To not understand how the hell this happened?! (Distressing content warning)

[CristinaYang]

So basically a family took their ten week old French bulldog puppy on a flight from Houston to NYC. United flight attendant made them put the puppy (in an approved carry case) into the overhead locker. The dog had died by the end of the flight.

Link: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43394952

From the article it seems that this was a grave error by the United employee (who claims she didn’t realise there was a dog in the bag, but yeah, I’m sceptical) and this is not United’s policy.

Clearly, CLEARLY the actions of that employee are deplorable and beneath contempt. Absolutely disgusting.

However, I’m also struggling to understand why the owners complied?! Surely you’d sooner leave the flight than comply with that instruction? Similarly the passengers sitting around the family who witnessed the incident. Why did no one intervene?!

Utterly grim story. That poor family. That poor little girl and that poor little baby.

I bet this is fake news like the hamster down the lav story.

Pretty sickening, but the owner should have said no the dog wasn't going in there. I'd have worried if it just went quiet.

@ReanimatedSGB 'carry-on hamsters'. I've heard it all now. Must check the EasyJet size guidelines for my next trip.

It seems it was put in the locker mid flight so there’s no way they could have just got off the plane.

lostlemon the family were not at fault, they had paid the surcharge to get an animal pass and they had put the dog in the required carrier. They shouldn't have let the employee bully them, it is quite normal in the states to fly with dogs like this.

United also had a scandal where a giant rabbit died in transit after it was put into a freezer
They have an awful track record.

The airline is totally at fault. A witness has said the mother was telling them there was a dog in it but she was told to put it in the overhead cabin anyway. And mum couldn’t get up to check because of tubulence and holding a newborn. The airlines own policy states that the pet carrier should go under the seat of the passenger in front.

Poor pup.

Agree with above that United have an awful record in regards to animals.

Bloody hell. I wouldn’t take an animal anywhere near a United flight

I believe the stewardess can't have known. No one would put a puppy there on purpose. - can't have known what?! How can you accidentally put a dog in an overhead locker? You mean a bit like dropping a cup or something? that sort of accident?

Of course it's the airlines fault. The family paid to have their dog there, told the flight attendant it was a dog and followed their instructions after initial resistance. After all it is a crime to disobey a flight attendant.

There is an Independent witness to fact that stewardess was told that carrier contained a dog.

But surely if the pilot or someone (even another attendant) had become involved, the consensus would have been “yeah don’t put the dog up there”

Of course the airline is at fault. Of course it is. But the family let him down too.

It was less than a year ago that United Airlines staff dragged a doctor of a plane and left him injured. Do you really think the mum should have risked refusing to do as she was told by the flight attendants while she was on her own with 2 young children?

United Airlines have a god awful reputation, even if they weren’t mid flight, do you think they would have just let her walk off a flight after giving her time to get all her belongings together and the kids/Dog sorted?

It seems the mother didn’t have much of a choice and I’m glad the airline have accepted full responsibility because it was 100% their fault.

This is horrendous. Just bizarre

This has bothered me all day. Terrible. That poor little pup. I can’t imagine listening to an airline attendant asking me to put my dog in an overhead locker and I do this his owner has some responsibility here however I imagine she was under huge pressure, especially if on her own with small kids. I just hope the little baby didn’t suffer too much.

Sadly this is not fake news.

You don't argue with flight attendants or any ground personnel either in the US. They treat customers very, very badly.

I imagine the whole plane full of people was traumatised by this - hearing him barking and then silence.

Does anyone know if overhead lockers are airtight?

I can understand why the stewardess thought the crate should have gone in the locker- anyone who has flown in the last ten years know that regulations mean if hand luggage can't go under the seat infront, it goes in the overhead, and if it can't fit in there it goes in the hold. Whether the steward was lacking common sense that overhead storage isn't suitable for an animal, worried about not complying to airline policy or a jobsworth being pernicketty, it's a pity the dog paid the price.

Surely the airline has a policy on animals on board so was it allowed or not? And as an animal lover, why in god's green earth would you stow your puppy in an almost air tight overhead locker?

I am so sick of blame culture.

Hands up, who here would try to take their puppy on a flight without first checking with the airline and the vet?

So who broke the rules?

Current Location within United.comSkip Navigation Links
HomeTravel informationTravel for animalsIn-cabin pets You are here.
In-cabin pets
Advance reservations for in-cabin pet travel are required.
Request an in-cabin booking for your pet through united.com or by calling the United Customer Contact Center at 1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331).

United allows domesticated cats, dogs, rabbits and household birds (excluding cockatoos) to travel accompanied in the aircraft cabin on most flights within the U.S. An in-cabin pet may be carried in addition to a carry-on bag and is subject to a $125 service charge each way. There is an additional $125 service charge for each stopover of more than four hours within the U.S. or more than 24 hours outside of the U.S.

In-cabin pet kennels
A pet traveling in cabin must be carried in an approved hard-sided or soft-sided kennel. The kennel must fit completely under the seat in front of the customer and remain there at all times. The maximum dimensions for hard-sided kennels are 17.5 inches long x 12 inches wide x 7.5 inches high (44 cm x 30 cm x 19 cm). The recommended maximum dimensions for soft-sided kennels are 18 inches long x 11 inches wide x 11 inches high (46 cm x 28 cm x 28 cm). Soft-sided pet carriers may exceed these dimensions slightly, as they are collapsible and able to conform to under-seat space without blocking the aisle. With the exception of birds, there may only be one pet per kennel, and the animal must be able to stand up and turn around comfortably. Two birds may travel in the same kennel.

www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/animals/in_cabin.aspx

is the upper baggage storage air tight? i'm not really understanding what the little one succumbed from.
below cargo is not heated and that causes problem as well.

I didn't come to any conclusion FreaduanSlurp which was why I posited the question and provided the airline's own policy! If the airline says stow under seats at all times, I would guess the airline broke it's own rules.

I would never consider stowing a pup in an overhead cabin, no matter the airline policy so if that was enforced on me, I'd walk off that flight. Did that happen, do we know?