A Bengaluru-based family has posted a video on Twitter accusing Air India of not allowing its pet dog inside the plane despite having a boarding pass. The clip has gone viral in which the family has claimed that they followed all the rules and regulations. The family was travelling from Bengaluru to Delhi and then Amritsar on AI 503 on Saturday.
Sachin Shenoy shared the incident on Twitter. He said that he, along with his wife and daughter, were heading for a 12-day vacation and had booked the tickets for the same three months ago. They were in constant touch with the authorities of the airline regarding flying their pet dog, Fluffy, with them, as per the rules and procedures laid down by Air India.
"Our pet weighs 4.2 kilograms and with the bag she is hardly five kilograms heavy. As per the rules, she can fly inside the cabin. She got all checks done and was issued a boarding pass," he said in the video. Mr Shenoy said that even after patiently waiting for over four hours, their pet did not create a fuss and was petted by nearly 250 people at the airport.
"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. "We were told that you can leave your pet and go...It is as good as leaving your kid and flying," he said, sharing his ordeal in the video. Mr Shenoy claimed that he had suffered "major losses" since he had made all hotel and travel bookings in his destination city.
The video was shared by several users online who showed support to Mr Shenoy. Many labelled the airline as "anti pet" and called for heavy fine imposition on the pilot. Responding to the same, Air India said, "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," the Tata owned airline mentioned in another tweet.
Responding to the same, Mr Shenoy said, "This is false information, if this was the case your team would not have given her a boarding pass."We went through all the verification of the qualification of Fluffy"s travel eligibility and fitness 4 hours before the flight. Please stop pedalling white lies."
The airline further offered the family a revalidation of their tickets as a "goodwill gesture" and asked the family to accept the offer.
However, the family claimed that no one from Air India contacted them regarding this agreement and that they only posted their responses on Twitter in response to public outcry. "This proves that the response was a sham and as of this tweet 23.27pm, I have had no communication whatsoever from @airindiain. I rest my case and they are #antipet and are #liars.," Mr Shenoy concluded.
