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Home » United Airlines » “Service” Dogs In Silk Pajamas Enjoy Their Own United Airlines Polaris Business Class Seat
United Airlines

“Service” Dogs In Silk Pajamas Enjoy Their Own United Airlines Polaris Business Class Seat

Matthew Klint Posted onApril 22, 2024 39 Comments

a dog in a pink shirt on a chair

A pair of dogs lounging in silk pajamas in their own Polaris Business Class seat on United Airlines leaves me wondering how far we are willing to go to coddle dog lovers in what appears to be a blight unique to the US airline industry.

Dogs Rest Comfortably In Silk Pajamas In Polaris Business Class On United Airlines

Two (admittedly very cute) York Terrier dogs are pictured resting comfortably on passenger pillows in a United Polaris Business Class Suite.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5-77xorM0-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The girls are always happy to spread peace, love and happiness. Emily may look like she was judging, but in reality she was just wishing they would hurry up with boarding and turn the lights off!!

Oh, but do not worry. They are service animals, not just pets dressed up as children.

“Amy and Emily are task-trained service animals, and are able to fly carrier free!”

Part of me thinks this was all just a set-up for Instagram: a publicity stunt meant to capitalize on the curiosity that naturally comes from dogs occupying a business class seat that costs thousands of dollars to sit in. Perhaps the owner just stepped across the aisle to snap some pictures before returning to her seat.

Based on the Instagram posts surrounding this one, it seems they flew from Newark to Paris, an overnight flight of about seven hours.

As View From The Wing wonders, “The dogs are going to need to potty. And the truth is that planes aren’t cleaned that extensively between flights, and also that Yorkies are notoriously difficult to potty train in any case.”

I’m no expert on how long dogs can hold it, but that’s not even my primary concern (though the recent mess on another United Airlines flight was just disgusting…).


> Read More: Chihuahua Relieves Himself On United Airlines Flight…All Over Seat
> Read More: United Airlines Flight Diverts After Dog Defecates In First Class Cabin


On the other hand, if a seat was actually purchased for these dogs…well, better than scamming the system by claiming you have a disability and placing them for free at your feet, right?

I find it lamentable that dogs are treated like babies but others find babies horrible period and prefer dogs. It is what it is and the point of this story is not to debate that…

But I do wonder how plausible it is that dogs dressed in silk pajamas sleeping on an airplane are really performing tasks in service to their human.

And if it is “comfort” across the aisle or some other skill of telepathy they are providing, is not then every dog a service dog?


image: @nycyorkiegirls / Instagram

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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39 Comments

  1. Your daddy Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 10:29 am

    Freaking ridiculous… we know how well airlines clean after each flight, now someone gets to sit in a business class seat after these dogs, sure they will love it.

    All animals should be banned from the plane . It is out of control. I’ve seen 100 pound dogs, no way they are staying at their owners feet and not in my space for an entire flight.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      April 22, 2024 at 10:40 am

      Well at least on this we agree.

    • Stella Reply
      April 22, 2024 at 2:40 pm

      Totally disagree. It’s none of my business if they are on the flight. As long as they’re taken care of and well behaved I doubt anyone will ever know they were there. I don’t care what class cabin they ride in, it’s no one’s business.

      • Jack Blank Reply
        April 22, 2024 at 3:39 pm

        Hope they don’t crap next to you. Wouldn’t be too cute then would it?

      • Sal Reply
        April 23, 2024 at 7:22 am

        What are you talking about? What you do at home is no one’s business. What happens on a public air carrier is everyone’s business. You don’t own the seat on your flight, you’re renting it. Those are lie flat seats meant to be slept in hy people. Planes aren’t kennels. And I love dogs. I just also respect the fact that not everyone does.

  2. Chi Hsuan Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 10:37 am

    But they’re soooooooooooo cute!

    • Alert Reply
      April 22, 2024 at 11:56 am

      And they carry sooooo many iutestine parasites in their mouths to spread onto humans when they lick .

  3. Rob Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 10:44 am

    No way those are service animals.

  4. pelican55 Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 11:02 am

    a dog.. is a dog… they belong on the floor if a svc animal or inside their traveling kennel cage. Period.

  5. Maryland Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 11:31 am

    Let’s stop pretending these are service animals. While dogs can be good companions they are not humans. Most unsanitary to use human bedding for an animal. Lines have been crossed here. And I love dogs.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      April 22, 2024 at 11:43 am

      Thank you – I agree. And I don’t want to put my face on the same pillow a dog rested its butt on.

