A dog was found dead after being stuffed in a travel bag and stored in an overhead bin during a United Airlines flight.
The French bulldog was traveling Monday with its owner and her children from Houston to New York. A flight attendant ordered the passenger to store the dog in her carrier, passenger June Lara wrote in a Facebook post.
Other passengers reportedly heard the dog, believed to be 10 months old, barking during the flight before it was found dead upon landing at LaGuardia Airport.
“There was no sound as we landed and opened his kennel,” Lara wrote. “There was no movement as his family called his name.”
Maggie Gremminger, another passenger, was heartbroken over the family’s loss.
“I want to help this woman and her daughter,” she tweeted. “They lost their dog because of an @united flight attendant. My heart is broken.”
United Airlines said it was investigating the incident and expressed its condolences to the family.
“This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin,” the company 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.”
The airline’s pet policy states, “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,” the policy reads.
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