UA's newest gaffe: flew dog to NRT instead of MCI

777Mech · Wed Mar 14, 2018 5:55 pm

It looks as though UA now can't distinguish the difference between NRT and MCI, as they have flown a German Shepard thousands of miles away in the wrong direction.

The amount of negative press UAhas recieved lately is astounding, yet deserved.

How does this even happen?

http://www.kctv5.com/story/37719697/kan ... ine-mix-up

flyguy84 · Wed Mar 14, 2018 5:59 pm

It happens, just like bags end up in the wrong place... most likely the pet was tagged to the wrong destination. Human error at its finest.

Spiderguy252 · Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:01 pm

United Airlines seems like several Air Indias rolled into one.

And I don't even think AI has killed a dog or such.

neomax · Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:02 pm

Unless I'm mistaken, isn't there some sort of customs check that would've caught this before it left the US?

Noise · Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:03 pm

Like any other item of cargo, this happens sometimes.

DTWorld · Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:10 pm

neomax wrote:
Unless I'm mistaken, isn't there some sort of customs check that would've caught this before it left the US?

That's what I've been wondering too.

jubguy3 · Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:11 pm

This is definitely a customs nightmare. If they had shipped a dog somewhere that could have posed a biological threat to the local environment and organisms, they would have been in a ton of trouble. Because this was international, I'm sure the issue here is going to be a lot more severe than just "my dog is gone".

I hope the doggie had a good time in Japan meeting new people though :-)

flyguy84 · Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:16 pm

neomax wrote:
Unless I'm mistaken, isn't there some sort of customs check that would've caught this before it left the US?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection ( CBP) officers DO conduct export checks on cargo and passengers leaving the country on a random basis, or when they have a reason to do so ( Intel, a tip, etc.) limited manpower resources dictates that higher risk flights or cargo are checked

sw733 · Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:50 pm

Noise wrote:
Like any other item of cargo, this happens sometimes.

We'll see if people have the same opinion when it's human remains

Seabear · Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:57 pm

Poor Irgo. I wouldn't think that he's going to be thrilled with yet another 12+ hour ride in the baggage hold. Beats the overhead compartment, though.

BC77008 · Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:59 pm

sw733 wrote:
Noise wrote:

We'll see if people have the same opinion when it's human remains

If I was human remains I would be thrilled to be flown all over the globe one last time!

sw733 · Wed Mar 14, 2018 7:21 pm

BC77008 wrote:
sw733 wrote:
Noise wrote:

We'll see if people have the same opinion when it's human remains

If I was human remains I would be thrilled to be flown all over the globe one last time!

Hey, it would make no difference to me

I'm sure my family wouldn't be thrilled, though.

rajincajun01 · Wed Mar 14, 2018 7:52 pm

Does the dog get Premier Silver status with all of those miles? /s

LAXLHR · Wed Mar 14, 2018 8:30 pm

An immediate ban on transportation of animals needs to be forced upon UA, until an external assessment of UA's transportation of animals (some might add humans ;-)

has taken place.

One can only imagine the dread that must fill anyone sending their pet on to a UA flight at this time. If I was a pet owner, NO BLOODY WAY would I go near UA!! The stats speak loud and clear.

The UA lawyers and outside counsel must be very happy.

RDUDDJI · Wed Mar 14, 2018 8:35 pm

Spiderguy252 wrote:
United Airlines seems like several Air Indias rolled into one.

And I don't even think AI has killed a dog or such.

I'm not sure that UA "killed a dog" here*, they just misboarded it, but I'd highly suspect that any carrier that's flown thousands of flights who allows animals has dealt with dead/lost dogs. It happens.

*I suppose s/he could have died if he were dehydrated/starved, but that's not what's been reported.

77H · Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:47 pm

sw733 wrote:
Noise wrote:
Like any other item of cargo, this happens sometimes.

We'll see if people have the same opinion when it's human remains

It has happened before. Stop by a freight facility at an airport near you. It is every bit as complex and chaotic as a passenger terminal. Except, cargo can't stop and ask for directions, clarification or speak up when something seems amiss. Even passengers get on the wrong flights and they have brains.

