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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