a man lying in bed with a dog

A man has sued Alaska Airlines for the death of his bulldog, alleging a downgrade from first class to economy class on a transcontinental flight was to blame for the death of his beloved dog.

Man Blames Death Of Dog On Downgrade From First Class To Economy Class, Sues Alaska Airlines

Let’s first review what happened:

  • Michael Contillo was traveling with his father and two dogs, Ash and Korea, in first class on Alaska Airlines from New York (JFK) to San Francisco (SFO) on February 1, 2024
  • It isn’t clear whether Contillo and his father purchased first class seats or were upgraded at the last-minute, which could explain the downgrade.
  • Shortly before takeoff, the crew made them move back to economy class, citing “safety” concerns
  • They were moved from row four to row 11
  • Per Contillo, “Once we moved, Ash immediately started to breathe very, very quickly, he started to breathe very heavily. He was noticeably petrified and helpless.”
  • It appeared that Ash eventually fell asleep and was quiet all the way to San Francisco…it turned out he had died.

Almost as sad as the death of Ash is the purported reaction from Alaska. According to Contillo:

“I’m loudly weeping. The pilots and flight crew walked past. They see our dead dog. They see me crying. Not a single one of them stops to offer any help or condolences. One of the crew members loudly stated, ‘Now you’re going to blame us for killing your dog.’”

Talk about throwing fuel on the fire…

My Thoughts On Case

I have to be honest here. I was ready to poke fun at this whole matter due…it all seemed absurd. But I’m not going to do that. A dear friend recently lost his beautiful greyhound and  I know how much it struck him…and even struck me. For better or for worse, in this culture, we love our animals and so losing a dog is like losing a family member.

I don’t think Alaska Airlines is to blame. Rather, I think transporting bulldogs on an airplane has always been risky and as View From The Wing pointed out, the fact that his other dog was fine suggests it wasn’t economy class that killed Ash. Bulldogs and other short-nosed dogs are more likely to die on flights than normal-nosed dogs…we’ve known that for years.

My biggest takeaway here is the flippancy of Alaska Airlines. If true, it’s no wonder Harvard Law-educated Contillo sued. Now of course he may have sued anyway and had Alaska Airlines flight attendants suggested any blame on the part of the downgrade, that would have been used against Alaska. But this idea of mourning with those who mourn is one of our callings as humans and a little compassion and empathy go a long way.

The ramifications of this lawsuit…that a bulldog must fly first class…may be absurd, but that doesn’t make me any less  compassionate for the loss of Ash.


image: Mike Contillo

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