A man who had booked a first-class seat on an airplane for his dog in the United States filed a lawsuit against the airline after his dog died during the flight after being moved to economy class at the airline’s request.
According to NBC News on the 28th, Michael Contillo, a resident of San Francisco, filed a lawsuit for damages against Alaska Airlines in San Francisco County Superior Court on the 16th (local time).
According to the complaint, Contillo is suing Alaska Airlines for breach of contract, negligence, negligent hiring and supervision, and negligent infliction of emotional distress in connection with the death of his dog, Ash, a French bulldog, on a flight from New York to San Francisco in February. A lawsuit was filed for this reason.
Alaska Airlines passenger plane. AP News
“Being asked to move to economy class caused Ash to become anxious, which led to health problems that ultimately led to the dog’s death,” he wrote in the complaint. He also claimed that the death of his dog Ash was “a direct and predictable result of very bad behavior.”
Contillo also traveled to New York with his father and two French bulldogs last November. At that time, he purchased first-class airplane tickets for the dogs and arrived in New York safely. The dogs were healthy during their stay in New York. In the animal hospital treatment Contillo received before boarding the plane, the vet said that both dogs were fine for long-distance flights.
Accordingly, when he returned from New York to San Francisco last February, he purchased a first-class ticket, just like he did when he came back. In accordance with Alaska Airlines policy, we informed them before the flight that we would bring pets in the cabin, paid an additional fee of $100 (approximately 130,000 won) per dog at the airport, and moved the dogs into carriers that met the regulations.
However, just before the plane took off, the flight attendants asked them to move to economy class for safety reasons. He protested that moving his dogs would not only make them very anxious but also cause dangerous breathing and heart problems, but this was not accepted.
Contillo said, “The new seats left less room for the dogs to breathe and caused discomfort for the dogs as they came in contact with more people. However, the flight attendants ignored everything they said and kept repeating that they should move to economy class right away.” “He informed of the situation at the time.
Contillo, who eventually followed the flight attendant’s request, claimed that one of his dogs, Ash, showed signs of anxiety by breathing very quickly and heavily immediately after moving the seat. Afterwards, when they arrived in San Francisco, the dog’s body was said to be in a complete state of rigor mortis.
Contillo said of the deceased dog, “He was like a son to me as I did not have children.” He also said he had not received any communication from the airline about the dog’s death until he filed the lawsuit.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, breeds with short snouts, such as pugs or bulldogs, are more likely to have breathing problems during flights, so it is recommended that they be carried in the cabin.
Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines has not made any statement regarding this incident.
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