A JetBlue passenger allegedly snuck a dog onboard, then the dog defecated in the cabin. Incidents like this are exactly why airlines need to enforce pet rules before the aircraft door closes…and have the freedom to ban dogs altogether on flights.
JetBlue Passenger Allegedly Snuck Dog Onboard, Then Dog Defecated In Cabin
A JetBlue flight crew had to message ahead for help after a passenger allegedly snuck a dog onboard and the dog made a mess in the cabin. Per View From The Wing, the incident occurred on JetBlue flight 1368 from West Palm Beach (PBI) to Westchester (HPN). The flight crew reportedly sent an ACARS message asking operations for assistance on arrival:
PLZ ADVISE OPS HPN, SEAT 16B, SNUCK DOG ONBOARD, IS NOT COOPERATING, DOG POOPED ON PLANE
That is quite a message…
The flight still arrived early, and the aircraft reportedly operated its next flight about an hour later, so this apparently did not turn into a major operational disruption. But the underlying issue is bigger than this single JetBlue flight.
Pet Rules Exist For A Reason
JetBlue allows small dogs and cats to travel in the cabin, but they must be in an approved carrier that fits under the seat. JetBlue charges a pet fee, and the pet is supposed to remain in the carrier during the flight.
Service animals are different. JetBlue accepts trained service dogs, but they must remain under the control of the handler…this does not appear to be a story about service animal abuse.
I have written about onboard pet incidents many times, and so most of you know my position. I am not anti-dog or anti-pet. I understand that some passengers travel with legitimate service animals and that others responsibly travel with pets in carriers.
But the system breaks down when passengers decide the rules do not apply to them. Not only is it unfair to the crew, but it is unfair to other passengers and especially to responsible pet owners and people who truly rely on trained service animals, because every incident like this makes the public more cynical and makes my cry louder to allow airlines to ban dogs, regardless of the circumstance.
We don’t know how small this dog was or whether JetBlue could reasonably have “caught” it before boarding. Maybe it was one of those little purse dogs? In any case, shame on the passenger. I hope s/he is banned from JetBlue.
CONCLUSION
A JetBlue passenger allegedly snuck a dog onboard, refused to cooperate when discovered, and then the dog defecated in the cabin.
Thankfully, this incident does not appear to have delayed the flight or taken the aircraft out of service. But it is another reminder that people are rampantly abusing dog rules onboard. Passengers who travel with pets need to follow the rules. Airlines need to enforce those rules before boarding (though it isn’t clear if JetBlue failed here of the dog was very carefully hidden).
But maybe it’s time to give U.S. airlines more leeway in banning all types of dogs from cabins, regardless of circumstance?
Tomorrow we will look at another cat incident…
image: JetBue
PBI to Westchester? Could I be wrong guessing entitled owner allows the dog to poop all over the place ? Shame. Publishing photos of the human offenders should be mandatory.
The dogs or the ‘owners’? Bah!
Town & Country mag… Puh leeze.
When I saw this story at VFTW, I was eager to see Matt’s ‘hot-take.’ I was not disappointed. Can’t wait for the cat-incident tomorrow! *meeeeow*