Policy changes for airline carriers regarding the transportation of pets have been proposed by two U.S. Senators after the tragic death of a puppy on United Airlines earlier this week.
While United Airlines continues to claim that their flight attendant did not hear or understand the owner of a 10-week-old French Bulldog puppy who died after being forced in the overhead bin on a flight from Houston to New York, it seems that some U.S. representatives believe there should be stronger legislation that protects pets traveling in the air.
The dog’s owner and other witness dispute the claim that there was a misunderstanding, and said it was obvious there was a dog in the overhead compartment as the puppy barked for a while once placed inside. According to them, there was no way the attendant could possibly be unaware of the dog.
Related:Dog Dies After United Flight Attendant Insists It Be Stowed In Overhead Bin
As a result, United claims that from this point forward, passengers who take luggage aboard that contains pets will have brightly colored bag tags to aid attendants in identifying pets aboard.
Senators John Kennedy and Catherine Cortez Masto believe that more needs to be done, though, and filed legislation called the Welfare of Our Furry Friends Act that would legally stop airlines from putting animals in overhead cabins. Cortez Masto said that human neglect and carelessness has resulted in the death of too many animals and it needs to be stopped.
The Humane Society of the United States backs the bill, saying that pets should always be treated with kindness and respect, as family members. In 2017 alone, 24 animals died while 15 others were injured and one was lost on commercial flights, and according to data from the Department of Transportation, most of this incidents occurred on United Airlines.
Related:United Airlines Flubs Again; Mistakenly Sends Family Dog To Japan
In the meantime, United is working overtime to do damage control, but horrible mistake after horrible mistake has clearly driven many potential customers to blast them on social media, and an apology and bright tags on dog carriers aren’t going to fix this.
