United chartered a private jet to reunite a German Shepard with his owners…after sending the dog to Japan instead of Kansas.
Imagine this. You’re moving from Oregon to Kansas. After weighing flying versus driving, you book travel on United Airlines to Wichita via Denver. You faithful German Shepard is checked in and you’re told he’ll be walked and fed in Denver and you can pick him up in Kansas.
You arrive at your final destination. A ramp agent tells you to hold on while he brings the dog out. A Great Dane appears. There is no other dog.
The paperwork is “in order” and the United agents are confused. A quick investigation is performed then you get this news.
“Uh, instead of walking him in Denver they put him on a plane to Tokyo.”
“But don’t worry. We’ll find him…”
After a horrendous PR disaster earlier in the week, United did more than find him. United chartered a private jet to bring him home (from Denver).
He has now been reunited with his owner.
Safely.
CONCLUSION
This was good PR. I’m happy that the dog was kept safe and United was able to get some attention off its dead dog controversy. Also nice the dog (perhaps) got to visit a country his owner has never been. How often does that happen?
But why does this continue to be a problem for United in particular?
Did you hear that United put another dog on the wrong flight yesterday? It discovered the error while the plane was in the air…and diverted the flight.
United really needs to get its act together.
(H/T The Points Guy)
What about the Great Dane? No special treatment for that dog? Poor thing will spend weeks in quarantine at NRT… And because of UA, it’s stay just got extended.