Dog Dies in Overhead Bin on United Airlines Flight

hoons90 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:23 pm

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/ ... kills-dog/

Simply tragic... Shame on United.
Follow the flight attendants instructions and end up with a dead family member, or get offloaded.

jubguy3 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:35 pm

Well that's depressing. If it's in a TSA carrier, i don't understand what the issue is? Someone is going to get sued.

hoons90 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:46 pm

Jshank83 wrote:
I would like to know the reasoning the flight attendant wanted the bag in the overhead bin in the first place. Didn't fit under the seat for some reason? I figure it it's a TSA approved carrier it should fit under the seat though.

But if you dare to question a flight attendant, they will show you the door. So who knows what the FA's reasoning was...

Jshank83 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:47 pm

I would like to know the reasoning the flight attendant wanted the bag in the overhead bin in the first place. Didn't fit under the seat for some reason? I figure it it's a TSA approved carrier it should fit under the seat though.

ro1960 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:47 pm

This may be a naive question, but why did the passenger not take the dog bag out of the overhead bin after a while and put it under the seat in front of her?

hoons90 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:53 pm

ro1960 wrote:
This may be a naive question, but why did the passenger not take the dog bag out of the overhead bin after a while and put it under the seat in front of her?

Because we all know what happened to the last person who dared to challenge the authority of a UA staff member.

DIRECTFLT · Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:57 pm

There should be no animals, lizards, snakes, birds, or reptiles in plane cabins.

hoons90 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:59 pm

DIRECTFLT wrote:
There should be no animals, lizards, snakes, birds, or reptiles in plane cabins.

Then maybe United should implement such a policy. Right now, they don't.

piedmontf284000 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:01 pm

I am assuming the dog suffocated? Just an outsider point of view, but I looked at the picture at the bottom of the post, it shows the dog carrier next to the stroller rear wheel. That particular stroller rear wheel is 12' inches in height. As seen, the dog carrier is actually just slightly higher then then the rear tire. Therefore , it is safe to assume that the dog carrier is approximately 12' inches in height or greater. Based on current seat configs, the majority of space underneath a seat is 11' inches., while some are a little bigger and some smaller, but none I found are 12 inches or greater. Therefore, it seems plausible that the carrier did not fit underneath the seat and the passenger was told to either put it up in the overhead bin or check it. Again, just speculation on my part.

https://www.reference.com/geography/sta ... 51c2a6c51a

seat1a · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:06 pm

United is one continuous train wreck. Front line employees are clueless and don't use common sense. Write another check UA.

Low bar, low brow company.

jmdc861 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:12 pm

All part of the mentality of flight attendants since September 11. You will do as I say! Disgusting!

thebatman · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:19 pm

seat1a wrote:
United is one continuous train wreck. Front line employees are clueless and don't use common sense. Write another check UA.

Low bar, low brow company.

I, for one, take great offense at that statement. I am a UA front line employee, and have been for 22 years. If I was "clueless" and didn't use "common sense", the airplane you're sitting in would literally fall out of the sky. So don't use ignorant blanket statements like that.

crownvic · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:20 pm

DIRECTFLT wrote:
There should be no animals, lizards, snakes, birds, or reptiles in plane cabins.

I TOTALLY AGREE...

FlyingLaw1 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:26 pm

piedmontf284000 wrote:
I am assuming the dog suffocated?

That is what I was wondering as well. Are overhead-bins really so air tight that there would not be enough oxygen? The whole flight no one thought to check on the dog? Lots of questions need to be answered before it happens again.

I also think its time the airlines/IATA/Ruling bodies really examine animals in cabins; whether support animals or pets. We go from children being bitten by support animals to this. Also the number or animals that I've seen while flying over the last several years seems to have gone up and up.

Bald1983 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:26 pm

hoons90 wrote:
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2018/03/13/united-kills-dog/

Simply tragic... Shame on United.
Follow the flight attendants instructions and end up with a dead family member, or get offloaded.

Sad, but dogs should not be brought onboard.

hoons90 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:32 pm

Bald1983 wrote:
hoons90 wrote:
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2018/03/13/united-kills-dog/

Simply tragic... Shame on United.
Follow the flight attendants instructions and end up with a dead family member, or get offloaded.

