Family flies SIA to Vietnam, told pet dog left dead in Changi Airport & didn't even board

Dog was clearly distressed.

Zhangxin Zheng | Belmont Lay | September 10, 2017, 06:07 PM

A family relocating from Singapore to Vietnam is taking Singapore Airlines to task.

They have made a police report against SIA alleging that the airline caused the death of the family's pet dog due to negligence.

The incident was recounted on Facebook on Sept. 7, 2017, and has since blown up online:

SIA reponse

In response to Mothership.sg queries, an SIA spokesperson said:

Singapore Airlines can confirm with regret that a pet dog belonging to passengers who travelled on flight SQ184 from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City on 2 September 2017 had passed away while it was being transferred to the aircraft at Singapore Changi Airport. We are conducting an investigation and for privacy purposes, we are unable to share further details. We wish to express our sincere condolences to the owners at this time.

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What happened?

The family of Shabana Mary Kuruvilla planned to bring their dog along to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, via Singapore Airline (SIA) on Sept. 2, 2017.

The American Cocker Spaniel was to fly separately from the family and preparations were made for the dog to be left in a crate and brought on board -- and was to remain the responsibility of SIA staff baggage handlers.

The dog was distressed initially but the family proceeded with flying as they were of the opinion that their pet would be in the good hands of SIA and considering it was to be a short trip.

After the family boarded the plane, the pilot even made an announcement to passengers that there is a pet on board.

However, after the family arrived in Ho Chi Minh, they were informed that their dog had died in Singapore and was not even on the flight.

Shocked, they could not get any answers from SIA staff in Vietnam or Singapore for some time.

They boarded the next flight back to Changi Airport to collect the dog's body. The dog was four years and seven months old.

In the post, the family was said to have been denied answers by SIA as information was not forthcoming.

The family insisted their pet dog was healthy at the time of travel, although they were told to check on their dog which was producing mucus before takeoff.

Photos of the deceased dog showed it was distressed enough to have chewed up its wee pad in the crate and had sustained an injury on its paw that drew some blood.

The family believes the dog died of a stress-induced heart attack.

In response to SIA's poor customer service and recovery, as well as a lack of answers, the family reported the matter to the police.

They have also repeatedly called for potential pet-carrying passengers to avoid flying SIA.

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