Dog dies on IAH-LGA after FA supposedly insisted pax store dog overhead
Mar 13, 2018, 7:51 pm
#166
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: msp
Programs: AA PLT 3MM, DL PM 2MM
Posts: 1,142
Not excusing UA or its FAs, but people need to stop bringing fido on every trip. Yes, there are some circumstances (i.e. moving long distance) when you don't have other options but there is no need to bring fluffy on your vacations - pet will be happier at home. Assuming this is not a fake ESA though you never know and if so then not much ES support from the overhead.
UA is lucky that the animal did not urinate or defacate - I don't think I would react well if a drip starts midflight over my aisle seat.
UA is lucky that the animal did not urinate or defacate - I don't think I would react well if a drip starts midflight over my aisle seat.
Mar 13, 2018, 7:56 pm
#167
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 451
June Lara
20 hours agoToday, I boarded my first United Airlines flight.
On my way, I saw a Frenchie that looked identical to my own precious Winston. He was with his family - a young girl, no older than 8, her toddler sibling and their mother. He was meant to grow, learn, cry, play with those young children and be their furry friend. He was meant to live a long life filling that family's days with that special joy that only a dog can bring.
I sat behind the family of three and thought myself lucky - who doesn't when they get to sit near a puppy? However, the flight attendants of flight UA1284 felt that the innocent animal was better off crammed inside the overhead container without air and water. They INSISTED that the puppy be locked up for three hours without any kind of airflow. They assured the safety of the family's pet so wearily, the mother agreed.
There was no sound as we landed and opened his kennel. There was no movement as his family called his name. I held her baby as the mother attempted to resuscitate their 10 month old puppy. I cried with them three minutes later as she sobbed over his lifeless body. My heart broke with theirs as I realized he was gone.
The Humane Society of the U.S. says air travel can be risky for pets and especially dangerous for brachycephalic breeds — such as pugs or bulldogs, whose short nasal passages make them vulnerable to oxygen deprivation and heat stroke. This little guy fought hard for his life, filling our flight with his cries until he finally ran out of breath. United Airlines does not care about the safety of their furry travelers. This poor family paid $125 for their pet to be murdered in front of them. There is no excuse for the pain this family is suffering.
Today, I boarded my last United Airlines flight.
R.I.P Papacito
I also don't understand though why no one checked on the dog unless told not to. I am not blaming the owners.
I just want to cry for the dog and this family. This suffering and death was so unnecessary.
Mar 13, 2018, 8:00 pm
#168
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: UA-1K, MM, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium
Posts: 4,432
I thought the other passenger was the teenaged daughter? Now that person is 8 years old. If that person relaying the story knew that that type of dog had breathing problems why didn’t she say something to the FA or the Mom. Why didn’t she check on the dog. I really can’t believe nobody checked. The weird thing is that when I am on flights there are always people getting up, opening overheads, retrieving things and this flight went for three hours with nobody checking on the dog.
There are are things missing from this story. Just looking at the huge Gucci bag in the picture of the family I wonder where that bag was stored. I’d get off that plane before I ever put my dog in an overhead.
There are are things missing from this story. Just looking at the huge Gucci bag in the picture of the family I wonder where that bag was stored. I’d get off that plane before I ever put my dog in an overhead.
Mar 13, 2018, 8:01 pm
#169
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Bay Area - East Bay
Programs: UA 1k, AS 75k, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 641
The only way I can make sense of this, it seems like the result of an unfortunate series of events between a stressed out FA and an inexperienced, overwhelmed pax. Pax has lots of stuff, doesn't know they can't block the aisle. The particular item that's blocking the aisle is the dog carrier. FA sees what looks like a large duffel bag and fixates on that as the problem. The usual solution to stuff blocking the aisle is the overhead, so FA tells pax bag must go up. Pax protests, but FA doesn't really listen, as people protest a lot about luggage. Pax doesn't realize that the aisle is the main issue, and therefore it never occurs to them to pass up a different piece of luggage or just try to move the carrier fully under the seat. It's poor communication on the part of the FA, and the pax wasn't familiar enough with flying to figure out exactly what was going on and what to do about it.
Definitely the FAs fault that the dog ended up in the bin, which is all that matters for legal/PR reasons. I don't think there can be any criminal action for animal cruelty without intent, otherwise they would be prosecuting everyone who accidentally runs over a dog in traffic. I will probably always be baffled that the pax didn't check on the dog, I can only think she was overwhelmed at that point.
Definitely the FAs fault that the dog ended up in the bin, which is all that matters for legal/PR reasons. I don't think there can be any criminal action for animal cruelty without intent, otherwise they would be prosecuting everyone who accidentally runs over a dog in traffic. I will probably always be baffled that the pax didn't check on the dog, I can only think she was overwhelmed at that point.
