A couple from Wellington, New Zealand, recently had an unpleasant travel experience on Singapore Airlines in June because of a furry passenger.
Gill and Warren Press booked premium economy seats for their long flight and now want their money refunded because of a dog seated nearby, Stuff reported Friday.
The two boarded a 13-hour flight from Paris to Singapore on their way home and realized another passenger, who had brought a dog, was seated next to them.
An image shows the canine standing in the aisle of the plane:
Couple demand refund after Singapore Airlines flight ruined by farting dog https://t.co/QqxErgQfSR pic.twitter.com/suYote5us4
— New York Post (@nypost) September 9, 2023
Gill Press said she heard heavy snorting noises, which turned out to be from the dog.
She explained, “I’m not having this sitting next to us the whole trip,” adding that the dog’s owner told someone else he sometimes gets anxious, so he kept the dog with him during the journey.
The couple spoke with a flight attendant about the issue, but the attendant said the only seats available were in the rear of economy.
Things grew even more interesting when halfway into the long trip, the dog began farting, according to Gill Press, who also claimed it was taking up her husband’s legroom.
“Sitting next to a dog that’s farting can be an unpleasant experience. The gaseous odors that emanate from a dog can be surprising and overbearing to the senses,” according to the PetMD website.
The flight attendant later offered the couple seats in the front of economy that were previously reserved for employees.
Once the two took their updated seats, they were told an incident report had been filed. All they could do was wait for the airline to contact them about the issue.
When the airline finally contacted the two travelers, it offered “each of them a SG$100 (NZ$125) gift voucher for the airline’s KrisShop website,” the Stuff report continued.
“Press responded saying that didn’t reflect the difference in value between their premium economy seats and the economy seats they ended up sitting in,” the outlet said, noting weeks later, the company offered a travel voucher valued at NZ$200 for each traveler.
Press is still unhappy with the offering and wants a full refund for the trip.
“No, don’t blame the dog!” one social media user said of the incident, while another person wrote, “Bulldogs do fart a lot.”
Causes of dog flatulence include gastrointestinal problems and food intolerance, per the American Kennel Club (AKC).
Press made it clear she and her husband love dogs but felt they should have been informed the animal would be on the flight.
Per the Stuff article, Singapore Airlines apologized and said the company endeavors to alert travelers who might be seated next to an assistance dog but failed to do so in the recent case.
However, the company said it would work to ensure the same thing did not happen again.
