A man was delayed in Toronto and missed his flight to San Francisco. Despite assuring him that his cats would not be separated from him, Air Canada sent them on the flight without him. The cats have since been reunited with their owner, but he now is threatening to sue Air Canada. My response is that he should be thankful his cats are still alive…
Man Considering Lawsuit Against Air Canada For Transporting His Cats Without Him
Some of the saddest stories I’ve written on Live and Let’s Fly are when animals (usually dogs) are placed in the cargo belly of a plane and die, usually due to airline negligence. I do not have any pets, but if I did there is no way I would ever check them in the cargo hold of an airplane. Though small, it is not a risk I am willing to take.
Abbas Zoeb is emigrating to the United States, but was held up by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) due to some type of discrepancy with his visa paperwork. As a result, he missed his flight. He claims Air Canada assured him that his cats, Mimi and Bubba, could not travel without him.
But while his checked baggage were pulled off the flight, the cats traveled without him to San Francisco (SFO). Zoeb was initially given the option of traveling to SFO to get the cats or have someone pick them up. Since his emigration was delayed, he asked that the cats be brought back to Toronto. Air Canada agreed and Mimi and Bubba were placed on the flight back, arriving back into YYZ the same day at 11:45pm.
All’s well that ends well?
Not quite. Zoeb laments that the cats were “tired” and “were not playful” and that they were sneezing for several days. Air Canada refunded his ticket, pet fees, other baggage fees, and offered him a C$200 voucher. He’s livd about that and is now threatening to sue, adding:
“$200 is totally insignificant for how much I’ve been going through and how much time I’ve put towards this and what my pets have gone through. I did let them know that that is not an acceptable apology or not an acceptable amount if they want to rectify anything….They said that’s the most they can do.”
I’m not one to shy away from threatening lawsuits when appropriate…but here I really don’t think he can show harm. And his “only $200” complaint rings hollow considering Air Canada refunded his trip when the reason for missing it was beyond its control (blame the U.S. Department of Homeland Security).
Air Canada, commendably it seems to me, has stopped accepting pet reservations through the remainder of summer, acknowledging in essence that it is not worth the risk.
“Due to longer than usual airport delays, and for the safety and comfort of pets, we will not be accepting new requests for pets traveling in the baggage compartment until September 12, 2022.”
(previously-made pet bookings will still be honored)
Interestingly, he will still emigrate to the USA, but leave his cats behind until he can arrange ground transport for them all the way from Toronto to San Francisco. That seems like a big risk too…perhaps the takeaway is that most dogs and cats are not meant to travel long distances.
CONCLUSION
Air Canada sent a pair of cats to San Francisco without their “father.” Now he is threatening to sue Air Canada, even though the cats were reunited with him and are doing well. While I absolutely do not excuse Air Canada for sending Mimi and Bubba without Zoeb, I really think he should be thankful the cats are still alive and only tired or sneezing…
image: Abbas Zoeb / Facebook (beatiful cats!)
Really surprised Air Canada did all of that for him- refunded his ticket, pet fees, other baggage fees, and offered him a C$200 voucher. Usually, Air Canada just tells you to screw off even if they lose your bag.
Emigrating to the U.S.? Dude, we don’t need any more OFFENDED Crybaby people here. We’re trying to get RID of the ones we have. GoHome!
Yeah, they need to get rid of crybabies like you.
People like you are defective
I think you either woke up on the wrong side of the bed or are replying to the wrong comment. I don’t mention any of the things you talk about in your comment lol
Generally find air Canada pretty accomodating once you hit super elite
If only I could sue every time my wife is tired and not playful…
You should. Matthew will post it for sure if you serve her papers on a flight. Think of the fame!
That seems like it would be more of a Kyle post than a Matthew post.
This guy is crazy & clear opportunist. AC took responsibility for his flight even though it was DHS fault. They flew the cats back, which they should. He’s extremely lucky there was a flight the same day. They iced the cake with a voucher too. I wonder what amount he has in mind? Probably just hoping AC pays him to get off their lawn.
Cat people, lol
I think Air Canada likes cats. Meouww!
Regarding the cats not being very playful: They’re traumatized, but cats actually handle this rather stoically.
When I come home after a week vacation, my cat comes up, look at me, says (sort of) “Oh, you’re home. That’s nice.” and then proceeds to go take a dump and sleep for an hour.
But to her, that’s how she copes. She missed me terribly and she needs to get over this but she also then afterward recovers nicely and appreciates me even more and I get loved bombed for a month afterwards.
With dogs, leaving them alone for a week would be so awful that some would consider it extreme abuse. They go nuts when their owner comes home but that’s because they have been emotionally challenged. Cats handle it a lot better.
It’s ok if they’re not playful. They’re relieved. But they will grow even stronger knowing that their owner will be there for them later and handle it better next time.
This guy’s a whiny jackass and should shut up. He should also not be allowed to enter the US, as we have enough snowflakes of our own.
You and Markus can start your own snowflake club lol
Yeah no snowflakes In merica.build a wall! Or ceiling. Which ever one. We don’t want snowflakes!
Unless its up our noses!
I had to fly with our dog when we relocated abroad recently – I had no other choice but to fly her in the hold.*
Alaska did a great job though and I’d highly recommend them.
*My father was an Allergy/Pulmonary specialist. He once in the 90’s had this patient with the absolute worst allergy to pets. After countless tests and treatments, he finally told his patient, “Listen, you have to tell your wife – ‘it’s the animals or me – this is life or death!'”
“Doc, I’m finished,” he shrugged.
Always loved that story / true life Dad joke.
I second the recommendation of Alaska for pet travel. We moved our cat from NYC to Hawaii, which because of HI quarantine rules involves a lot of red tape and requires animals travel in the hold. We had to make an overnight stopover in Seattle so dealt with airline pet check-in/out twice. Alaska staff were great all the way along the route.
JSX is another fabulous airline for pets – I highly recommend, dogs do not have to fly cargo! You just buy an extra seat!