Sad, but dogs should not be brought onboard.

Then United should ban all animals in their cabins, instead of charging customers $125 for the privilege of taking their pets with them.

PPVLC · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:36 pm

DIRECTFLT wrote:
There should be no animals, lizards, snakes, birds, or reptiles in plane cabins.

That would be another discussion. In this case, UA accepted the poor creature on board and directly/indirectly contributed to its death, this shows very poor standards and training. FA's are there for many important reasons and one of them is to care for the customer.

kngkyle · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:38 pm

I feel like we are missing some key details.

If a bag does not fit under the seat in front of you then you have to store it in the overhead bin for takeoff. Does that policy change when the bag in question has a dog in it? I would think human life would take precedent and if UA didn't enforce that rule then they could open themselves up to legal action should there be an accident and someone got injured or died because of the bag blocking their exit. However, there is no reason for the bag to have to stay in the overhead bin the entire flight, which seems to have been the case based on the article. Did the FA force the passenger to keep the bag in the overhead bin, or did she just fail to mention it only needed to be stored there for takeoff and the passenger didn't know any better? It sounds to me like it was a communications failure.

bradyj23 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:39 pm

This really seems like an odd story. The overhead bins are not air tight. So not sure what happened there. The bag/carrier is soft sided so I would it it could squish and fit under the seat. Its tough to blame the FA since they were trying to follow the rules(overhead was probably a bad choice though). The FAA says nothing can be under your feet. I know an airline that had the FAA all over their FAs about this for a couple of years. So it didn't fit under the seat, can't go under the PAX feet, can't go in the cargo hold because it is soft sided, and it can't go in the overhead bin. Not defending the actions but Im not real sure where this animal should have gone. FA may have been a little overzealous but I think there may be more to this story.

Route66 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:39 pm

ro1960 wrote:
This may be a naive question, but why did the passenger not take the dog bag out of the overhead bin after a while and put it under the seat in front of her?

Maybe her seat did not have under-

Bald1983 wrote:
hoons90 wrote:
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2018/03/13/united-kills-dog/

Simply tragic... Shame on United.
Follow the flight attendants instructions and end up with a dead family member, or get offloaded.

Sad, but dogs should not be brought onboard.

space?

This is a conundrum for a dog owner who needs to get it somewhere, the other option of putting it in the hold is risky.

LHUSA · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:43 pm

LHUSA wrote:
kngkyle wrote:
I feel like we are missing some key details.

If a bag does not fit under the seat in front of you then you have to store it in the overhead bin for takeoff. Does that policy change when the bag in question has a dog in it? I would think human life would take precedent and if UA didn't enforce that rule then they could open themselves up to legal action should there be an accident and someone got injured or died because of the bag blocking their exit. However, there is no reason for the bag to have to stay in the overhead bin the entire flight, which seems to have been the case based on the article. Did the FA force the passenger to keep the bag in the overhead bin, or did she just fail to mention it only needed to be stored there for takeoff and the passenger didn't know any better? It sounds to me like it was a communications failure.

My thoughts excatly. We only have one 'side' of the story. Not taking away blame from UA or the FA but it's important to understand the FULL story. UA has already taken responsibilty but that's more just a PR move than anything. I'm very interested to see the other facts. Just becuase the dog was up there, does not mean it couldn't be checked on or even brought down after take off. As a dog owner, I can't see, under any circumstances, of not at least checking on the dog periodically.

hoons90 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:43 pm

kngkyle wrote:
I feel like we are missing some key details.

If a bag does not fit under the seat in front of you then you have to store it in the overhead bin for takeoff. Does that policy change when the bag in question has a dog in it? I would think human life would take precedent and if UA didn't enforce that rule then they could open themselves up to legal action should there be an accident and someone got injured or died because of the bag blocking their exit. However, there is no reason for the bag to have to stay in the overhead bin the entire flight, which seems to have been the case based on the article. Did the FA force the passenger to keep the bag in the overhead bin, or did she just fail to mention it only needed to be stored there for takeoff and the passenger didn't know any better? It sounds to me like it was a communications failure.

