From a
NY Post article on the matter:
DOT officials said Wednesday that they’d be probing the incident, including reports that the pooch could have gone under the owner’s seat but a flight attendant refused.
While United admitted in a statement that the staffer had messed up — “as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin” — its claims the whole thing was just a big misunderstanding.
"Messed up?" Boy, United sure is well practiced in the art of putting lipstick on pigs!
According to DOT records, 18 of the 24 animals that perished last year on US carriers were flying United.
What? 75% of the animals that dies on planes flew United! WTH is United doing to animals on their planes? Only the Lord and United know for sure, but I know that 75% is too high a rate to think circumstance was all that was in play; it could have been that, but it'd take a lot to demonstrate that some sort of negligence and/or malfeasance wasn't afoot.
From the OP-er's article:
No one wants to blame the victim.
I don't
want to blame the dog's owners, but my not wanting to doesn't mean they don't have to bear some of the blame. There was clearly timidity and/or stupidity on the boy's father's part. Where the 11-year-old traveling alone with the dog, I wouldn't say that, but he wasn't. The boy's dad clearly didn't have the presence of mind to refuse to put the dog in the bin in spite of paying to bring the dog onboard.
And what's up with this $200 fee to transport a pet in the passenger cabin? In all the years I've flown, I've never transported an animal. Is that a fee charged because one is carrying on the normal amount of carry-on luggage plus the animal, or is the animal considered one's one piece of carry-on baggage?
If the latter, that seems so "not right." Don't get me wrong, I realize the animal could relieve itself and some of that matter/liquid could get on the carpet/seat and require some special cleaning. On the other hand, it might happen in which case, the pet carrier -- pet or no pet inside -- is just another object that fits under the seat. I can understand the airline collecting a refundable deposit in case the animal messes up something, but if all goes well, what's the issue? Babies cry and dogs bark; they're both just cabin noise. Stick some earphones in your ear and get over it like everyone else. If the dog can see it's owner, it'll probably bark less than will a baby cry.
Aside:
What that's fatal "goes on" in overhead bins? I get that it's dark, but darkness isn't generally fatal. Is it really cold in there? Is it airtight? airtight enough that the dog was breathing its own carbon dioxide? I wouldn't let my pet be stowed there if I paid to bring it onto the plane.
