A New Zealand couple who were blasted with stinky gas by a fellow four-legged passenger on a trip received compensation for their troubles months later. Gill Press told the media that she and her husband Warren Press received approximately $1,410 in compensation from Singapore Airlines after complaining that they were forced to give up their premium seats and instead sit in economy due to a loud, farting dog belonging to a passenger seated next to them.
According to Press, they were on a 13-hour journey from Paris to Singapore in June and had no idea the passenger next to them had a canine friend. According to her, the incident started after their dinner service when they heard something weird.
“I heard this noise — a heavy snorting,” Press told media earlier this month. “I thought it was my husband’s phone, but we looked down and realized it was the dog breathing.”
However, she claimed that things became much worse when the dog, who appeared to be a bulldog mix, began farting loudly as well.
“[The passenger] couldn’t have the dog out in the aisle because they couldn’t get the trolleys through, so it had to come in further, which meant his head was under my husband’s feet,” she added. “My husband was in shorts, and was getting the dog’s saliva goo on his leg.”
She claimed she complained to a flight attendant, who informed them that the only other seats available were in economy, which were designated for Singapore Airlines employees. After landing, she and her husband submitted an incident report and were told that the airline would contact them.
The couple now plan to donate all the money to an animal charity
The airline eventually contacted them and issued them two $73 gift cards, which Press claimed were insufficient to cover the monetary difference between premium and economy seats, so they requested more.
After several months of back and forth, Singapore Airlines finally awarded the couple a refund equal to the price difference between the seats, which was approximately $587 apiece, for a total of almost $1,410.
Singapore Airlines did not immediately answer BreezyScroll’s request for comment on the incident or the refund, but said in a statement that it “endeavors to notify customers who may be seated next to an assistance dog prior to boarding.”
“In circumstances where customers seated next to an assistance dog request to be moved, we will assist to re-seat customers within the same cabin if space permits,” the airline said, adding that they were unable to move the Presses within the same cabin because it was “full.”
“The [principle] wasn’t about the money,” Press explained, “it was truly about making people accountable.” She stated that the money would be donated to the local New Zealand animal charity Blind Low Vision NZ, which pairs vision-impaired individuals with service dogs.
Moving forward, Press stated that she wished to be told if they were seated next to a dog on a trip in the future. “I am expecting to see a baby.” I’m expecting small children. “But I’m not expecting a dog,” she added.
