Dog dies after United flight attendant forces it into overhead bin

On Monday night, a dog died in a plane after a United Airlines flight attendant forced the dog into an overhead bin.

Maggie Gremminger, a passenger on a flight from Houston to New York’s LaGuardia Airport, uploaded a photo of the dog’s owners on Twitter. “I want to help this woman and her daughter. They lost their dog because of an @united flight attendant. My heart is broken,” reads the image caption.

The Points Guy reports that during their flight, an attendant insisted that the woman put her dog, which was held in a TSA-approved pet carrier, in an overhead bin for the rest of the flight.

Passengers heard barking during the flight, but didn’t learn that the dog had died until the flight was over.

“There was no sound as we landed and opened his kennel,” passenger June Lara writes in a Facebook post. “There was no movement as his family called his name. I held her baby as the mother attempted to resuscitate their 10 month old puppy.”

Gremminger’s and Lara’s posts about the ordeal are now going viral on social media. United is facing online backlash.

“Another reason I will never ever fly or support doing business with United Airlines!” one Twitter user writes.

A United spokesperson addressed the incident in a statement to The Points Guy: “This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin. We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them. We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again.”

According to United’s website, its policy for onboard pets is: “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.”

could have suffocated if the holes in the carrier were blocked by coats, bags, etc.

I'm not sure at what point people/airlines thought allowing people to bring animals on planes was a good idea. If this dog dying helps bring an end to that practice then I'm glad it died.

i mean, a kitten i get...but a puppy? you guys are the worst.

This was a fucking show dog with fucking papers. You can't board it. It gets upset, its hair falls out.

i mean, a kitten i get...but a puppy? you guys are the worst.

This was a fucking show dog with fucking papers. You can't board it. It gets upset, its hair falls out.

Wife’s friend left her French Bulldog in the car in the garage and it croaked. What a pathetic breed.

This dog's death is on the incompetent owner who insisted on bringing it in the cabin rather than boarding it or checking it into the cargo hold. I have zero sympathy for them. It sucks that the dog died, but maybe the owner should have thought first before shoving it into a overhead bin.

On Monday night, a dog died in a plane after a United Airlines flight attendant forced the dog into an overhead bin.

Terrible, heartless, and downright stupid thoughts from MANY in this thread.

The dog could have just as easily perished in the cargo hold.

Wrong.

The dog could have just as easily perished in the cargo hold.

Frank, let's do an experiment. Take a flight from Houston to NY in the cargo hold. On the way back stuff yourself in the overhead bin. Report back with which location is more ideal.

I'll give you $52 to try it out.

Frank, let's do an experiment. Take a flight from Houston to NY in the cargo hold. On the way back stuff yourself in the overhead bin. Report back with which location is more ideal.

I'll give you $52 to try it out.