Bengaluru family accuses Air India of refusing to allow pet dog on flight

A Bengaluru family posted a video on Twitter stating their pet dog wasn't allowed on an Air India flight from Delhi to Amritsar. The family of three-- a man, wife and their daughter were travelling with their pet 'Fluffy' for a 12-day vacation.

In the video, Sachin Shenoy, who tagged the airline, Maneka Gandhi, the PM's office and some news organisations, said that their pet wasn't allowed to board the aircraft even though they had all the documents including a boarding pass for their dog.

“The weight of our pet is 4.2 kilograms and with the bag, she is hardly five kilograms heavy. As per the AI rules, she can fly inside the cabin. She got all checks done and was issued a boarding pass," Shenoy said in the video he shared on Twitter. He said he was told the family can fly leaving the dog behind.  “It is as good as leaving your kid and flying," he added. "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. 

Shenoy said that despite waiting at the airport for about four hours, their pet did not create a fuss and was petted by nearly 250 people at the airport. Shenoy said they suffered major losses as they had made travel and hotel bookings in the destination city.

Responding to the video on Twitter, Air India wrote, “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 that "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. "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." 

Later the airline said, “However, as a goodwill gesture, we are offering you a revalidation of your tickets for the entire journey tomorrow. Kindly accept our humble offer as we would love Fluffy to fly with us." Shenoy responded the next day, “Where did you disappear, you wanted my number and details, after sharing no call nothing. This shows it was a response just to reduce the backlash," he tweeted.