Frontier airlines kicked a cancer-surviving grandmother in her sixties, Julie Fishback, off their plane because the pet carrier holding her Jack Russell Terrier was two-inches too long. This surprised Julie, who had made the two-hour trek to the airport several days before to confirm that she would be allowed to fly with the “universally accepted” carry-on pet carrier she had recently purchased.
According to Julie’s daughter, the Frontier flight attendant who booted Julie from the plane claimed that the Jack Russell Terrier “was a safety hazard for the other passengers.”
“I had to go the parking lot and cry, I didn’t know what to do,” Fishback said. “They were rude, they didn’t accommodate me … it was just a dreadful experience.”Tired of fighting, she turned around and went home.
“I think these people just don’t care,” Fishback said. “No one is held accountable for their actions.”
Frontier spokesman Joe Hodas apologized Monday for what happened.
“Our goal is to make sure that when people fly, 100 percent of our customers are happy with the experience,” he said. “Obviously, with Mrs. Fishback, we missed the mark.”
Before Nov. 5, Frontier flights didn’t allow pets to be carried on at all, Hodas said, so the rules are still fairly new to everyone. He didn’t know exactly how the mistake was made, but said the employee who originally checked the case might have either mismeasured it or just “eyeballed” it and thought it was OK.
Frontier refunded Julie’s fare and is looking for “an incentive of some kind to help make up for the inconvenience.” What can any airline really offer to compensate for a ruined Christmas trip to visit your daughter?
Grandmother stuck at home on Christmas [Longmont Times-Call]
(Photo: Ty Holland)
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At first it sounded like an interesting story, but as soon as I seen “cancer-surviving grandmother” – I stopped reading.
If the story needs to put in that at the very start to gain sympathy, well then I don’t even care to read the rest.
If she weren’t a cancer survivor, would the carrier have been allowed?
If she weren’t a grandmother. would the carrier have been allowed?
Man, it sounds as if no one has heard the horror stories of animals being accidentally placed in the NON-pressurized cargo hold of the plane. I have heard that Delta is good about pets in the cargo hold.
For all of you that say dog owners should board their dog instead, what happens in a situation like mine. My wife and I have flown back to my hometown in NC from our home in South FL. We bought a dog while here in NC, a nine week old Schnoodle. We bought him here in NC, b/c there were some local breeders, whereas there where no breeders in South FL.
I have already contacted my airline (the great USAir) and have reserved an in-cabin pass for our puppy. He is being crate trained as I type this, in hopes that the flight will go fairly smooth. I refuse to place a nine-week old puppy in the cargo hold or ship him.
I’m sure the woman didn’t ask a random person, like a janitor, if it was acceptable. How was she to know what person was the best to ask? The point is, despite what you think she should have done or could have done, what the freakin’ post is about, is that she got permission ahead of time. Then the airline didn’t honor the previous employees decision & threw her off. Think about if you were in the same situation, not on an airline, but at a local retail store. She didn’t make a scene, she left. Whether you agree with her taking her dog on or not, it’s a ridiculous situation.
“do more research?”
The lady traveled two hours to the airport several days before her flight specifically to ask whether her pet carrier would be allowed on the plane, and was told that it would be.
What more research should she have done? Should she have gone to the airport several times to ask the same question?
I agree with the comment upthread that there are starting to be a lot of judgmental comments around here that have nothing to do with the topic.
Someone else here made the authoritative, and completely baseless, statement, that the daughter “doesn’t want you to bring the dog anyway.” How the hell would you know that, commenter? It is never mentioned or alluded to in any way whatsoever in the article. You’re just projecting your own feelings on the situation, and they have nothing to do with the topic at hand.
The discussion level is getting more toxic by the day, and I don’t really understand what’s prompting it.
I just traveled with my dog for the first time. Here’s what I can tell you about the experience:
We reviewed the several airlines’ websites for pet rules.
We also went to the airport for a confirmation from a ticketing agent (who verifies your bags when you check in) that our carrier would be acceptable. In fact, we brought a couple for them to choose from.
Most airlines determine cabin vs. check based on the weight of the dog.
Our dog sat under the seat perfectly quietly for all 4 flights (departure and return) while numerous babies and young children made god awful amounts of racket on 3 of those 4 flights.
Most vets recommend NOT giving your dog a sedative to fly because the side effects of medications are not tested on animals in pressurized environments.
Some breeds with short noses (e.g. pugs) can’t fly at all.
Flying with your dog is not cheap – we paid $85 each way for an ‘excess baggage’ charge. However, in comparing that with $80/day “holiday” rates at the boarding facility (for a 10 day trip), bringing the dog actually made the most sense.
United only allows 2 dogs per cabin. Why? I couldn’t figure that out…
Overall, it was a good experience and I would do it again if the costs were even close to comparable. As a responsible dog owner, I think this woman did what was reasonable and basically the same thing that I did in advance.
Looks like I’m not flying Frontier either!