Couple receive R27k for being stuck next to farting dog on plane
When your pooch has got to toot, there's no stopping them...
We have heard many stories of people moving seats on a flight due to noisy kids, but rarely have we heard of them moving due to a dog.
Dogs on a plane have become something of an accepted practice by many airlines.
Besides their owners wanting to include them in their travels, sometimes they are used as emotional supporters for people with anxiety.
In this case, as much as the dog was helping its owner emotionally, it was causing the people next to him some discomfort with all the releasing of gases.
Couple Gill and Warren Press were travelling from Paris to Singapore on a 13-hour flight.
And so, they purchased premium class seats for their lengthy travel. But when they got to their seats, they noticed a passenger with a dog was seated next to them.
Gill believed the dog to be an emotional support dog, but what bothered the couple was the fact that the dog kept farting, snorting, and drooling.
Sounds a bit petty in our opinion, but it was a 13-hour flight, so we can understand that they wanted to get some rest.
The couple asked a flight attendant if they could be moved, but the only other seats available were in the economy class.
After bearing too much, they decided to take the economy class seats and filled out an incident report.
The airline was meant to reach out to them based on the report, but according to Gill, they never did. So, she contacted them.
"The couple received an apology and two $73 gift vouchers. Gill said they didn't think this was a fair amount considering the difference in cost between premium and economy seats. Nearly a month later, she said, the airline countered with two travel vouchers worth about $118 each. Still upset that they were receiving just a fraction of their tickets, which Gill said cost around $1,000, they requested more." (MSN)
For more from East Coast Radio
After experiencing some back and forth over the incident, the Presses received $1,410 (R27,000) from the airline.
"The principal wasn't about the money, it was truly about making people accountable," Gill said.
"Ultimately, the couple believes they should have been notified before the flight that they would be seated next to an animal." (MSN)
The couple said they were going to donate the money to an organisation that helps New Zealanders with low vision or blindness with guide dogs.
Image Courtesy of Pexels