New Zealand couple who sat next to 'farting, snorting' dog on S'pore Airlines flight wants refund

The couple owns a dog too, but wished that they were informed about the matter beforehand.

Zi Shan Kow | September 10, 2023, 05:25 PM

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Singapore Airlines (SIA) has apologised to two New Zealanders who are requesting for a refund for their less-than-ideal flight experience involving a pet dog.

"Heavy snorting"

As part of their journey home from a Europe trip in June 2023, Gill and Warren Press had booked premium economy seats for their 13-hour flight from Paris to Singapore.

They told New Zealand news outlet Stuff that they were surprised to find that the passenger in the seat next to them was accompanied by a dog.

The wife said she heard a "heavy snorting" sound, which she thought came from her husband's phone.

They looked down to discover that it was the dog breathing.

According to her, the dog's owner told another passenger that the dog was in the cabin with him as he gets anxious.

But she claimed the dog appeared to be the distressed one.

Requested for a seat change

The couple expressed their discomfort to a flight attendant, who shared that the only other available seats were in the back row of economy class.

They decided not to move seats, but later changed their mind about halfway through the flight.

The wife attributed this to the smell of the canine, which apparently kept farting, and the fact that the dog's head was under the husband's feet due to limited legroom.

He was wearing shorts and the dog's "saliva goo" was getting on his leg, the wife shared with Stuff.

When the pair spoke to a flight attendant again, they managed to move into some seats at the front of the economy cabin which were previously reserved for staff.

They were also assured that an incident report would be lodged and they would hear from the airline soon.

Did not hear from Singapore Airlines

After a week, the wife emailed SIA's customer service to complain as they did not receive any updates about the case, according to Stuff.

The airline responded two weeks later with an apology and an offer of a S$100 gift voucher each for the airline’s KrisShop website.

She rejected their offer, saying that it did not make up for the difference between the premium economy tickets they booked and the economy seats they sat in for half the flight.

When the airline offered a S$200 travel voucher more than three weeks later, she remained dissatisfied and instead requested a full refund of their flight tickets.

The couple clarified that it was not that they disliked dogs — they were dog owners themselves, but wished that they were informed about the matter beforehand.

She was also disappointed with their customer service.

“We didn’t receive the experience we paid for,” she said.

SIA apologises

In response to Mothership's enquiries, an SIA spokesperson apologised to the couple for their experience.

Assistance dogs are accepted on SIA flights as long as they meet SIA's requirements to travel on board.

SIA endeavours to notify customers who may be seated next to an assistance dog prior to boarding, said the spokesperson.

If they request to be moved, they will re-seat the customers within the same cabin if there is space.

The couple was unable to be moved within the same cabin as the premium economy cabin was full.

The spokesperson added that SIA is in contact with the couple to provide "further necessary assistance" on the matter.

Top image via Stuff.