Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

80 replies

CristinaYang · 14/03/2018 22:19

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.

OP posts:
Namechanger124 · 15/03/2018 01:45

I can't understand why they didn't even check on the poor thing. To be honest I bet the owners didnt really think twice about putting it on the overhead locker but are now crying about it so they get some compo from the airline.
Surely there is now way you wouldn't check on the dog??

AjasLipstick · 15/03/2018 01:47

Some people are just very obedient. The owner was this I assume. My Mother for instance just does as she's told by authority figures...I'd stand there and refuse but not everyone is confident enough to voice concerns and they also tend to trust other people easily.

WobblyMess · 15/03/2018 02:14

I do wonder why people (and I include my DB grin) cannot just acquire dogs where they live, rather than necessitate pups having to fly...

I adopted three rescue dogs where I lived before. I'd had my oldest dog for 10 years when we relocated over 7000 miles away. No way was I leaving ANY of them behind. It was necessary for them to fly.

theftbyfinding · 15/03/2018 02:17

So, the airline takes full responsibility, saying flight attendant did not knowingly place the dog in the overhead cabin and did not hear. So it's now a case of he said, she said. So why is airline taking responsibility? Most odd. I wonder if the space below seats is never free so they regularly use cabins for domestic pet flights yet charge a fortune? orry - I meant to say, some of what he has said is factually corrrct but he’s still being a knob!

theftbyfinding · 15/03/2018 02:20

Apologies, the last sentence of my post is a copy and paste of something else, now making my post here seeming insane. Sorry!

HuskyMcClusky · 15/03/2018 02:28

The airline are fucking morons. Of course you can’t put a live animal in a small sealed locker for 3+ hours. It suffocated. SadAngry

The flight attendant knew there was a puppy in the carrier. She didn’t know her own employer’s policy (which was that it should go under the seat in front), and didn’t have the common sense to check.

Poor little dog. Sad

theftbyfinding · 15/03/2018 03:13

only a moron would allow that even potential harm, you BLh blBLH H OOH THAT IS BAD SHIT//....................................

theftbyfinding · 15/03/2018 03:25

What we are seeing now is the fuckwits who will sell out britain with no compunction. They just sit in their mess and claim rights. Pathetic.

HuskyMcClusky · 15/03/2018 03:34

Are you drunk?

araiwa · 15/03/2018 03:36

United- theres your answer

theftbyfinding · 15/03/2018 03:38

No. Just got in from a bloody long meeting. But Google is drunk. I must be the only one of my group who has no need or love of the computer yet it calls my name....

theftbyfinding · 15/03/2018 03:41

oh you dog lovers! Killing me. I mean, when you take me on board and just do like shit for my health! You kill me! Literally. Bad people.

theftbyfinding · 15/03/2018 03:46

HuskyMcClusky Thu 15-Mar-18 02:28:59
The airline are fucking morons. Of course you can’t put a live animal in a small sealed locker for 3+ hours. It suffocated.

Fuck me I have seen some blame games but you take the biscuit. DO NOT take your poor wee item or darling on a hideous trip without checking it out, survive first. Stop with the blame shite and check out situations.

theftbyfinding · 15/03/2018 03:51

And you know this, how? "
The flight attendant knew there was a puppy in the carrier. She didn’t know her own employer’s policy (which was that it should go under the seat in front), and didn’t have the common sense to check. "

HuskyMcClusky · 15/03/2018 04:15

And you know this, how?

I read the articles.

  1. The owner told the FA there was a puppy in the carrier and questioned her instructions to put it in the locker.
  1. The FA insisted.
  1. The airline’s policy is that pets go under the front seat, not in the locker.

Given these 3 facts, it’s not hard to deduce that the FA didn’t know the policy and didn’t bother to check. Unless you think she killed the puppy deliberately.

Fuck me I have seen some blame games but you take the biscuit.

Because I think people should do their jobs properly? Bore off.

justanotheruser18 · 15/03/2018 04:23

This is heartbreaking.
I cannot understand why the family complied.
All airlines that allow small animals on board say they should be able to fit 'under the seat in front', not up in the airless, overhead locker.
Shameful. That's not a mistake.

justanotheruser18 · 15/03/2018 04:24

Ugh I cannot get the image of that trapped puppy out of my mind.

theftbyfinding · 15/03/2018 04:54

Idiots! Everywhere!

theftbyfinding · 15/03/2018 05:11

I do not not give you permision

Mummyoflittledragon · 15/03/2018 05:43

All those saying you cannot understand why the woman complied, her only other option would have been to alight the plane. Had she got upset or refused, she probably would have been forcibly removed. With a puppy and 2 small children, including a baby, I imagine this would have been a very difficult choice. She would have been stressed and upset by the whole experience even before the plane took off and not able to think straight.

theftbyfinding · 15/03/2018 06:02

Anyone allowing a pup in an overhead bin wants shot. They clearly have no idea of a pet or it's needs. FACT

TheHulksPurplePants · 15/03/2018 06:09

United left my parents two cats on a runway in Orlando for 6 hours with no food or water. Poor things were half dead by the time my parents got them. United is shit.

SimonBridges · 15/03/2018 08:21

It really depends on how the conversation went.

FA - you need to put your dog in the locker. It’ll be fine it’s company policy.
Passenger - are you sure it’ll be fine?
FA - completely. We do it all the time.

Or.

FA - you need to put your dog in the locker.
Passenger- I don’t know about that. I don’t think that’s right.
FA - you have to do it.
Passenger - but I don’t think it’s safe.
FA - will you just do it now.

Also, as I understand it they were mid air so no chance of getting off.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 15/03/2018 08:40

I do think the owner is partly to blame, she could have left the flight. If someone told me to put my cat (I don’t have a dog) in the overhead locker I would refuse and, if I was told it was my only option I wouldn’t fly.

CoolCarrie · 15/03/2018 09:03

I hope the idiot flight attendant gets the sack, I certainly wouldn’t want to fly with someone so lacking in common sense, would anyone trust her with your life?