77H

Blimpie · Wed Mar 14, 2018 11:01 pm

Seems like the dog got the better end of the deal. I'd rather go to Narita than KC as well.

Adipocere · Wed Mar 14, 2018 11:01 pm

How does customs handle this when the poor dog returns to the US? How will they handle questions of its "citizenship"?

aemoreira1981 · Wed Mar 14, 2018 11:16 pm

I have to wonder how much of a fine United will face here. What if it wasn’t a dog but something worse?

LMFNINJA · Thu Mar 15, 2018 12:04 am

Someone must have a voodoo doll with United's name on it and has been sticking pins in it.

Ziyulu · Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:04 am

The dog will be in trouble for traveling without a passport!

Super80Fan · Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:16 am

Sending the dog to STL, OKC, DEN, ORD, MSY etc is a mistake. Sending the dog to NRT is just pure negligence.

Goodyear · Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:42 am

At some point, the United apologists will wise up and stop making excuses for this CF of an airline.

PanzerPowner · Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:51 am

Duality wrote:
Seabear wrote:
Poor Irgo. I wouldn't think that he's going to be thrilled with yet another 12+ hour ride in the baggage hold. Beats the overhead compartment, though.

Reportedly, Irgo will be flying IN the first class cabin with a human chaperone:

from CNN:

She said Irgo is set to be flown from Naruto, Japan, to Denver on Wednesday night, flying first class with a human escort in the main cabin of the plane

On a side note, I bet the Human Escort is a lucky worker who drew a staff wide lotto for re-positioning via FirstClass.

Duality · Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:51 am

Seabear wrote:
Poor Irgo. I wouldn't think that he's going to be thrilled with yet another 12+ hour ride in the baggage hold. Beats the overhead compartment, though.

Reportedly, Irgo will be flying IN the first class cabin with a human chaperone:

from CNN:

She said Irgo is set to be flown from Naruto, Japan, to Denver on Wednesday night, flying first class with a human escort in the main cabin of the plane

United1 · Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:57 am

Apparently there were two dogs making an overnight connection in DEN...UA uses a vendor for overnight kennel service...in the morning the kennel put the wrong dog, a great dane heading to NRT, into the crate heading to MCI and Irgo into the one heading to NRT...oops.

77H · Thu Mar 15, 2018 2:03 am

Super80Fan wrote:
Sending the dog to STL, OKC, DEN, ORD, MSY etc is a mistake. Sending the dog to NRT is just pure negligence.

Coincidently, I just spoke to a Pet Forwarder I work with, who actually told me about the incident before it reached mainstream news. I was told that it was the pet boarding company that mislabeled the kennels, not the airline. The airline simply shipped the animals as labeled. Again just what I was told by someone in the Pet Shipping industry.

77H

PanzerPowner · Thu Mar 15, 2018 2:43 am

cpd wrote:
United1 wrote:
Apparently there were two dogs making an overnight connection in DEN...UA uses a vendor for overnight kennel service...in the morning the kennel put the wrong dog, a great dane heading to NRT, into the crate heading to MCI and Irgo into the one heading to NRT...oops.

That's a bad mistake. But I wonder if the different kind of dog would/should have set off some alarms. A Great Dane is a very different animal to the other one. Surely the documentation with it would have listed the type of dog?

I must wonder, how do you fit a Great Dane in the kennel of a different dog? The Great Dane is, Greatly huge. Compared to Irgo...

45272455674 · Thu Mar 15, 2018 2:46 am

United1 wrote:
Apparently there were two dogs making an overnight connection in DEN...UA uses a vendor for overnight kennel service...in the morning the kennel put the wrong dog, a great dane heading to NRT, into the crate heading to MCI and Irgo into the one heading to NRT...oops.

That's a bad mistake. But I wonder if the different kind of dog would/should have set off some alarms. A Great Dane is a very different animal to the other one. Surely the documentation with it would have listed the type of dog?

slcdeltarumd11 · Thu Mar 15, 2018 2:49 am

It seems like this time regardless of what happened or why they are making it work.