Most airlines have size limits for pet carriers that are brought into the cabin. If it's unable to fit underneath the seat in front of you, I would imagine that it's too big to be allowed in the cabin in the first place. If that's the case, the pet (and passenger) should have not been allowed to board at all.

birdbrainz · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:44 pm

Did the dog die of suffocation, or did it freak out? Or was it a breed that might have breathing issues at altitude?

I have a hard time believing it would suffocate, as the bins are big, and there seems like a fair amount of room inside the carrier. Not saying it's impossible.

If it were my dog, I'd surely check on it during the flight, unless the FA prevented it. We'll need to wait for the investigation.

kjeld0d · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:46 pm

Route66 wrote:
ro1960 wrote:
This may be a naive question, but why did the passenger not take the dog bag out of the overhead bin after a while and put it under the seat in front of her?

Maybe her seat did not have under-
Bald1983 wrote:
hoons90 wrote:
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2018/03/13/united-kills-dog/

Simply tragic... Shame on United.
Follow the flight attendants instructions and end up with a dead family member, or get offloaded.

Sad, but dogs should not be brought onboard.
space?

This is a conundrum for a dog owner who needs to get it somewhere, the other option of putting it in the hold is risky.

The other option being another mode of transport. When you take on a dog, you are responsible for its life. If I was in that situation I would have gotten off. If she was willing to do that to her dog, she should probably be investigated by child services to see what is going on with the kid or kids.

ual763 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:48 pm

Let's all wait to see the other side of this story. So far, not even the victim has said anything. The only one baiting the media, and trying to spread it, is someone who has a history of baiting news outlets in order for attention. Just look through her twitter. Nobody has any facts yet. The only fact is that the dog died. Has their been an autopsy to confirm that the dog died of asphyxiation? We don't know.

QueenoftheSkies · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:49 pm

kngkyle wrote:
I feel like we are missing some key details.

If a bag does not fit under the seat in front of you then you have to store it in the overhead bin for takeoff. Does that policy change when the bag in question has a dog in it? I would think human life would take precedent and if UA didn't enforce that rule then they could open themselves up to legal action should there be an accident and someone got injured or died because of the bag blocking their exit. However, there is no reason for the bag to have to stay in the overhead bin the entire flight, which seems to have been the case based on the article. Did the FA force the passenger to keep the bag in the overhead bin, or did she just fail to mention it only needed to be stored there for takeoff and the passenger didn't know any better? It sounds to me like it was a communications failure.

That policy doesn’t apply to a carrier with a pet inside! If the carrier was too big then the pet shouldn’t have traveled in the cabin period, certainly not in the overhead bin. If the flight attendant knew there was a pet in the carrier, he/she career with United is done.....and rightfully so.

DIRECTFLT · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:50 pm

LHUSA wrote:
My thoughts exactly. We only have one 'side' of the story. Not taking away blame from UA or the FA but it's important to understand the FULL story. UA has already taken responsibility but that's more just a PR move than anything. I'm very interested to see the other facts of this story. Just because the dog was up there, does not mean it couldn't be checked on or even brought down after take off.

I'm wondering how the FA worded the command to put the dog in the overhead. It could have been done with tunnel vision efficiency to just that takeoff situation alone, without any regard to what happens after take off.

AA777223 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:52 pm

One important thing to note from a facebook post referenced in the comments of Lucky's article - this dog was a frenchie. I have a bulldog, myself (English, in my case), and these brachycephalic breeds are highly susceptible to temperature changes and anything that doesn't allow them to breathe very freely. My guess is the poor fella suffocated or overheated, either one because of insufficient ventilation. This makes me so sad...

gatibosgru · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:01 pm

Wow, this is awful and I'm sure traumatic for those involved. I can't even imagine what that must feel like. I hope United goes ABOVE AND BEYOND tp make up for it and that the FA is trained and punished for not seeking info or following protocol.

I'm also shocked at the statement released, taking full responsibility.

OA412 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:09 pm

crownvic wrote:
DIRECTFLT wrote:
There should be no animals, lizards, snakes, birds, or reptiles in plane cabins.

I TOTALLY AGREE...

