Singapore Airlines Passengers Demand Refund After Farting Dog Disrupts Their Flight

A couple flying with Singapore Airlines from Paris to Singapore have asked for a refund after they were sat next to a “drooling and farting” dog. The passengers were seated in premium economy but ultimately decided to move back to economy to escape the flatulent dog.

Passengers demand refund after sitting next to dog

The Wellington-based couple, Gill and Warren Press, were headed for New Zealand and embarked on the first leg of their journey, a 13-hour flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Singapore Changi (SIN), this June. They had shelled out for premium economy seats and found themselves placed next to a passenger accompanied by an emotional support dog.

Gill Press told Stuff,

“I heard this noise – a heavy snorting. I thought it was my husband’s phone, but we looked down and realized it was the dog breathing. I said, ‘I’m not having this sitting next to us the whole trip’.”

The couple raised their concerns with a flight attendant but were told that the only available seats were in the back row in economy. As such, they decided to remain in their premium seats in the hope things would be tolerable.

Photo: Christian Heinz / Shutterstock

The passenger was overheard saying that his dog was an emotional support animal – Singapore Airlines officially banned emotional support animals from all flights in April, two months before this flight. However, the airline has stated that it will still honor requests for support animals placed before the ban came into effect.

Farts, drooling and using up legroom

About halfway through the flight, the couple said the smell had become unbearable as the dog had been letting rip, no doubt exacerbated by the pressurized cabin. The dog was also too big to share its owner’s seat, meaning it had to lie on the floor and took up legroom from Warren’s side.

Gill Press added,

“[The passenger] couldn’t have the dog out in the aisle because they couldn’t get the trolleys through, so it had to come in further, which meant his head was under my husband’s feet. My husband was in shorts, and was getting the dog’s saliva goo on his leg.”

After speaking again to a flight attendant, the couple was offered a pair of seats in the front row of economy that had been reserved for staff. They decided to take the offer and saw out the rest of the journey in economy class.

Vouchers were not accepted

After they were told the incident had been logged and they would be contacted, Gill emailed the airline a week after the flight and eventually was offered a SG$100 ($73) gift voucher for the airline’s KrisShop website. They were not happy with this offer and wrote back to the airline, who responded three weeks later with a $117 travel voucher.

This was still not satisfactory, as they had shelled out a lot more than this for a premium economy fare. The couple are now seeking a full refund for the first leg of their journey, which they claim was not “the experience we paid for.”

Photo: Tsuguliev / Shutterstock

Gill added that they weren’t informed they would be sat next to a support animal before the flight. Singapore Airlines has since said it is in direct contact with the couple to resolve the issue.

A Singapore Airlines spokesperson added,

“Singapore Airlines endeavours to notify customers who may be seated next to an assistance dog prior to boarding the flight. We sincerely apologise that this did not occur in this case, and will work with our airport teams to ensure that this lapse does not occur in future.”

Have you ever had to endure an experience like this onboard a flight? Do you agree with Singapore Airlines’ decision to ban emotional support animals? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Stuff