A Bengaluru-based family has accused Air India of not allowing its pet dog despite having a boarding pass and following all the rules and regulations.
The family, that was travelling from Bengaluru to Delhi and then Amritsar, took to Twitter to express their resentment. Meanwhile, netizens have expressed outrage after the video went viral.
The Bengalurean identified as Sachin Shenoy was heading for a 12-day vacation with his wife, daughter and their pet dog Fluffy. He had booked the tickets three months back and was in constant touch with the airline authorities regarding the flying of Fluffy.
"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.
In the video, he can be heard saying the pilot, Captain Chopra, denied entry to us. He further mentions that they were told to go, leaving behind the dog. He can be heard saying that it is as good as leaving your kid and flying.
Shenoy claimed that he suffered huge losses as he had made all hotel and travel bookings in his destination city.
However, Air India responded to Mr Shenoy and 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. But, 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.”
Mr Shenoy responded to their tweet and 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.”
No sooner, Shenoy shared the video, Twitter users slammed the airlines and labelled it as ‘anti-pet’. Many have called for heavy fine imposition on the pilot.