• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home » Lufthansa » Lufthansa Sheepishly Scrambles To Locate Missing Cat
Lufthansa

Lufthansa Sheepishly Scrambles To Locate Missing Cat

Matthew Klint Posted onOctober 10, 2019November 14, 2023 11 Comments

a close up of a cat's face

Milo is missing. Lufthansa says it is doings its best to find him. But how did he get lost in the first place?

Last week, Molly McFadden travelled with her two cats, Milo and Beau, on Lufthansa from Munich (MUC) to Washington Dulles (IAD). Both cats made it safely to IAD. Somewhere between Milo being unloaded and delivered to the baggage claim hall, the cat carrier was damaged and Milo escaped.

When McFadden reached the baggage hall, she noticed that Beau’s crate was still locked but Milo’s crate was empty. The cage door was pushed in and the latches had fallen off. A waiting member of Lufthansa ground staff was also present to try to clam her.

At first, the representative said they believed the cat escaped onboard and were currently searching the Airbus A340-600 aircraft for Milo. But it was soon determined the cat escaped somewhere on the tarmac.

For its part, Lufthansa promised it was doing its best to locate the cat. A spokesperson said “the highest attention” has been placed on the matter, telling USA Today:

They have been searching for Milo and have sent out emails to the airline community at Dulles Airport, members of the various authorities there, including ground handlers as well as other airlines, asking for assistance in the search. Our team has also posted flyers created by the customer at different locations of the ramp area. The search for Milo continues and our ground staff are in close touch with the passenger, who is being updated regularly.

And being Lufthansa, the spokesperson could not resist a bit of defensive language on safety:

At this stage, we are working right alongside the owner in terms of looking for Milo. The safety of the animals that we transport is always of our utmost concern and we certainly abide by each and every safety measure.

How Did This Happen?

The “utmost concern” safety language truly rings as hollow when a kitty carrier is damaged on the tarmac to such an extent a cat escapes…and the baggage handler does not even notice until it was too late.

If you do happen to run into Milo, I’ve posted his image below.

a cat sitting on a table

CONCLUSION

Stories like this confirm in my mind that I would never allow my pet to be transported in the cargo hold of a plane. If even safety-conscious Lufthansa can lose a cat, there is no way I would even consider checking in an animal I truly cared about.

Get Daily Updates

Join our mailing list for a daily summary of posts! We never sell your info.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Previous Article Boeing Loses Large 787 Order
Next Article United MileagePlus Announces 2020 Qualification Requirements

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.

Related Posts

  • United Airlines June 2024 operations

    The Problem With The Airlines’ “Capacity” Earnings Narrative

    July 21, 2024
  • delta earnings lufthansa

    Delta, Lufthansa Join Major Airlines, Revise Earnings Down

    July 14, 2024
  • Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Review

    Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge B (Non-Schengen) – Frankfurt (FRA)

    February 1, 2024

11 Comments

  1. Gene Reply
    October 10, 2019 at 4:50 pm

    @ Matthew — This story breaks my heart. If this happened to our Vladimir, I would be devastated. I hope Milo is located soon.

  2. Candice Munoz Reply
    October 10, 2019 at 8:32 pm

    He is scared ss air planes jets make alot of noise,
    AIRLINES NEED TO FIND HIM OR PAY DEARLY BECAUSE OF LOSS
    ALL THAT LOVE GONE MISSING
    DO NOT GIVE UP
    OUR PRAYERS GOR YOU AND MILO !!!!

  3. Heather Reply
    October 10, 2019 at 9:15 pm

    I agree, I would never put a pet in cargo. I would buy two seats to have the room to take both of them as cabin baggage/under the seat transport. Not knowing it’s location/condition is almost worse than if it had died. I hope Milo is found and returned to the family.

    • Dave D Reply
      October 11, 2019 at 1:32 pm

      Not always an option on non-US carriers.

  4. Patricia Arguelles Reply
    October 10, 2019 at 9:21 pm

    I have travel several times with my 2 Wire Fox Terriers, Nori and Nanuk from Newark NJ to Frankfurt and conecting flight to Barcelona and everything went perfectly well.
    Lufthansa provides excellent service.
    Sorry for Milo I hope you find Milo soon.
    Patricia Arguelles and Hanspeter Ackermann

  5. Paolo Reply
    October 10, 2019 at 10:22 pm

    Poor kitty and owner. Airlines are not sufficiently careful with pets; these are much-loved and treasured family members.

  6. James Reply
    October 11, 2019 at 12:54 am

    Uhm… No one scrutinize baggage handler &/ ground crews? Instead simply put everything on the German Airlines? Oh well…. Its easier to close eyes and blame someone from other [nationality/ethnicity/religion/social class/etc., You fill the blanks].

    Very constructive journalism! Thumbs up! Keep up the excellent works!

    • Dave D Reply
      October 11, 2019 at 1:36 pm

      The customer trusted Lufthansa with Milo’s wellbeing, not the contract ramp crew, baggage guy or anyone else.

      Lufthansa holds overall responsibility. You don’t need to bring nationality, ethnicity, religion or anything else into the matter. Milo was tendered to Lufthansa, Lufthansa is responsible.
      …but nice try.

      • James Reply
        October 11, 2019 at 10:02 pm

        Is it because cat is human being and luggage doesn’t have feeling, so that cat is “trusted” on Lufthansa whereas bags and suitcases were only an item so the responsibility may exchanged easily and nobody cares?

        *Yeah I know cat is nowhere near human, bit seeing the responds above, I don’t want to trigger who made love with animals….

  7. K Reply
    October 11, 2019 at 10:50 pm

    They need to find out who was working the ramp of that flight and discipline them and find out what the hell they were doing to leave luggage in such poor condition. If the cat transport was that significantly damaged to the point it’s latches came off, I would be concerned about the condition of the poor cat being held inside it.

    What an absolute outrage.

  8. Aaron Reply
    October 12, 2019 at 6:59 am

    I really hope they find this poor cat…though the odds of him being found probably aren’t that good. Seems whoever handles their ground luggage handling needs a refresher course.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for May

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Capital One Venture X Business Card
Earn 150,000 Miles Sign Up Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 100,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • Hong Kong Coffee
    Great Coffee In Hong Kong May 31, 2025
  • United JetBlue Partnership
    JetBlue Talked To American And Delta—But United Made The Offer It Couldn’t Refuse May 31, 2025
  • solo traveler Pricing
    Airlines Stop “Punishing” Solo Travelers: Victory Or Defeat For Consumers? May 31, 2025
  • Avelo White 737 Deportation
    Whiteout: Avelo Covers Livery On Aircraft Used For ICE Deportation Flights May 31, 2025

Categories

Popular Posts

  • a hand holding a blue card
    Chase Sapphire Preferred 100K Bonus Offer Ending Soon May 2, 2025
  • Aegean Airlines Feast
    A Feast Fit For A King On Aegean Airlines May 23, 2025
  • United American O’Hare gate dispute
    United Airlines To American Airlines: Fly More, Sue Less May 6, 2025
  • American Airlines 737-800 First Class Pathetic
    American Airlines 737-800 First Class: Pathetic May 6, 2025

Archives

May 2025
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Apr    

As seen on:

facebook twitter instagram rss
Privacy Policy © Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.