The 787 is probably a good choice in FC because the dog can just use one seat as a comfy bed with maybe some extra blankets on top, and its chaperone can have the seat nextdoor. Should be a pretty comfortable flight. Putting a 10 year old dog on such a long flight under the plane by themselves again would be too much.

Most of Uniteds recent disasters i have had zero sympathy for them, but they are making this one all workout. We should reward them for actually doing the right thing here it seems. It looks like they did the right thing before public outlash this time, so it seems sincere.

Super80Fan · Thu Mar 15, 2018 2:56 am

77H wrote:
Super80Fan wrote:
Sending the dog to STL, OKC, DEN, ORD, MSY etc is a mistake. Sending the dog to NRT is just pure negligence.

Coincidently, I just spoke to a Pet Forwarder I work with, who actually told me about the incident before it reached mainstream news. I was told that it was the pet boarding company that mislabeled the kennels, not the airline. The airline simply shipped the animals as labeled. Again just what I was told by someone in the Pet Shipping industry.

77H

Got it, thanks for the info!

sincx · Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:11 am

77H wrote:
Super80Fan wrote:
Sending the dog to STL, OKC, DEN, ORD, MSY etc is a mistake. Sending the dog to NRT is just pure negligence.

Coincidently, I just spoke to a Pet Forwarder I work with, who actually told me about the incident before it reached mainstream news. I was told that it was the pet boarding company that mislabeled the kennels, not the airline. The airline simply shipped the animals as labeled. Again just what I was told by someone in the Pet Shipping industry.

77H

If the pet boarding company was chosen by United to handle United's pet cargo business (as opposed to chosen by the pet owner), then the United is every bit as liable as the pet boarding company.

jetwet1 · Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:14 am

PanzerPowner wrote:
I must wonder, how do you fit a Great Dane in the kennel of a different dog? The Great Dane is, Greatly huge. Compared to Irgo...

It depends on the type of Shepard, they can go from 60 lbs all the way up to 170-180 for male King Shepard's .

My male is right around the 170 mark, so he would use a kennel the same size as a dane, not that I would ever think about shipping him like that.

Alphazone · Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:16 am

Duality wrote:

from CNN:

She said Irgo is set to be flown from Naruto, Japan, to Denver on Wednesday night, flying first class with a human escort in the main cabin of the plane

Lol, CNN
NRT located in Naruto, Japan

Socrates17 · Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:20 am

Japan is rabies free. I assume Iago was in quarantine (a fate which presumably awaits the Great Dane).

United1 · Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:24 am

sincx wrote:
77H wrote:
Super80Fan wrote:
Sending the dog to STL, OKC, DEN, ORD, MSY etc is a mistake. Sending the dog to NRT is just pure negligence.

Coincidently, I just spoke to a Pet Forwarder I work with, who actually told me about the incident before it reached mainstream news. I was told that it was the pet boarding company that mislabeled the kennels, not the airline. The airline simply shipped the animals as labeled. Again just what I was told by someone in the Pet Shipping industry.

77H

If the pet boarding company was chosen by United to handle United's pet cargo business (as opposed to chosen by the pet owner), then the United is every bit as liable as the pet boarding company.

No one, including United, has said UA wasn't liable...

ordpark · Thu Mar 15, 2018 4:23 am

I wonder how many of you folks work at companies that have never made a mistake.....This is pointless!

AntonioMartin · Thu Mar 15, 2018 4:49 am

sw733 wrote:
Noise wrote:
Like any other item of cargo, this happens sometimes.

We'll see if people have the same opinion when it's human remains

Actually, I've heard of this before....about 15 years ago, Delta and it's partners (probably Air France I believe) flew a body that was to be delivered to the late man's family in Mexico, to Nigeria instead.

