Bengaluru Family Accuses Air India Of Not Allowing Pet Onboard Flight Despite Permit, Airline Responds
A pet parent from Bengaluru said he followed all Air India rules to carry his dog, Fluffy, in the cabin. However, he was allegedly not allowed to board the flight even after getting a boarding pass.
New Delhi: A Bengaluru-based family was allegedly not allowed onto an Air India flight for which they had booked tickets months in advance because of their pet dog. According to a video shared on Twitter by a man named Sachin Shenoy, he and his family were denied entry to the flight by the captain, though they were given clearance and got their boarding passes.
The family was travelling from Bengaluru to Delhi and then Amritsar on AI 503 on Saturday.
Shenoy said after booking the tickets three months ago he followed the procedure required to carry his pet dog, Fluffy, in the cabin along with them. He also said that he was in constant touch with Air India ahead of their trip to ensure that all formalities are met.
"Our pet weighs 4.2 kilograms and with the bag she is hardly five kilograms heavy. As per the rules, she can fly inside the cabin. She got all checks done and was issued a boarding pass," he said in the video.
https://t.co/lEVEHbEybU…@PMOIndia @JM_Scindia @Manekagandhibjp @tv9kannada @republic @WIONews @timesofindia @TimesNow @MirrorNow @AnimalRightsCom @RNTata2000 pic.twitter.com/VSsUbzh16i
— Sachin Shenoy (@SachinShenoy7) December 17, 2022
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Shenoy said that even after patiently waiting for over four hours, their pet did not create a fuss and was petted by nearly 250 people at the airport.
However, at the last moment, the captain denied them entry and said, “You can leave your pet and go”.
"The pilot, Captain Chopra, denied entry to us or that is what was told to us," he further mentions. He also said that it appeared the flight was overbooked. "We were told that you can leave your pet and go...It is as good as leaving your kid and flying," he said, sharing his ordeal in the video.
Responding to the same, Air India said, "Sir, we love our furry friends as much as you do. Our Bengaluru Airport team had extended all support to ensure your Fluffy could fly with us on board." The airline further said: "The Commander of the flight was not fully satisfied with the cage and muzzle of the pet and hence, they were not allowed to board."
Here you go, clear details of everything pic.twitter.com/hN3bo36MD2
— Sachin Shenoy (@SachinShenoy7) December 17, 2022
"Our laid-down Policy for the Carriage of Pets on Domestic Flights clearly mentions that "pet carriage is subject to the approval of the commander of the flight," the Tata-owned airline mentioned in another tweet.
Responding to the same, Shenoy said, "This is false information, if this was the case your team would not have given her a boarding pass. "We went through all the verification of the qualification of Fluffy"s travel eligibility and fitness 4 hours before the flight. Please stop pedalling white lies."
The airline further offered the family a revalidation of their tickets as a "goodwill gesture" and asked the family to accept the offer.
Later, Shenoy claimed that no one from Air India contacted them regarding this agreement and that they only posted their responses on Twitter in response to public outcry.
"This proves that the response was a sham and as of this tweet 23.27pm, I have had no communication whatsoever from @airindiain. I rest my case and they are #antipet and are #liars," Shenoy tweeted.
Air India's response on the same is awaited.
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