And I thought I had seen it all..... White Goose takes a seat on board a DL flight
Jul 10, 2009, 6:49 pm
#1
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And I thought I had seen it all..... White Goose takes a seat on board a DL flight
Well, after almost 10 years of travelling for business and over 1 million status miles I thought I had seen it all. Strange passengers, "interesting" FA's, upgrades, downgrades, good meals, bad meals, no meals....well, almost anything. And yes, I have seen people travelling with their dogs (quite often), their cats (less frequent) and even their rabbits (once).
But what I saw today was beyond imagination.
I had just arrived in Milwaukee and stepped of my CRJ900 flight from ATL. Upon entering the classic concourse E, which reminded me a lot of the good old times, I noticed that a DL flight was about to be ready for boarding at the gate next to us.
A women in a wheelchair, being pushed by an airport agent, was approaching the gate and I could hear a loud chatter. Also, people that passed the lady in the wheelchair immediately turned around in disbelief. Some started smiling, some took pictures, others jumped away.
The woman had a large, white goose sitting on her lap. The goose must have been excited about the upcoming flight as she was chattering a lot and tried to jump of the ladys lap. I did not know if the goose was trying to enter the Breezeway lane.
Anyhow, the woman had no basket or anything else with her, so I assumed the goose would travel on board with her.
Now, in a true Flyertalk spirit, this incident raises a few questios:
- Does the goose require a ticket?
- If so, can she get a Skymiles number? Is she entitled to a frequent flyer status
- What happens if the goose is sitting next to a passenger like....well, me? I am not really into gooses (unless they are well cooked, of course).... could I switch the seat? And of course.... will I be compensated for that trauma?
- If the flight hits turbulences and the goose cannot (obviously) be buckled up...is the result then called "bird strike"?
Well, I guess I can cross out another item from my "frequent flyer bucket list": See a woman with a goose in an airport
But what I saw today was beyond imagination.
I had just arrived in Milwaukee and stepped of my CRJ900 flight from ATL. Upon entering the classic concourse E, which reminded me a lot of the good old times, I noticed that a DL flight was about to be ready for boarding at the gate next to us.
A women in a wheelchair, being pushed by an airport agent, was approaching the gate and I could hear a loud chatter. Also, people that passed the lady in the wheelchair immediately turned around in disbelief. Some started smiling, some took pictures, others jumped away.
The woman had a large, white goose sitting on her lap. The goose must have been excited about the upcoming flight as she was chattering a lot and tried to jump of the ladys lap. I did not know if the goose was trying to enter the Breezeway lane.
Anyhow, the woman had no basket or anything else with her, so I assumed the goose would travel on board with her.
Now, in a true Flyertalk spirit, this incident raises a few questios:
- Does the goose require a ticket?
- If so, can she get a Skymiles number? Is she entitled to a frequent flyer status
- What happens if the goose is sitting next to a passenger like....well, me? I am not really into gooses (unless they are well cooked, of course).... could I switch the seat? And of course.... will I be compensated for that trauma?
- If the flight hits turbulences and the goose cannot (obviously) be buckled up...is the result then called "bird strike"?
Well, I guess I can cross out another item from my "frequent flyer bucket list": See a woman with a goose in an airport
Jul 10, 2009, 6:58 pm
#2
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Very interesting...
delta.com says that "household birds" can be brought into the main cabin, but I wouldn't quite call a goose a "household bird". Also, the animal must be in a kennel (which it isn't) and must be in the seat underneath it. Don't really see how delta.com would allow an animal to avoid these rules.
Of course, it's quite possible that the traveler was considering the goose a service animal and had the notation that would allow the pet into the cabin. Much like someone got away with it on US Airways several years ago, when they brought a pig into the First Class cabin on a PHL-SEA flight. http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=95217&page=1 Seeing eye dogs are one thing (and have a place wherever they go); pigs and geese,
delta.com says that "household birds" can be brought into the main cabin, but I wouldn't quite call a goose a "household bird". Also, the animal must be in a kennel (which it isn't) and must be in the seat underneath it. Don't really see how delta.com would allow an animal to avoid these rules.
Of course, it's quite possible that the traveler was considering the goose a service animal and had the notation that would allow the pet into the cabin. Much like someone got away with it on US Airways several years ago, when they brought a pig into the First Class cabin on a PHL-SEA flight. http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=95217&page=1 Seeing eye dogs are one thing (and have a place wherever they go); pigs and geese,
Jul 10, 2009, 7:00 pm
#3
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Well, I checked the birds SkyMiles account, and under MQM's I saw a goose egg. So, either it was on an award ticket, or it was a non-rev.
Jul 10, 2009, 7:00 pm
#4
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Now, in a true Flyertalk spirit, this incident raises a few questios:
- Does the goose require a ticket?
- If so, can she get a Skymiles number? Is she entitled to a frequent flyer status
- What happens if the goose is sitting next to a passenger like....well, me? I am not really into gooses (unless they are well cooked, of course).... could I switch the seat? And of course.... will I be compensated for that trauma?
- If the flight hits turbulences and the goose cannot (obviously) be buckled up...is the result then called "bird strike"?
Well, I guess I can cross out another item from my "frequent flyer bucket list": See a woman with a goose in an airport
- Does the goose require a ticket?
- If so, can she get a Skymiles number? Is she entitled to a frequent flyer status
- What happens if the goose is sitting next to a passenger like....well, me? I am not really into gooses (unless they are well cooked, of course).... could I switch the seat? And of course.... will I be compensated for that trauma?
- If the flight hits turbulences and the goose cannot (obviously) be buckled up...is the result then called "bird strike"?
Well, I guess I can cross out another item from my "frequent flyer bucket list": See a woman with a goose in an airport
I would insist on a FA switching your seat if you didn't want to sit next to the goose. Not sure about the compensation thing though. I heard one airline let a pig fly as a service animal a couple of years ago. Most airlines can't do anything - they would be sued for discrimination or something similar.
Jul 10, 2009, 7:31 pm
#5
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I believe that this thread is a great fit for the FT Travel With Pets Forum. Perhaps, others would care to share their avian experiences.
Obscure2k
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Obscure2k
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Jul 10, 2009, 7:49 pm
#6
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A Goose.....
A Goose.....
Jul 12, 2009, 1:31 pm
#7
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What protection is there for people with allergies on flights where someone brings an animal? I am deathly allergic to birds, and so on a flight with a goose like this, it certainly would not be safe for me to travel. Would DL rebook me or tell me that I'm SOL? As a GM, soon to be PM, would DL tell the woman with the goose that she has to make other arrangements for the goose due to other passenger concerns?
Aug 31, 2009, 6:41 pm
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