Michael Contillo has sued Alaska Airlines after the death of his French bulldog. According to the traveller, the death was brought on by moving the dog away from first class and into coach.
On 1 February 2024, Contillo and his father embarked on an Alaska Airlines flight departing from John F Kennedy International Airport, in New York, to his hometown of San Francisco. The two men were accompanied by Michael’s two French bulldogs, Kora and Ash.
The pet owner visited a veterinarian before making the trip, in order to make sure both dogs were healthy and fit to make a cross-country flight. Both Kora and Ash were in perfect condition according to the doctor. Additionally, Contillo bought two first-class tickets for him and his father, allowing for more room for the dogs. He also bought two dog carriers, complying with the airline’s policy.
Even though he had made the San Francisco – New York trip in first class in November 2023 with everything going well, this time around, things went less smoothly. Just before take-off, Contillo and his father were asked to move away from first class and into coach “for safety purposes”, according to flight personnel.
“He further explained that the dog was calm at the moment but would not be calm anymore now that the plane was full of people,” the lawsuit reads. “To move the dogs now would make them very anxious and excited, which would lead to extremely dangerous breathing and heart problems. This change could be lethal for a dog, especially right before you change altitudes.”
Despite resisting at first, Contillo eventually agreed to move. However, according to the lawsuit, that’s where things went wrong. “Once we moved, Ash immediately started to breathe very, very quickly, he started to breathe very heavily,” Contillo said in an interview with news outlet SiliconValley. “He was noticeably petrified and helpless.”
Because the airplane was ascending, Contillo was unable to check on his dogs. And eventually, Ash seemed to settle down. “We were operating under the assumption that he had fallen asleep and he was calm, and we didn’t want to disturb him”, he explained. However, Contillo soon realised his dog had passed away.
“I’m loudly weeping,” he told SiliconValley. “They see our dead dog. They see me crying. Not a single one of them stops to offer any help or condolences. One of the crew members loudly stated, ‘Now you’re going to blame us for killing your dog.’”
Contillo is now saying he suffered emotional distress due to the airline’s negligence and is thus seeking an amount of relief decided by a court in a lawsuit filed on 16 October. According to his lawyer James Drake, the airline rejected a reasonable settlement offer on Friday, 18 October.
