It was a (very) long flight that Gill and Warren Press had to undergo last June. Alongside this New Zealand couple who were traveling to Singapore from Paris was another passenger, accompanied by his dog. Although he was accepted into the cabin to reassure his anxious owner, the animal made his two neighbors experience real hell. During the 13-hour flight, the French bulldog kept drooling – especially on the young man’s calves -, sniffing and above all: having flatulence.
For his wife, staying next to the animal throughout the trip is out of the question. The couple approached a Singapore Airlines flight attendant to change seats. The only problem is that there are only economy class seats left while the couple was seated in “premium” economy class. Gill and Warren Press then decide to stay in their places.
At least until halfway through the flight… The presence of the dog and the smell of his flatulence became too unbearable. And it’s impossible to place the bulldog in the aisle, at the risk of blocking the passage of carts. The couple therefore decides to sit on economy seats to complete the flight. For their part, the flight attendants create an incident report and guarantee that the couple will hear from the airline.
But after a week without news, the couple sent an email to Singapore Airlines to complain. The group then offers them two gift vouchers for 125 New Zealand dollars, or 70 euros, to spend on the airline’s KrisShop website. For Gill and Warren Press, this does not cover the difference in value between “premium” economy class and regular economy class.
Three weeks later and with renewed insistence, Singapore Airlines offered them two new vouchers of 200 New Zealand dollars (112 euros). But it’s still not enough for the couple, who are demanding a full refund for their trip. They finally won their case with the company, which paid them around 1,410 dollars, or 1,331 euros, according to Insider. Instead of keeping this money, Gill and Warren Press, however, announced that they would donate this sum to an association which links visually impaired people to assistance dogs.