Airline owns up in puppy death
Kokito, a 10-month-old puppy, suffocated after being placed in an overhead compartment.
United Airlines said it will “assume full responsibility” for the death of a10-month-old French bulldog puppy that appeared to have suffocated after it was placed inside an overhead compartment on a three-hour flight from Houston to New York City on Monday.
According to accounts from fellow passengers on United Flight 1284, a flight attendant demanded that Catalina Robledo, who was travelling with her two children, place the puppy, named Kokito, in its carrier inside the overhead bin for the duration of the flight. Robledo protested, witnesses said, but the flight attendant assured her that the dog would be safe and told her the family would not be allowed to travel if she refused to stow the dog in the bin.
When the airplane landed at LaGuardia Airport and the owner opened the overhead bin, Kokito was no longer breathing.
“This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin,” a United spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. “We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them.”
United said in its statement that the airline is conducting an investigation into the incident “to prevent this from ever happening again.”
A recent report issued by the Transportation Department found last year there were 24 recorded incidents of an animal dying while being transported by a major U.S. air carrier.
Of those, 18 took place on United Airlines.