How would you feel if you hopped on to an 11.5-hour long-haul flight only to be sat next to a dog that you are highly allergic to? This exact scenario happened to Rosie and Steve Molinari on Lufthansa flight LH507 from Sao Paulo to Frankfurt and it’s only by sheer chance that it didn’t end in disaster.
At no stage during the booking, check-in, or boarding process was it made known to the passengers that there would be pets in the cabin or their whereabouts.
Worryingly it gets worse and could have ended in disaster if this didn’t happen…
According to Mr Molinari, the presence of the dog only became known to him when he asked the passenger next to him to move his large bag to the overhead lockers as it was too big and was encroaching on his foot space. The passenger replied that he could not do that because he had a dog in the bag!
If the dog’s bag had not been so big that it took up some of Mr Molinari’s foot space then he would have been unaware of it until in acute respiratory distress over the Atlantic Ocean in which case a medical emergency would have had to be declared.
As soon as the couple learned of the dog they brought the matter to the attention of the stewardess. The Molinari’s asked that they (or the dog and its owner) be moved to alternative seating. The stewardess’s initial response was patronising saying that as the flight was full nothing could be done, and then, “What do you want me to do about it – make an announcement and ask if someone will swap?” The Molinari’s responded with an appreciative “yes”, however, no announcement was ever made.
After some discussion, the stewardess offered to selectively ask other passengers nearby whether they would be willing to swap seats but to no avail. The Molinari’s shared with AirlineRatings that they did not witness the Stewardess asking other passengers and therefore were not surprised when told Mr Molinari had no choice but to separate from his wife and move to a windowless bulkhead seat with limited recline.
At no time was the dog owner inconvenienced, with the stewardess making it very clear that it was a problem for the Molinaris on the basis that the dog owner had paid for his dog and an aisle seat.
When Mrs Molinari complained again she was advised that the next time they booked a flight to mention her husband is allergic to dogs. It’s worth noting that the booking system doesn’t allow for this type of notification, except for general allergies such as peanuts. In addition to this, the airline does not state on its booking site that pets are carried on board and therefore how would a passenger know to even raise the issue?
Mr Molinari spoke to two other single passengers immediately next to his new seating and enquired if either would swap seats with his wife so that they could be together. He also asked if the stewardess had already requested this of them. They said they were unaware of the situation and both happily offered to move.
Of the entire incident Mr Molinari said,
“The lack of concern by Lufthansa management and staff remains stunning. This airline has minimal concern for the onboard medical safety and well-being of its passengers. Presumably, this is about putting money ahead of passenger well-being. The passenger should be treated respectfully with due regard for their health and welfare. An airline with such disregard for its customers is not one we will be rushing to use again!”
The Molinaris have written letters of complaint to the airline and requested that the rules around animals in the main cabin be reviewed with their concerns regarding medical safety and passenger comfort in mind.
The Global Customer Relations Expert, Disability Claims at Lufthansa simply sent irrelevant and unhelpful internet links that effectively passed the buck back to the passenger. The replies to Molinari’s complaints are poorly written and dismissive of their concerns. Requests for compensation have been ignored. The Molinari’s shared these responses with AirlineRatings and they are quite simply, unacceptable.
We are very sorry to hear that you had health concerns during your flight to Frankfurt on March 16, regarding your asthma allergy and being seated next to a passenger with a dog. Due to a full flight, re-seating to another seat for both of you was unfortunately not possible.
To communicate with us your health concern, may we suggest to contact our medical operation centre for further information and guidance – https://www.lufthansa.com/gb/en/travelling-health
As Lufthansa allows passengers to travel with pets, like any other airline, we hope you understand that we cannot assume responsibility for this. Here we have a link for you to see Lufthansa animal policies – https://www.lufthansa.com/gb/en/reisen-mit-tieren#TravelOpportunities
We hope that you continue to put your trust in Lufthansa and we can welcome you on board again in the near future.
AirlineRatings has attempted to contact the Lufthansa Media Relations Office in the Americas and Europe for comment but with no response. We have also contacted their Social Media team but again, we received no reply.
This incident raises a whole host of questions and concerns and we ask our AirlineRatings community to share this story so it does not happen again.
All passengers have the right to know about pets on planes at the time of booking and if an airline chooses to carry pets then they must be in a set-aside section of the plane. If airlines are going to carry pets then there needs to be a place for passengers to highlight their allergy to pets during the booking process.
This story also raises the question about animal welfare, and how a dog can endure an 11.5-hour flight (plus boarding) without passing waste into its carrying bag, and making sounds/smells that are unacceptable to human passengers but that’s an issue for another day.
Rosie and Steve Molinari’s experience illustrates the risks when airlines fail to disclose the presence of pets on board. Despite requests to change seats, Lufthansa’s crew was dismissive and unhelpful, prioritizing the comfort of the dog owner. The incident raises concerns about airline transparency, the need for clear policies on pets, and better accommodation for passengers with allergies.
