A corgi put on the wrong flight by American Airlines ended up in Hawaii instead of its destination in Mississippi after making a big detour starting in Dallas.
American Airlines took the blame for the Pembroke Welsh corgi's whirlwind adventure that started in Seattle on Saturday and ended in Honolulu, reported
Hawaii News Now. The dog named Bethany was put on the wrong connecting flight in Dallas and ended up far, far away from Jackson, Mississippi.
"We apologize to Bethany and her owner for the extra flight to Honolulu, and look forward to introducing her to her new owner very soon," said American spokesman Ron Feinstein. He said the dog left on Monday for Dallas and then was flown to Mississippi on Tuesday.
Bethany's breeder, Paul Chen, reported the dog missing on Saturday and offered a $1,000 reward. American admitted the connecting flight mistake after originally fearing that the dog may have been stolen.
"She took a little bit of a vacation," said American spokeswoman Andrea Huguely. "She has been very well taken care of the entire time."
The Associated Press reported that a dog died on an American flight back in April and the airline couldn't determine the cause of the death. A cat escaped from the cargo hold of an American flight in February, said the AP, and the airline determined the cat's cage door had not been secured with a zip tie as required.
According to U.S. Department of Transportation figures, 28 pets have died and 21 others were injured on airlines in the first nine months of 2015.
Lillian Eyer, a veterinary technician in suburban Dallas, told
KTVT-TV that longer flights can be stressful for some dogs, but added, "There's nothing unusually dangerous about flying with your pet."