The Citizen (Gauteng)

Dog dies on United flight

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– A little dog died on a United Airlines flight after an attendant forced the animal’s owner to put the pet in the cabin’s overhead bin.

The airline said on Tuesday it was taking full responsibi­lity.

On United Flight 1284 from Houston to New York on Monday, a woman who was flying with children and a small dog was pressured by a flight attendant to put her dog in overhead storage during the three-and-a-half-hour flight.

According to fellow passenger Maggie Gremminger, the woman wanted to keep the dog, which was in a small carrying bag, under her seat, but the flight attendant insisted she put it overhead.

“At the end of the flight, the woman found her dog had died. She sat in the airplane aisle on the floor crying and all of surroundin­g passengers were utterly stunned,” Gremminger wrote in a series of tweets alongside a picture of the woman and her children.

United said it was “a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin”.

United spokespers­on Maggie Schmerin said the airline was investigat­ing the incident and the family had been refunded the cost of their tickets, including the $125 pet cabin fee.

This is not the first time United has come under scrutiny for its treatment of animals. In 2017, United had the highest number of animal deaths of any US carriers, with 18 animals killed and 13 injured in transport. – Reuters

New York

This is not the first time United has come under scrutiny for its treatment of animals. In 2017, it had the highest number of animal deaths, 18 and 13 injured.

US transport department

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