A total ban is impossible since service animals are allowed on board under federal law.

airbazar · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:09 pm

thebatman wrote:

I, for one, take great offense at that statement. I am a UA front line employee, and have been for 22 years. If I was "clueless" and didn't use "common sense", the airplane you're sitting in would literally fall out of the sky. So don't use ignorant blanket statements like that.

Right because you're an only you are in charge of maintaining and operating the aircraft. i think you just proved his point. :banghead:

nine4nine · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:10 pm

As much as I love animals they belong at home not on planes. If you have a genuine health issue and have a certified service dog that’s one thing. But household pets and “therapy animals” do not belong on planes period. This new generation of entitled wimps who have to have therapy pets is insane. People have travelled by air just fine for decades without them, if it’s that severe then ask for Dr for Xanax. If you can’t live without your pet for a few days then either stay home, take Greyhound, or use Amtrak.

ro1960 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:11 pm

Like some have said there are a lot of question marks here. Maybe wait until investigation is done before pointing fingers.

ro1960 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:12 pm

Route66 wrote:
ro1960 wrote:
This may be a naive question, but why did the passenger not take the dog bag out of the overhead bin after a while and put it under the seat in front of her?

Maybe her seat did not have under-space?

The article says seats 23B and 23C. I didn't find the exact date of the flight but looking at FR24 it was either a 739 or a A320. I don't think there would be anything like and IFE box under a seat in one of those aircraft.

gatibosgru · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:15 pm

kjeld0d wrote:
Is the average person so beaten down that they can't defend themselves? This should never have happened. Reminds me of the hamster or gerbil that was recently flushed. Both women, hmmm.

To be fair, had she contested more she would probably be threatened with arrest and/or be removed from the flight. How much say does the pax really have when it is the law to comply with cabin crew instructions?

Ionosphere · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:17 pm

The bins have an opening at the very top when closed. Could the dog have been crushed by bags during take off or landing?

F27500 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:20 pm

This flight attendant "safety professional" is an absolute IDIOT. It was IAH-LGA, so they were on a Boeing (not a small RJ) and that bag in the pic is a normal sized pet duffel. Why would anyone even think the overhead bin was an appropriate place to put a dog carrier? Much less a FA?!

I'm glad to see the sympathy in UA's response to this, but this fool of a power-tripped FA needs to be taken outta the aisle and sent packing.

What a horrible story.

thebatman · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:24 pm

airbazar wrote:
Right because you're an only you are in charge of maintaining and operating the aircraft. i think you just proved his point.

That makes no sense. Keep bashing your head against that wall, maybe it will help.

F27500 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:27 pm

jetmatt777 wrote:
Even though they are not air tight, they also probably don't get enough air circulation. Remember, when they are packed full of bags and jackets, that is even. Less space for air. So it's entirely possible that it could have suffocated from a combination of increased altitude, and a slow rise in CO2 not being replinshed by enough circulating air.

We shall see what the reports say when the investigations are done.

The poor pup's neck could also have been snapped when the bin door was slammed shut too - which is something Id like to see happen to this FA.

Blueballs · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:29 pm

Well don’t bring your animal. My guess is it didn’t fit in the seat in front of her, and a typical entitled passenger probably demanded her dog is her friend and must stay. Well if the bag don’t fit you bought the wrong bag. As such she is solely responsible for the death of Fido and the owner should be sued by the aspca.

MSPNWA · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:29 pm

As usual with a UA incident, it's full of assumptions and few facts, yet the mob's verdict is already out.

Well see if the facts do emerge, but this has the hallmarks of a tragic miscommunication. The most logical reason at this point is that the FA didn't know there was a dog in the carrier.

F27500 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:30 pm

MSPNWA wrote:
As usual with a UA incident, it's full of assumptions and few facts, yet the mob's verdict is already out.

Well see if the facts do emerge, but this has the hallmarks of a tragic miscommunication. The most logical reason at this point is that the FA didn't know there was a dog in the carrier.

