REUTERS/Jeff Zelevansky
A dog died after a United Airlines flight attendant forced a passenger to put her pet in an overhead bin. The woman was reportedly told to place her dog, which was in a TSA-approved carrier, in the bin during the flight from Houston to New York's LaGuardia Airport. Some passengers heard barking while in the air, and didn't know the dog had perished until they landed. United Airlines policy states that pets must be in a carrier “under the seat in front of the customer and remain there at all times,” according to the company's website. “There was no sound as we landed and opened his kennel,” passenger June Lara wrote on Facebook. “There was no movement as his family called his name. I held her baby as the mother attempted to resuscitate their 10 month old puppy.” Another passenger, Maggie Gremminger, wrote on Twitter, “I want to help this woman and her daughter. They lost their dog because of an @united flight attendant. My heart is broken.” The airline issued a statement, saying the tragedy "should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin." "We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them," the statement continued. "We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again.”