      • Maryland Reply
        April 22, 2024 at 11:48 am

        Even dog lovers won’t go there.

    • Travelgirl Reply
      April 22, 2024 at 3:56 pm

      +1

  6. meow Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 11:37 am

    They should be made into dinner for economy class if meals are not already provided free. If they are provided free, these animals could be made into dinner for all classes of service.

    • Alert Reply
      April 22, 2024 at 11:53 am

      @meow … Even a hungry mountain lion will not demean itself to eat dog .

  7. Stuart Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 11:55 am

    At least the flight was under nine hours so that their Polaris meals were served on one tray. Just the way a dog likes.

    • Alert Reply
      April 22, 2024 at 11:59 am

      @Stuart … +1 . And first they visited the lounge buffet and sampled the food laid out for selection .

  8. JoeMart Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 12:14 pm

    Since the dogs can’t read the menu, do they get to lick every business class meal until they find the one they like best?

    • Maryland Reply
      April 22, 2024 at 12:43 pm

      No. Not up to the quality of Alpo

      • Arthur Reply
        April 23, 2024 at 5:02 am

        Well, it is onboard Polaris food. Even dogs would prefer to eat in the Polaris lounge and skip that.

  9. Aich Aye Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 1:16 pm

    I am positive that that seat would have been, by most objective and subjective measures, cleaner after this pair of well-groomed <10lb dogs sat in/near it than after the average sweaty Karen, stressed by the sheer notion that their fellow passengers dare enjoy perks of their ride for which they planned and paid.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      April 22, 2024 at 1:44 pm

      Yawn…thanks Karen.

  10. michael Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 1:59 pm

    Matt – your dislike for dogs is well-known to your readers and to each their own but putting your comments and responses into the context of your efforts to find and drink coffee made from monkey poop beans is… well… entertaining….. thank you

    again – as a dog lover – I really do wish that airlines, many of which are catering to every other potential revenue generating opportunity – would find a way to allow people to fly with their pets (like larger dogs). UA, for example, would probably get a lot more $ from me from a reasonable way to fly with my dog than they get from me for same-day buy-ups.

    • AlohafromKOA Reply
      April 22, 2024 at 2:52 pm

      The emergence of companies like @K9Jets and others who transport dogs from the mainland to Europe and Hawaii are finding an abundance of support.
      Yes, $5900 for a one way flight on a chartered private jet with your best friend is pricey.
      Most will agree that “hoomans” are not behaving as well as dogs on commercial airlines lately.

    • Jack Blank Reply
      April 22, 2024 at 5:09 pm

      Planes are for people. What happens when somebodies pit bull maims a small child? Only proven service dogs should be allowed. Period.

    • Sal Reply
      April 23, 2024 at 7:27 am

      Fellow dog lover here. And no, planes are no place for animals. Life is about choices. Owning a dog means you’re going to have to make arrangements for travel.

  11. Andys Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 2:53 pm

    Owner was a childless post wall white woman who is desperately trying to suppress her maternal instincts to have children.

  12. Barbara LeVasseur Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 4:20 pm

    As someone who knows a toy poodle who could detect when her owner didn’t have enough insulin, I will say that it is possible that these two could detect spikes in blood pressure, insulin levels, or anxiety.
    Please, keep that in mind unless you know the owner personally. If you are a personal friend of the owner, go for it but be polite in a publuc venue.
    Medical alert animals are not put to the same standards as a seeing eye dog or other service animal. Medical alert dogs get their owner to a safe spot or sound the alarm if their owner needs more help than they can give.
    If it is not a service dog, you will know soon enough.
    I really wonder how many of you would shread the parents of kids who had an accident and offended your sense of smell. Or a handicapped person of anny age who did.
    Don’t you people have better things to do like complain to airplane maufacturers about cramming us in like sardines since they all seem to think we are all 5’7″ and weigh 120 lbs? Think about it instead of whining about where a dog is sitting.

    • Eskimo Reply
      April 23, 2024 at 12:51 pm

      So if I know a grizzly bear that can detect ovulation I can bring Yogi with me?

      Or my turtle Donatello can detect gluten and lactose in food I can bring him with me? Donatello could even warn me of other dangers and can get help.

      Now where do you draw the line?
      What about a 180 lbs potty trained boy toy with great abs who can detect pheromones?

      And please don’t complain to manufacturers. You know beforehand and choose to be stuck in a metal tube.
      What you don’t know or have a choice is getting stuck with an animal.

