UA Flight experiences

[MM 6,562]

I had the good fortune to be upgraded by a friend from my normal travel class to 1st class on both my outbound and return flight from BKK to San Francisco (SFO). Travelling 1st class on a transpacific flight is not my usual mode, and I was looking forward to a restful and filling (1st class food

 

Well, as it turned out, it was marred by the presence of ... well, an American woman and her big dog. All through my trip I was reminded of the good reasons why I had left the USA. This woman used the ADA (Americans with Disabilties Act) to browbeat the airline into letting her f...ing PET travel with her in the 1st class cabin.

 

Here is my story as I related it to UA in their flight survey report.

 

SURVEY for SFO-NRT leg

As a 1st class cabin passenger, I was somewhat upset that United had allowed a woman to board the plane with a very large dog. She appears to have convinced someone that the dog was a "service dog" or "seeing eye dog", but as soon as we got under way, it was clear she could see quite well, was using a computer, and speaking to the dog, not as a service dog, but as a pet. She was initially in 2J, the seat in front of me, but moved to the seat to my left (I was in 3J). Her behavior and the demands on the cabin staff made the whole trip less than 1st class. See my comments for the NRT-BKK leg of the trip where it turned into a nightmare.

My problem is that UA should have stringent criteria for allowing a dog on in the cabin, and this woman appears to have bullied her way into getting someone to okay it, because she appears to be a sue-happy disabled persons' rights advocate. It was an inconvenience for the other passengers and the cabin crew, and whoever okayed her doing that should be reviewed and counselled.

 

 

SURVEY RESPONSE NRT-BKK

As I said in the SFO-NRT leg of this trip, someone at UA allowed a woman to bring a large dog into the 1st class cabin, supposedly as a "service dog". It was a PET. It took up to 4 cabin personnel to try to get the dog to relieve itself by the galley between the 1st and business sections. This was disgusting, but apparently necessary because the dog didn't "go" from SFO, or at NRT, and the woman was complaining that the dog needed to relieve itself. God. Anyway, on final approach, while I was in 2J and she was seated with her dog in 1A, the dog finally let loose a load of extremely stinky poo on the carpets. The first 3 rows of 1st had the passengers holding blankets and pillows over their noses as we descended into BKK. It was horrible, and certainly not in keeping with what I would expect from a 1st class flight on a first class airline.

If anyone would like to contact me, my email is XXXXX. I have photos of this dog while the cabin staff are trying to get it to relieve itself.

Whoever approved this woman bringing her dog on this flight (I had to suffer the damned thing from SFO-NRT, and then NRT-BKK), should be reprimanded.

She explained on the NRT-BKK flight to a fellow passenger that she didn't want to put the dog in a kennel in the cargo because "some dogs die". Well, some dogs ought not to fly 1st class either.

 

Here she is with her dog. I doubt she'll get very far with her "I'm disabled and you have to take my dog in your taxi" crap in BKK.

 

 

The following are pictures of the cabin staff (up to 4 FA's) trying to make a place for the dog to eliminate on the flight to BKK. Note that this is next to the galley area

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's where the cabin staff, in order to mask the smell, poured coffee all over the carpets (that is right next to my seat).

 

[touristman 1]

lol ................quality ..........unlucky.

 

I wouldn't have been happy if i had paid big bucks for the ticket.

 

Still, the Thai cabin staff seem to be taking it in good sprits.I wonder if the changeover cleaning staff will be as magnanimous?

 

Made me chuckle

[MM 6,562]

lol

 

I wouldn't have been happy if i had paid big bucks for the ticket.

 

Still, the Thai cabin staff seem to be taking it in good sprits.I wonder if the changeover cleaning staff will be as magnanimous?

 

Made me chuckle

 

Yeah, it was one of those things where you either laugh or cry.

[joekicker 53]

Yeah, it was one of those things where you either laugh or cry.

 

When I went to the pix, I was trying to imagine if they were the 60-year-old "girls" and limp-wristed fellers with round eyes.

 

Might not have been so sanuk about it, I imagine. What a phuocking nightmare. I'll keep an eye out for this biddy in the next few days. It would be nice to "run into her" in Bangkok.

[MM 6,562]

When I went to the pix, I was trying to imagine if they were the 60-year-old "girls" and limp-wristed fellers with round eyes.

That was what I got on the trip from BKK to SFO. Wide bottomed 60 yo FA's who couldn't be bothered to reach across to serve drinks. At the dinner meal, she just came by and literally threw the "tablecloth" at my pull out dining surface. I didn't think or imagine it could get worse. I mean, after all, it was 1st class, right?

 

Might not have been so sanuk about it, I imagine. What a phuocking nightmare. I'll keep an eye out for this biddy in the next few days. It would be nice to "run into her" in Bangkok.

From overhearing her loud conversation with the reluctantly attentive guy in the seat in front of me, she'll be making the rounds of hospitals looking for some kind of treatment for some litany of ailments. Bumrungrad was mentioned, so that would be the place to start. I'm trying to imagine her getting the dog into any hospital area. She does do a pretty good, short term, impersonation of a blind person, however.

