Sachin Shenoy, a resident of Bengaluru, has accused Air India of not allowing his pet dog inside the flight despite having a boarding pass. In the video shared on Twitter, he claimed that he followed all the rules and regulations. Sachin travelled with his family on AI 503 from Bengaluru to Delhi and then to Amritsar on Saturday.
Tickets Booked Three Months In Advance
Sachin Shenoy said he is going on a 12-day vacation with his wife and daughter. He had booked tickets for this three months ago. He was in constant touch with the airline officials to fly pet dog Fluffy with him per the rules and procedures laid down by Air India.
Boarding Pass Issued To Fluffy
Sachin said in the video tweeted that Our Fluffy weighs 4.2 kg, and he is hardly five kilograms heavy with the bag. As per the rules, she can fly inside the cabin. He got all the checks done and was also issued a boarding pass.
Sachin said that even after waiting patiently for over four hours, his pet didn’t make a fuss and was loved by around 250 people at the airport. Pilot Captain Chopra refused us entry.
Asked To Travel Without A Pet
Sharing his ordeal in the video, Sachin said, “We were told that you could leave your pet and go…It’s like leaving your child and flying.” They claimed they had suffered a ‘huge loss’ as they had made all hotel and travel bookings in their destination city.
The video was shared by several users who extended their support to Shenoy. Many called the airline anti-pet and demanded heavy fines on the pilot. Responding to the same, Air India said, Sir, we love our dear friends as much as you do. Our Bangalore airport team did everything possible to ensure that your fluffy one can fly with us.
However, the Commander of the flight was not fully satisfied with the cage and muzzle of the pet which is why he could not allow it to be carried in the cabin. 2/n
— Air India (@airindiain) December 17, 2022
The airline further stated that ‘the flight commander was not completely satisfied with the pet’ and hence it was not allowed to board. In another tweet, the Tata-owned airline said, “Our laid down policy for carriage of pets on domestic flights clearly states that carriage of pets is subject to the approval of the flight commander.”
Then Why Was The Boarding Pass Given
Responding to this, Shenoy said, This is wrong information; if it were so, your team would not have given him the boarding pass. We carried out all verifications of Fluffy’s travel eligibility and fitness 4 hours before the flight. Please stop telling white lies.
Twitter Reaction Only
The airline further offered the family a reevaluation of their tickets as a ‘goodwill gesture’ and asked them to accept the offer. However, the family claimed that no one from Air India contacted them regarding the settlement and only posted their response on Twitter in response to the public outcry.
Antipet Is The Airline
Sachin said, ‘This proves that the response was a sham, and as per this tweet at 23.27, I had no communication from Air India. I rest my case. They are antipathy and liars.’
