It was a ruff flight.
A New Zealand couple are demanding a refund after they spent a 13-hour flight stuck next to a flailing, farting and whining dog.
Gill and Warren Press said their Singapore Airlines flight from Paris – which they charged extra for premium economy seats – was marred by a noisy and gassy emotional service dog.
“I heard this sound – a loud grunt,” Gill told New Zealand outlet Stuff, adding that she originally thought it was coming from her husband’s phone before realizing it was the dog’s labored breathing.
“I said, ‘I’m not going to sit next to us the whole way.’”
The couple said they overheard the owner telling other passengers that the chubby pup eased his worries, however, they insisted the dog appeared distressed and struggling with his own suffering.
When they raised concerns with a flight attendant, the exasperated traveler said, the host offered to move them to the only seat available – in the back row of economy.
The Presses decided it wasn’t worth giving up the luxury seats they’d spent on for the long haul to their stopover in Singapore.
But their patience reached a breaking point halfway through the 13-hour journey — when certain smells could no longer be ignored.
The canine started farting as it got closer to their personal space, the couple said.
The emotional service dog writhed at Warren Press’ feet and farted throughout the flight, the couple said. STUFF
“[The owner] couldn’t take the dog out in the hallway because they couldn’t fit the cart in, so it had to go further in, which meant his head was under my husband’s leg,” said Gill.
“My husband was wearing shorts, and got the dog’s saliva on his leg.”
Finally, the Presses decided they couldn’t wait any longer and accepted the flight attendant’s offer to seat them in the front row of the economy cabin that had been reserved for staff.
The attendant promised that she would file an incident report and the airline would contact her.
The couple were traveling on a 13-hour Singapore Airlines flight from Paris to their stopover in Singapore.REUTERS
However, the couple claimed that Singapore Airlines did not contact them until they started harassing its customer service team.
The Presses were eventually offered a $125 gift voucher for the airline’s KrisShop website, which was later upgraded to a $200 travel voucher for each of them.
But the couple rejected both, claiming neither made up the difference in value between the expensive premium economy seats and the economy seats they moved to.
Now they are demanding that Singapore Airlines provide a full refund for the trip.
The couple said they were also unhappy that the airline failed to inform them in advance that the animals would be on board.
“We didn’t receive the experience we paid for,” they said.
A spokesperson for Singapore Airlines told Suff that they would continue to be in touch with the Press regarding their grievances and reiterated their apologies for the inconvenience.
“Singapore Airlines endeavors to inform customers who may be seated next to an assistance dog before boarding the flight,” the airline said in a statement.
“We apologize that this did not happen in this case, and will work with our airport team to ensure this error does not occur in the future.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
