A man was supposed to fly with his dog in the cargo hold from London, England to Nashville, Tennessee. Instead, he flew to Tennessee and British Airways sent the dog to Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Now the man and his wife want hefty cash compensation, but British Airways has only offered miles.
British Airways Sends Dog From London To Nashville…Via Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Poor Bluebell. She was supposed to travel with her one of “parents” to Nashville, where they were starting a new life with a move from England. Instead British Airways and its sister IAG Cargo placed Bluebell on a flight to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
When James Miller landed Nashville International Airport and found out their dog was over 7,000 miles away, he and his wife Madison (who had traveled ahead of them the day before to make preparations for their arrival) were left with more questions than answers.
How could Bluebell possibly have been placed on a flight to RUH instead of BNA? How could such a careless mistake not been detected?
The good news is that two days later, Bluebell finally arrived alive in Nashville after returning from Riyadh via London once again. The bad news is that Bluebell appeared extremely traumatized from the move and having to spend roughly 60 hours in her cage with limited movement, food, and drink.
A British Airways spokesperson told NPR:
“We are very sorry for the recent error that occurred during Bluebell’s trip to Nashville.
“Every dog that travels long-haul with transfers will be checked and their water bowls replenished. At London-Heathrow the team at Heathrow Animal Reception Centre cared for Bluebell, allowing her to stretch her legs, and receive refreshments prior to her onward journey home.”
How charitable…
British Airways offered the couple 50,000 Avios for their inconvenience. The couple counteroffered at $9,810 cash, for expenses including:
- Behavioral therapy
- 3x daily doses of anxiety medication
- Home repairs for what Bluebell destroyed in their new house (including chewing through a wooden door)
The Millers blame Bluebell’s behavior on separation anxiety caused by the British Airways blunder.
I think Amol has the right idea:
My dog also has an AirTag on her https://t.co/o6HqkoHlIA
— Amol (@PointsToPointB) December 20, 2022
I do hope that Bluebell is able to get over the trauma.
CONCLUSION
Every time I stumble upon a story like this, I have to wonder why people check their dogs in the first place. Of course it may be necessary sometimes (the world doesn’t play the “Psychiatric Service Animals” game like we do in the USA) but honestly, if I had a dog or cat that I truly loved, I’d cross the Atlantic via ship.
The positive thing is that dog has now Executive Club Gold status with BA.
Opportunistic entitlement couple looking for 10k for a mistake.
And you are correct, the world sees through the “service animal” gimmick too many use here.
And just what we need, more British moving here, bringing their crazy views and habits. Nashville is growing too fast already, last thing it needs is some tea drinkers like the guy that dressed as a Nazi and his crazy wife.
Relax
“if I had a dog or cat that I truly loved, I’d cross the Atlantic via ship.”
I agree.
Oh God, these white people and their dogs.
Dogs are animals, not your children. Most white women use dogs as replacements for children they don’t have.
Dogs are dirty and the Saudis should have euthanized it.
Sounds like you’ve got some issues here
Ever think the dog is not the one who should be put down?
I agree in spirit but I don’t think we should kill childless white women.
you really don’t get it
you are not smart
Are you good bro? Who hurt you?
I believe you’ve blocked them, but @TravelFake pretty much called this!
I know my readers and they know me.
$10k doesn’t sound crazy, they’re clearly not trying to fleece BA
I moved from DC to Costa Rica earlier this year with my wife and our large dog. Our options were sending her as unattended cargo on DHL (never), driving to Miami and chartering a flight ($25K), or fly on Alaska Airlines with her in the baggage hold.
Even though we had to fly AS from BWI-SEA-LAX-LIR, as pets can only fly on their Boeing aircraft, they did an absolutely wonderful job. At check in, AS attaches a form with tear-off sections to the crate and the flight attendants will give you part of the form as confirmation the pet has been loaded before the cabin door closes.
We had an AirTag on her collar, another in her crate, and took a 24 hour layover in SEA as a break. A crew member came by on each flight and told us she was doing well. I can’t recommend AS enough!
On another note, I applied for the AS Visa card, received the $100 companion fare, and status challenged to MVP Gold 75K – we were instantly upgraded to F on 2 of the 3 flights, didn’t clear on one, but had extra legroom, and 3 free priority checked bags each – I’m sure having status made the journey that much smoother as well.
All these comments, yet not a single mention of the lack of proofreading in this article…..
Other than you, who the F cares? Are you that perfect and think you are special? The world will survive with a few errors that make no difference in the intent of the story.
This is a blog, not a legal document. No wonder why so many think this site, and those like it, are filled with elite assholes who think they are better than others.
@Matthew – Even for (admittedly very few) people that have the time and inclination, most people are not in the financial position to do as you suggest and take a cruise across the ocean to avoid flying with their pet. While I suppose that it’s nice that you qualify on all fronts, your suggestion pretty much comes across as “Let Them Eat Cake”.
Says the “wine” or is it “whine” guy.
Talk about Let them eat cake.
It’s cold outside. Go back to your residence in your mother’s basement. Maybe when you’re a big boy and not just in your 40’s like now you’ll understand how adult discourse works. Meanwhile it’s adult time, so hush.
50,000 Avios cost about $1,400 per the ba website so give them the cash and call it a day. Lawsuits can be costly and are not easy to win for the dog owners.