Mar 13, 2018, 8:17 pm
#171
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,790
Well then would you care to provide any? (barring the Dr. Dao one that has been beaten to death around here, pardon the pun, especially since as we all know it wasn't actually United employees that did the worst in that incident).
Mar 13, 2018, 8:25 pm
#172
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 245
Alternatively, although I am not a lawyer, it’s pretty clear that 49 USC 46504 is intended to make disobeying any substantive flight crew instruction a felony punishable by 20 years in prison.
Mar 13, 2018, 8:44 pm
#173
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: TX
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 729
The only way I can make sense of this, it seems like the result of an unfortunate series of events between a stressed out FA and an inexperienced, overwhelmed pax. Pax has lots of stuff, doesn't know they can't block the aisle. The particular item that's blocking the aisle is the dog carrier. FA sees what looks like a large duffel bag and fixates on that as the problem. The usual solution to stuff blocking the aisle is the overhead, so FA tells pax bag must go up. Pax protests, but FA doesn't really listen, as people protest a lot about luggage. Pax doesn't realize that the aisle is the main issue, and therefore it never occurs to them to pass up a different piece of luggage or just try to move the carrier fully under the seat. It's poor communication on the part of the FA, and the pax wasn't familiar enough with flying to figure out exactly what was going on and what to do about it.
Definitely the FAs fault that the dog ended up in the bin, which is all that matters for legal/PR reasons. I don't think there can be any criminal action for animal cruelty without intent, otherwise they would be prosecuting everyone who accidentally runs over a dog in traffic. I will probably always be baffled that the pax didn't check on the dog, I can only think she was overwhelmed at that point.
Definitely the FAs fault that the dog ended up in the bin, which is all that matters for legal/PR reasons. I don't think there can be any criminal action for animal cruelty without intent, otherwise they would be prosecuting everyone who accidentally runs over a dog in traffic. I will probably always be baffled that the pax didn't check on the dog, I can only think she was overwhelmed at that point.
UA liability is not mitigated by the fact the FA didn’t actually know what they were requesting, as you point out. And UAs legal/PR team knows this and realizes that the story is terribly sad and should be handled quickly and openly.
Mar 13, 2018, 9:02 pm
#174
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI
Posts: 19,719
UA is already paying a high price in the reputational arena, because this case aligns so well with the prevailing meta-narrative in the culture about United Airlines. United breaks guitars, beats passengers, freezes giant rabbits to death, and now murders dogs via FA brutality / incompetence. That's the storyline, fair or not. They sure haven't done much to counter it.
Mar 13, 2018, 9:03 pm
#175
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Bainbridge Island, WA
Posts: 8,964
This may have already been said....but it made the national news on ABC tonight and they posted a statement from United accepting FULL responsibility for the unfortunate incident.
Mar 13, 2018, 9:06 pm
#176
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
Mar 13, 2018, 9:06 pm
#177
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Wichita
Posts: 628
My gosh, I'm shocked that anyone doubts that people have been arrested and jailed for disobeying United's FA's. This took literally 8 seconds to find: https://jalopnik.com/woman-spends-th...hor-1675569598
There are more.
There are more.
Mar 13, 2018, 9:06 pm
#178
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: USA
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,194
United had to take fault for PR purposes if nothing else but it just seems to me that there must be more to the story.
Mar 13, 2018, 9:07 pm
#179
Join Date: May 2005
Location: BTW/WAOC
Programs: QR Platinum, UA Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 265
this is exactly what I think happened and what I have been saying unthread. Absent more evidence otherwise, I just can’t imagine a FA deliberately putting a dog in the overhead.
UA liability is not mitigated by the fact the FA didn’t actually know what they were requesting, as you point out. And UAs legal/PR team knows this and realizes that the story is terribly sad and should be handled quickly and openly.
UA liability is not mitigated by the fact the FA didn’t actually know what they were requesting, as you point out. And UAs legal/PR team knows this and realizes that the story is terribly sad and should be handled quickly and openly.
Mar 13, 2018, 9:15 pm
#180
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 687
In my opinion, this story, the employee at the Premier Check In at IAH who shoved the man down and the mentally disturbed female pilot in street clothes are the three icing on-the-top-of-the-cake reasons why I’m leaving United at the end of the year. I’m so pissed at this company.
And, please, don’t say this could happen anywhere. Where’s the video of the Southwest rep shoving a customer for not using a kiosk? Or the video of the Alaska pilot irate at pax in street clothes?
Dao is the only incident in which I don’t directly blame UA for the violence, as the airport police would have acted that way on any flight.
B6, here I come.
And, please, don’t say this could happen anywhere. Where’s the video of the Southwest rep shoving a customer for not using a kiosk? Or the video of the Alaska pilot irate at pax in street clothes?
Dao is the only incident in which I don’t directly blame UA for the violence, as the airport police would have acted that way on any flight.
B6, here I come.