Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Ready

to be grossed out?

Here starts my quarterly bashing of business travel and the airlines.


Have you noticed this new trend of people bringing their pets on board, in a carry-on, stuck under the seat infront of them? I find it pushes the limits of personal boundaries. What happens if someone in the row, or the plane for that matter, is allergic to dogs and/or cats. There is no escaping that recirculated air. I find it crosses a line.


I was on a flight many months ago with a couple who brought Fido on board. They were sitting in the exit row and the flight attendant told them, after realizing that they had a dog (why didn’t she already know!!), that they could not sit in the exit row. Made sense to me. In the event of an emergency, their attention is most likely going to be saving Fido, not their fellow passengers. They started arguing w/the flight attendant who put up w/their crap for about 20 seconds when she threatened to throw them off the plane.


I LOVE when flight attendants stand up to unruly passengers with an overblown sense of entitlement.

On Monday I was on a flight to Anaheim, Calif. I got to my aisle seat to find the woman in the middle seat fanning her crotch. Granted it was hot on the plane, but I was perplexed. A few minutes later I realize she had a dog down there when she pulled a small porcelain dish out of her seat pocket, filled it with water, and let Fido have a drink.

Ugh, this is not happening.

Then she realizes that doggy did not drink all of the water.

What does she do? We are ready to take off.

So she drinks it.

I will give you a minute to realize what you just read.

I nearly gagged. Could not believe my eyes.

OMG

And mid-flight, she did it again.

I wonder what awaits me on my way home.

2 comments:

Big Sky Girl said...

My god. What airline were you on, so I know to avoid it.

But I think this started when PETA sent out email telling pet owners that the cargo hold was not safe for pets and they would die if you put them there. The airlines were inundated with hate mail,and I'm guessing this was there solution. And as for the question of dead pets, it's not true. With the exception of a few small propeller planes used mostly by discount carriers on flights less than 1 hour, your pets are as safe in the cabin as they are in your lap.

That is of course unless they start barking during the flight and I strangle them.

mehitabel said...

Actually if anyone on the plane complains about a cat or dog, and says they are allergic or asthmatic, the animal will get kicked off. Most of the airlines will only allow 1 animal per cabin, so max of 2 per flight. As far as the woman sharing her doggy's water, well, clearly she thinks of it as her "child" and not a freakin' animal. Still icky. I never even finished my kids' milk!