Dog Dies After United Flight Attendant Insists Carrier Be Put in Overhead Bin

On Monday night, a passenger boarded United Flight 1284 from Houston Intercontinental to New York–LaGuardia with a small dog inside a TSA-compliant carrier. According to the passenger, a flight attendant then demanded that the carrier and animal be placed in the overhead bin for the duration of the flight, instead of under the seat, as is common practice. A witness wrote on Facebook that the passenger protested, but eventually complied. The dog then died sometime during the flight, according to The Points Guy.

Per United's in-cabin pet policy, "a pet traveling in cabin must be carried in an approved hard-sided or soft-sided kennel. The kennel must fit completely under the seat in front of the customer and remain there at all times." As such, people traveling with an in-cabin pet cannot be seated in an emergency exit or bulkhead row.

"This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin," United said in a statement. "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." United has also been in contact with the passenger and offered to pay for an autopsy of the animal, according to CNN.

Pet deaths in the cabin are rare. But as previously reported by Traveler's Rachel Rabkin Peachman, dozens of animals died flying in cargo on U.S. airlines in 2016; United has one of the highest incidences of pet deaths. In April 2017, Simon, a three-foot-long, ten-month-old Continental Giant rabbit, was found dead in the cargo section of a Boeing 767 upon arrival at Chicago O'Hare.

The incident comes at a time when airlines are tightening rules on traveling with emotional support animals, who are not subject to the same $125 fee as in-cabin pets.

On Thursday, United had more pet-related problems when the carrier accidentally sent a dog bound for Kansas to Japan (and a Great Dane that was supposed to go to Japan went to Kansas).

"An error occurred during connections in Denver for two pets sent to the wrong destinations," said United in an apology. "We have notified our customers that their pets have arrived safely and will arrange to return the pets to them as soon as possible. We apologize for this mistake and are following up with the vendor kennel where they were kept overnight to understand what happened," the airline said.

The dog, a ten-year-old German shepherd named Irgo, will be sent today from Tokyo's Narita Airport to Wichita by private charter.

This article was originally published on March 13. It has been updated with new information.