  13. Jerry Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 4:20 pm

    My dog has flown the following:

    – JFK-MAD
    -IST-ORD
    -MIA-GIG
    -DFW-FRA
    -AMS-DFW
    -CPH-ORD

    Among others, and never had any bathroom issues. A dog on a TATL is no big deal. Though I suspect this post was more “for the Gram” than based on reality.

    • Eskimo Reply
      April 23, 2024 at 12:55 pm

      How did you get your dogs from MAD to IST?

  14. Michael S. Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 4:24 pm

    I love dogs. It literally kills me that with homes on two continents and a busy life, we can’t responsibly have a few dogs. That said, you are being way too kind. This bull–it has gotten out of control. Whether I am eating at a nice restaurant in Munich, Germany or walking through Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise (FL), people have dogs all over in places where it would NEVER have been allowed in even 15 years ago. Our society has changed greatly of late and not for the better in many areas. I hate Publix supermarkets due to the politics of the family that owns them, but they recently were in the news because they started a zero tolerance policy for people with pets. Kudos to them! I find dogs preferable to children most of the time, but this is so beyond being out of control. As someone who knows high level people at the airlines and lodging corps, have you discussed this with anyone at United or Lufthansa or Hilton or Marriott?

    • Greg Reply
      April 22, 2024 at 6:13 pm

      Kudos to Publix thanks for the heads up.

    • Sal Reply
      April 23, 2024 at 7:34 am

      100% agree. Everyone thinks they should be able to do whatever they want whenever they want.

  15. Tj Reply
    April 22, 2024 at 9:51 pm

    From the picture, they don’t each have their own sear. One dog is on the seat, the other one is on the side table that’s part of the seat. Thismis a Polaris window seat that’s closer to the aisle, so the second dog is sitting on top of the table that’s between the seat and the window.
    So what are the rules for that? Can dogs just fly on top of tables? What happens during turbulence?
    It’s more plausible that these were just placed there for the Instagram shots. I am pretty sure a dog would have to be on the floor next to the owner and can’t just be unattended (since this is Polaris) in their own seat

  16. Michael Reply
    April 23, 2024 at 12:07 pm

    Sorry, but this is ridiculous. Couldn’t they have at least covered the seat with a protective cover? And floor around the seat?

    I’m so sick of being disgusted at how filthy airline seats are. The last 2 Polaris flights I’ve been on within the past month had filthy seats (trash left around it, hair everywhere, etc.). Each time I’ve called the flight attendant to clean it, but when we are paying what we pay for a upper class seat we deserve better.

  17. Eskimo Reply
    April 23, 2024 at 12:27 pm

    The whole service animal thing needs to be fixed.

    I fully support service animals but I think we need more accountability.
    They need registration. They need to have ID. Their purpose needs to be clear. And like humans, can be ejected off if they didn’t do their trained job.

    We need to weed out the fraud and give them heavy fines.

  18. Anna K Reply
    April 23, 2024 at 4:00 pm

    As someone who has 2 service dogs (they both do different tasks) SOOOOO many people who have legit service dogs, thoroughly dislike having to take their dogs with them everywhere. The public has become VERY critical and extremely judgmental. All of a sudden, SOOOOO many people can judge, in 10 seconds, whether I need a service dog, much less 2. It took months of consideration, thousands of dollars and many more months of initial training and years of continued training to be able to take my dogs in public, just to be criticized because I’m a girly girl and I baby my pups, dress them up, groom them more than I do myself -some days…but they are the reason I can safely go out in public, without having another person with me. Having a disability sucks. If someone shows up in a wheelchair, only the crazy Karen says anything…show up with a trained service dog(s) and everyone analyzes you and attempts to diagnose why you have a dog and if it is truly needed. I definitely agree that something needs to be done to weed out the fakes…but until then, take a deep breath and relax. I guarantee I’m struggling with having my dogs with me, more than you are.

  19. AM Reply
    April 25, 2024 at 10:09 am

    This is nonsense. Plane seats and linens most carriers are so disgusting that it does not matter. Besides, what is the functional difference between a dog that has a paid seat and Matthew Klint? Both are hairy and drool all over the pillow. I’d rather be seated next to a well-behaved dog than some of the specimen one comes across while travelling. Air travel is nothing more than a glorified greyhound bus. Especially on UNITED POLARIS. If you want a heightened experience that caters to your personal sensibilities, charter a jet. In America, we value the welfare of animals. This is what separates us from uncivilized countries that might serve dog as the in flight meal (looking at you China Southern)

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