AntonioMartin · Thu Mar 15, 2018 4:55 am

I wonder what went through Irgo's head as he (she) heard people talking in Japanese instead of English! And also wonder if Irgo enjoyed Japan!

seat1a · Thu Mar 15, 2018 4:59 am

A colleague at Qantas LAX said today 'they should burn UA to the ground and start all over'. When it rains it pours.

richiemo · Thu Mar 15, 2018 5:15 am

Was on United flight couple weeks back. IAH to EWR; a main route. I was in the first row of Premier. I was starving. They brought the food tray up and I noticed the FA handing food up the the first class FA. The FA never asked me if I wanted food, so when she was a few rows back I hit the FA button. She came up and I asked for a cheeseburger. She said she was out of them. They loaded 3 cheeseburgers, 3 pizzas and 3 turkey sandwiches on the flight!!!!! Incredible. Who makes decisions like that. And this is food people will pay for!!!! More and more it feels like the old fashioned Continental days when everything was a mess. It really does.

InThrustWeTrust · Thu Mar 15, 2018 5:17 am

AntonioMartin wrote:
sw733 wrote:
Noise wrote:
Like any other item of cargo, this happens sometimes.

We'll see if people have the same opinion when it's human remains

Actually, I've heard of this before....about 15 years ago, Delta and it's partners (probably Air France I believe) flew a body that was to be delivered to the late man's family in Mexico, to Nigeria instead.

Poor body, he or her could get a depression of that kind of treatment....

speedbird52 · Thu Mar 15, 2018 5:24 am

richiemo wrote:
Was on United flight couple weeks back. IAH to EWR; a main route. I was in the first row of Premier. I was starving. They brought the food tray up and I noticed the FA handing food up the the first class FA. The FA never asked me if I wanted food, so when she was a few rows back I hit the FA button. She came up and I asked for a cheeseburger. She said she was out of them. They loaded 3 cheeseburgers, 3 pizzas and 3 turkey sandwiches on the flight!!!!! Incredible. Who makes decisions like that. And this is food people will pay for!!!! More and more it feels like the old fashioned Continental days when everything was a mess. It really does.

Good chance they were "out" because the FAs were having their own meal

amax1977 · Thu Mar 15, 2018 5:31 am

I’m amazed with such track record people still let their pet fly on UA!

GBNWB · Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:28 am

Will the UPS man not just drop it off at the hotel or wherever just like they do when a bag misses a connection? Why is it a big deal, AA and BA have lost my bag loads of times, always turns up eventually.

JammyBritton27 · Thu Mar 15, 2018 12:19 pm

Bad press for UA... error in shipping dogs and also a dead dog in overhead bin. :roll:

FlyHossD · Thu Mar 15, 2018 12:59 pm

amax1977 wrote:
I’m amazed with such track record people still let their pet fly on UA!

Which other U.S. carriers carry - or don't carry - pets? IIRC, DL doesn't carry pets in the summer time - is that still true?

United1 · Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:32 pm

FlyHossD wrote:
amax1977 wrote:
I’m amazed with such track record people still let their pet fly on UA!

Which other U.S. carriers carry - or don't carry - pets? IIRC, DL doesn't carry pets in the summer time - is that still true?

WN, F9, G4, NK, B6 and F9 do not transport pets.

UA, AS, DL, AA, HA and SY do. UA and AS are the two big ones however...individually they carry more than the rest do combined. I know UA is getting a lot of bad press over transporting animals right now but for the most part they do a pretty good job. Of the 138,178 animals UA handled last year 31 had issues enroute, of those 2 were found to be UAs fault. The rest were either self inflicted injuries or natural causes (that were probably exasperated on by the stress of travel.)

I've said this before...do not transport your pet via an airplane on any airline. Humans enjoy air travel...pets do not.

Ziyulu · Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:57 pm

Sorry. Wrong post.

Ziyulu · Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:59 pm

Duality wrote:
Seabear wrote:
Poor Irgo. I wouldn't think that he's going to be thrilled with yet another 12+ hour ride in the baggage hold. Beats the overhead compartment, though.

Reportedly, Irgo will be flying IN the first class cabin with a human chaperone:

from CNN:

She said Irgo is set to be flown from Naruto, Japan, to Denver on Wednesday night, flying first class with a human escort in the main cabin of the plane

Just make sure the human chaperone does not put the dog in the overhead bin.

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