Well, what else would be IN a dog carrier? And the woman did tell the idiot FA that there was a dog in there .. . did you read the article at all ??

bob75013 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:31 pm

It appears that the original article has been updated with United's response:

"This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin. We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them. We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again."

jayunited · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:31 pm

I have not seen the internal report but just from reading the this passengers account I feel like there are some gaps in her story. First and foremost if the FA told this passenger to place her dog in the overhead bin the FA was wrong the passenger should have been allowed to remove the dog from its carry and place the carrier in the overhead bin without the dog inside it. Even if the FA was adamant the bag and the dog had to be placed into the overhead bin why didn't anyone whether it be the dogs owner or any other passengers open the overhead bin once the captain turned off the seatbelt sign to retrieve the dog? The passenger recollection focuses on the departure and the arrival but what happened while the aircraft was in the air that entire piece of the story is missing and I for one would like to know why?

jetmatt777 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:32 pm

Even though they are not air tight, they also probably don't get enough air circulation. Remember, when they are packed full of bags and jackets, that is even. Less space for air. So it's entirely possible that it could have suffocated from a combination of increased altitude, and a slow rise in CO2 not being replinshed by enough circulating air.

We shall see what the reports say when the investigations are done.

CCGPV · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:33 pm

kjeld0d wrote:
Is the average person so beaten down that they can't defend themselves? This should never have happened. Reminds me of the hamster or gerbil that was recently flushed. Both women, hmmm.

In the case of united yes they are literally beaten down.

This is one of the results of having the public made to fear ("respect") flight attendants. You can literally be sent to prison for disobeying whatever they tell you to do.

MSPNWA · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:40 pm

F27500 wrote:
Well, what else would be IN a dog carrier? And the woman did tell the idiot FA that there was a dog in there .. . did you read the article at all ??

OA412 wrote:
From the article in OP's post (emphasis added):
"I witnessed a United flight attendant instruct a woman to put her dog carrier with live dog in an overhead bin. The passenger adamantly pushed back, sharing verbally that her dog was in the bag. The flight attendant continued to ask the passenger to do it, and she eventually complied."

Case in point. Both of you are highlighting the issue I just mentioned with the mob. You're wrongly assuming the FA KNEW it was a pet carrier with a pet based on the reported words of someone who isn't the FA or even the pet owner. We don't know if the FA actually knew it was a pet carrier with a dog in it and maybe never will. But until we know more, it's irresponsible to place a verdict on the situation--unless you have an agenda that is.

F27500 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:42 pm

OA412 wrote:
MSPNWA wrote:
Well see if the facts do emerge, but this has the hallmarks of a tragic miscommunication. The most logical reason at this point is that the FA didn't know there was a dog in the carrier.

From the article in OP's post (emphasis added):
"I witnessed a United flight attendant instruct a woman to put her dog carrier with live dog in an overhead bin. The passenger adamantly pushed back, sharing verbally that her dog was in the bag. The flight attendant continued to ask the passenger to do it, and she eventually complied."

Thank you for posting that.. Maybe MSPNWA will let it sink in and believe it now that its coming from a Moderator.

He's another one of that typical type on here who will ignore facts and always side with the airline employee -- in spite of how obvious it was to everyone that they're at fault.

OA412 · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:43 pm

MSPNWA wrote:
Well see if the facts do emerge, but this has the hallmarks of a tragic miscommunication. The most logical reason at this point is that the FA didn't know there was a dog in the carrier.

From the article in OP's post (emphasis added):
"I witnessed a United flight attendant instruct a woman to put her dog carrier with live dog in an overhead bin. The passenger adamantly pushed back, sharing verbally that her dog was in the bag. The flight attendant continued to ask the passenger to do it, and she eventually complied."

LHUSA · Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:45 pm

OA412 wrote:
MSPNWA wrote:
Well see if the facts do emerge, but this has the hallmarks of a tragic miscommunication. The most logical reason at this point is that the FA didn't know there was a dog in the carrier.

From the article in OP's post (emphasis added):
"I witnessed a United flight attendant instruct a woman to put her dog carrier with live dog in an overhead bin. The passenger adamantly pushed back, sharing verbally that her dog was in the bag. The flight attendant continued to ask the passenger to do it, and she eventually complied."

And yet in another blog online, the pet owner states she herself did not question the FA's request. Let's just wait for some more facts to come out.

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