[cannonball83204 78]

Martin, that really sucks! I can't imagine having to put up with that myself. Apparently she has more money than brains to be able to travel first class around the world with a stinkin, shittin, dog. Service dog, that's a great laugh or in your case cry. Hope you get some satisfaction out of UA, but I wouldn't hold my breath until that happens. All any of them care about is the money in the corporate coffers and it shows when they allow bitches like this to screw up everybody else's travel experiences. Hopefully you weren't the only one to complain.....Reggie

[MM 6,562]

Martin, that really sucks! I can't imagine having to put up with that myself. Apparently she has more money than brains to be able to travel first class around the world with a stinkin, shittin, dog. Service dog, that's a great laugh or in your case cry. Hope you get some satisfaction out of UA, but I wouldn't hold my breath until that happens. All any of them care about is the money in the corporate coffers and it shows when they allow bitches like this to screw up everybody else's travel experiences. Hopefully you weren't the only one to complain.....Reggie

 

My guess is that she didn't pay for the 1st class seats, but because she had a big dog, insisted on having enough room for it. There's a thread started by another passenger on FlyerTalk.com ( http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=757579 ) to which I responded.

[cannonball83204 78]

Martin, I read the comments on the flyertalk forum and there are some very valid points made there, but like I said earlier, don't hold our breath until your get satisfaction from UA. Take care.....Reggie

[kev0184 12]

now that really sucks!!! i had a flight from africa to the UK a few years back with a seeing eye dog in business class, the dog was extremly well behaved, well until it crapped on the exit walkway once we landed, but makes me think that the dog you had on there was not a well trained seeing eye dog at all.

 

a huge letter to the airline is called for, and follow it up with e-mails etc, dont let them fob you off mate

[FatherMojo 2]

Oh hell no.... and it crapped on the carpet?!

 

 

FatherMojo

[pattayachip 0]

mm,nobody hould have to put up with that,no matter if they paid full fare or if it was a freeby,i think the airline owes you 1 round trip ticket,if you follow thru i bet you could get one,if not a little persistance and other avenues will get you one,as you are trully intitled to one and remember a picture says ......... to bad you couldn't videotape some,that would have been worth 2 1st class tickets anyway lol

[N3RGT 118]

"This woman used the ADA (Americans with Disabilties Act) to browbeat the airline into letting her f...ing PET travel with her in the 1st class cabin"

 

This is a prime example of the morass of political correctness at work, in which many areas of the western world

are currently immersed.

In tandem with the "sue happy legislative mentality" that exists in USA(sorry guys), no wonder that

this type of shit occurs. .Compensation culture is sure to play a part here, as earlier described !...

but I think an open First Class Round the World Ticket for a family of four might be pushing it a bit !!

 

IMHO you are taking precisely the correct action playing them at their own game, within the parameters of their

own mindset and agenda(that allowed this crap to happen in the first place), to get what redress you rightly deserve.

I just feel sorry for the poor bloody dog, who must have been really confused in what would have been

a totally alien environment, and in part made to be a scapegoat !

As for the bitch....... well she should be charged with aggravated abuse of "The Americans with Disabilities Act"

and the general abuse of innocent animals...and yes, I agree she will get short shrift, if she should try out any similar shit in LOS.

Edited November 16, 2007 by n3rgt

[Sailfast 503]

Unfukcing believable. Well, unfortunately I'm not as shocked as I should be. You should get a free ticket out of the deal, or another upgrade for you next flight.

 

 

 

Maybe you should find out who she is and take her to court for damages?

[Eneukman 1]

Martin,

 

Check the UA web-site to see what their criteria for so-called service dogs are.

 

I found this on the British Airway's US web-site

 

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/askba...earch_text=pets

 

so I imagine American airlines will have similar procedures. From a quick look at BA's requirements, it seems the dog would have gone in the hold or not at all.

 

Wit a bit of luck, UA might cancel the return portion of her ticket.

 

Alan

[BigDUSA 71]

I 'feel' for you bro. Back in the cheap seats where I usually fly we're packed in like sardines and fortunately there's no room for a large dog.

 

Seriously write a letter enclose the photo and if you have a picture of her using her laptop send that in also. UA most likely will send you a few system wide upgrade certificates.

[jimmac 66]

Here's the Air Canada policy:

 

http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/air...ggage/pets.html

 

No pets in the cabin and no pets in baggage. You can book them only as cargo in a special category for live animals.

 

Guide dogs are acceptable but they must be certified and the certificate must be provided to the airline.

 

AC is a fellow Star Alliance member with UA. You might want to cite that in your letter to UA. I'd go ballistic if I was in First or Business and had to put up with literal crap you had to endure. UA owe you compensation.

[jacko 8,815]

Had I been a passenger who had paid for a first class seat, I would have been tempted to ask to be put on another flight, perhaps claiming dog allergy disability.

 

 

 

I am not travelling all the way to Bangkok sharing a cabin with a dog...... although I know he won't mind!

[onelilley 6]

Martin,

 

I cannot believe an airline would be so stupid to allow this to happen, surely they have correct procedures in place for properly qualified passengers with guide dogs. To be bullied into allowing this old bitch into 1st class with what is obviously not a properly trained animal is just insane.

 

You are a better man than me, I would have given the old bitch a massive piece of my mind when the dog started shiting near me. I don't blame the poor dog at all, I blame the stupid bitch for taking it on board.

 

Sounds like you are complaining the correct way to the airline, at least a return ticket in way of compensation should be offered to you.

 

A current affairs program would have a ball with this story, especially seen you have pictures, I'm sure the airline wouldn't want that sort of publicity.

 

At times things aren't always about the money, but everyone in 1st class has paid good money for a 1st class ride, therefore the airline should offer everyone in 1st class some sort of an apology in the way of future travel etc, I hope you get something out of it.

 

I will be interested to see the result from your e-mails.

 

 

onelilley.