US-based United Airlines has reached a settlement with the family of Kokito, the French Bulldog who died on a plane after a flight attendant made the unthinkably stupid decision to have him stowed in an overhead bin for a three-and-a-half-hour flight.
In March of this year, the ten-month-old French Bulldog was travelling with his owners from Houston to New York when the unnamed flight attendant insisted that his carrier be stashed in the overhead locker, in violation of the airline’s own policy around animals.
Attorney Evan Oshan, who represents the New York-based Robledo family, said this week that an “amicable settlement” had been reached between the airline and the pet’s owners, but declined to disclose the amount. In a statement to media, he said:
“We hope the death of Kokito won’t be in vain. We hope all airlines will be moving in the direction of adopting the best safe transport policies.”
United Airlines declined to say whether any disciplinary action had been taken against the flight attendant in question, releasing a terse statement that said merely:
“We are deeply sorry for this tragic accident and have worked with the Robledo family to reach a resolution.”
In the days following Kokito’s death, United made another serious animal-related screw-up, when a German Shepherd bound for Kansas City from Oregon somehow wound up in Japan, and the pup’s confused owners were met with a Japan-bound greyhound at the airport.
After these incidents, United was called out for its generally piss-poor record on animal safety, with USA Today noting that the carrier was responsible for a third animal deaths on passenger flights between 2012 and 2017.
The airline has since introduced a new policy for pets travelling on passenger flights.
