A man claims that flight attendants ignored his request, and now demands punishment.
A French bulldog owner claims that his pet died during a flight because he got scared when he was transferred from first class to economy.
Metro writes about this.
Michael Contillo said that he bought two first class tickets on Alaska Airlines for himself and his father so that their dogs would have more space and be surrounded by fewer passengers.
But shortly before the flight departed New York on Feb. 1, “an Alaska Airlines flight attendant and another unidentified male asked the plaintiff and his father to move to row 11 of the plane for safety reasons,” according to the lawsuit, which Contillo filed Oct. 16. Contillo claimed his dogs were “calm” but would not be so when the plane was crowded with people.
“Moving the dogs would make them extremely anxious and agitated, resulting in extremely dangerous respiratory and cardiac problems,” according to the complaint, filed in San Francisco County Superior Court. “Such a change can be fatal for a dog, especially before a change in altitude.”
Contillo claims that the flight attendants ignored his request, and one of his dogs, Ash, “immediately began breathing very rapidly and heavily, with visible distress.”
He says he was ordered to close the pet carrier, and saw that Ash “had stopped moving, but was unable to check on him until he reached a certain altitude.”
When the plane landed at San Francisco International Airport, Ash's body was in a state of rigor mortis, which occurs about four hours after dogs die. The complaint noted that the cross-country flight took five hours.
The son and his father began crying when they learned of Ash's death, and none of the crew “stopped to express concern, offer condolences, or show the slightest bit of compassion,” the lawsuit said.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, dogs with short noses, such as bulldogs, have a higher risk of dying on airplanes than puppies with normal-length muzzles, which do not encounter as many respiratory problems.
Contillo said he took both of his bulldogs to a veterinary hospital before the flight, where he was told they were both healthy.
The lawsuit against Alaska Airlines alleges negligence, breach of contract, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and negligent supervision. Contillo is seeking damages, the amount of which will be determined at trial.
This isn't the first time a dog has died on board an American airline in recent years. In 2018, a 10-month-old French bulldog died after his owners were forced to place the animal's carrier in the overhead compartment of a United Airlines flight from Houston to New York. The owners said they heard the dog barking but were unable to check on it due to turbulence and claimed it was dead when they retrieved it. United Airlines said it would take full responsibility for the puppy's death.
Recall that a woman took revenge on neighbors who didn't clean up after their dog feces. She bragged about her idea.
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