume responsibility and offee condolences. At least UA's PR people are learning.

DiscHandler

So what? It's frankly an opportunity for a multi-million dollar settlement if you're in the right. As a lawyer, I'd be salivating at that.

rufflesinc

And if you're in the wrong, a free one way ticket to gitmo!