United Airlines Allegedly Involved In Another Dog Mishap
A report in The Washington Post says a Kansas-bound German shepherd may have been shipped to Japan mistakenly by United Airlines. After the recent tragedy involving a passenger’s dog that died after it was put inside an overhead bin on United Airlines Flight 1284 from Houston to New York, United Airlines is in the spotlight for another mistake involving a dog.
In a report on CNN, United Airlines gave an official apology for the tragic event. Maggie Schmerin, the spokeswoman for United Airlines, said that they have been in contact with Ceballos and offered to pay for a necropsy. The spokeswoman also said that the Airline allows pets in the cabin when they are transported in kennels that can fit under the passenger’s seat, according to CNN. Schmerin said that some types of animals are not allowed on United’s flights but the French bulldog was not on that list.
However, the Airline was involved in another dog mishap recently when it mistakenly sent a German shepherd bound for Kansas to Japan. According to KCTV in Kansas City, a family shipped their dog as cargo from Oregon to Wichita but never saw the dog as expected. The report says that the family was moving from Oregon to Wichita and opted to send their German shepherd, Irgo, via cargo.
10-year-old German shepherd supposed to be on flight from Oregon to Kansas City, but when owner arrived in Missouri, United Airlines gave her a Great Dane instead https://t.co/V7NlNl3f68 pic.twitter.com/MHgq9tyrUn
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 14, 2018
Upon arrival at United’s cargo center at Kansas City airport, they were met by a Great Dane that was inside a pet carrier that looked like Irgo. The staff of the Airline confirmed that the Great Dane was actually the one that was supposed to be en route to Japan. Unfortunately, Irgo, the German shepherd was assumed to be on the plane to Japan. The report on The Washington post says that United was still uncertain where Irgo had been shipped to exactly. At the time, United was waiting for the plane en route to Japan to land before they could confirm whether Irgo was on board.
Three times as many animals died on United Airlines flights last year than on all the other US carriers put together, according to US Department of Transportation data https://t.co/VD2zV1Zia5 pic.twitter.com/d3wOjmQZpc
— CNN (@CNN) March 14, 2018
Fortunately for the owners, Irgo was found and is reportedly on his way to his family, according to United Airlines. According to the official statement from the airline, the mix-up occurred during a connecting flight in Denver.
“We apologize for this mistake and are following up with the vendor kennel where they were kept overnight to understand what happened.”
Two separate incidents involving animals in one week is not good for business. United has promised to investigate both incidents, according to reports.
