United Airlines Flight Forced To Divert After A Dog Poops In First Class Aisle
A United Airlines flight to Seattle was forced to divert to Dallas after a First Class passenger’s dog poops in the aisle on April 05, Friday.
According to a Reddit post, after the flight diverted, the ground crew spent over 2 hours cleaning the carpets with paper towels.
“The smell never quite went away. First class toilet declared unusable as the dog mess was apparently unresolved in there,” the post read.
The Reddit user, James Hobbs, tells PEOPLE that the people on the flight were given masks and alcohol masks to sniff, due to the strong smell, which made Hobbs “ill”.
Hobbs said the dog excrement was “a very liquid form” and that it was in several places in the aisle, with some even getting on a passenger’s shoe.
In a Reddit comment, Hobbs commended the cabin crew for handling the situation. “Cabin crew was very upset as they tried to represent passenger needs. Accolades to cabin crew who performed very well,” he wrote.
Hobbs added that the food on the flight went bad while they were on ground, and there were only very few snacks left.
He said, “It was a bad situation for passengers, the dog, and that poor owner.”
Furthermore, Hobbs reveals that gate agents kept on yelling at passengers and the cabin crew. He said, “The yelling was a gate agent of some kind who came aboard and yelled at passengers to sit down who were just trying to get away from the smell of the cleaning activities.”
PEOPLE shared that United Airlines confirmed that the incident really did happen.
According to United‘s website, cats and dogs travelling with their owners must be put inside a pet carrier that fits under the seat, and that the only pets allowed without a carrier inside planes are service animals.
Reddit users slammed irresponsible dog owners who bring their dogs to flight, only to cause problems like this.
One user wrote, “All animals need to either be in a crate or in the cargo hold. Only service animals should be for the blind. You don’t need an “emotional support dog” for a freaking plane ride.”
“The “dog lover” crowd has completely destroyed the credibility of service animals. If it’s not a legit service animal, then it must be in a crate under the seat. Sooooo, I’m really hoping that if this was a non-service animal, the owner is held liable for the full costs incurred,” another user wrote.
You can see the full Reddit post here.
