Passenger blames airline for dog’s death after pooches were moved from first class to coach

An Alaska Airlines passenger was left heartbroken after his pet bulldog died after being moved from first class to coach just before taking off.

Michael Contillo filed a lawsuit on 16 October against the airline for negligence and emotional distress after he, his father and his two French bulldogs, Kora and Ash, were told to move seats away from first class to economy.

In a lawsuit seen by The Independent, Contillo argues that the airline breached a ticket agreement, with his dog Ash becoming anxious, which led to health issues during the flight and later, the dog’s death.

Contillo was flying from John F Kennedy International Airport in New York to his hometown of San Francisco on 1 February with his dogs, including four-year-old Ash who was a “very healthy and active dog with no history of illness or surgeries”.

The dog owner had previously flown with Alaska Airlines to New York in November 2023 without fault in the first-class cabin, the lawsuit said.

Before flying back to San Francisco in February, Contillo took both dogs to a vet for a wellness exam to make sure they were fit to take a cross-country flight, which they both passed.

Contillo stated in the lawsuit that intentionally purchased two first-class tickets to ensure that the dogs had more space and that they would be able to board the flight early.

He claimed that he reserved in-cabin dog spaces ahead of the flight, paid an additional $100 per dog at the airport, as well as purchased and used dog carriers that were compliant with the airlines’ size requirements.

Contillo, his father and the two dogs boarded the plane into first class on the fourth row, but just before the plane prepared for takeoff, the lawsuit claimed an Alaska Airlines flight attendant and another unknown employee asked them to move to aisle 11 “for safety purposes”.

Alaska Airlines says under its pet travel policies that the first-class cabin can accommodate a total of three pet carriers per flight, and the main cabin can accommodate a total of eight pet carriers per flight.

Contillo explained to the employees that his dog carriers complied with the airlines’ policy, and moving the dogs at this point would be “extremely dangerous”, the complaint said.

“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 said.

“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.”

He added that the area they were asked to move to was closer to more people and had less space for his dogs to breathe, but the lawsuit claimed that employees ignored what was said and told them they would have to “move into coach at this point.”

Because the plane was about to take off, Contillo said he complied with the request, but at this time his dog, Ash, started to breathe “very quickly and heavily, with noticeable anxiety”.

Contillo was instructed that the carrier had to be closed during takeoff, and he did as he was told, but at some point noticed Ash had stopped moving but could not check on his dog until a certain altitude.

”By the time [Contillo] and his father deboarded the plane at the San Francisco International Airport, Ash’s body was entirely in rigor mortis” and once they realised the dog was dead, both Contillo and his father “immediately started to weep”.

The lawsuit claimed that the entire flight crew, including the pilot, deboarded the plane and showed no sympathy for Contillo’s dog loss.

“They see our dead dog. They see me crying. Not a single one of them stops to offer any help or condolences,” Contillo told Silicon Valley, a local online news outlet.

He said that he would miss Ash and would remember him for his love of life.

“He woke up every day excited to be alive. A door opening was a celebration. A carrot dropping on the floor was the best thing that could happen. Every time I took him on a stroll … it was like going on a stroll for the first time.”

Contillo said he has suffered emotional distress due to the airline’s negligence and is seeking an amount of relief decided by a court.

Contillo’s lawyer James Drake told Silicon Valley the airline had rejected a “reasonable” settlement offer on Friday (18 October).

The Independent has contacted Contillo’s lawyer Drake and Alaska Airlines for comment.

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