One of the major airlines, Akasa Air is facing criticism after a passenger travelling with his pet dog, claimed to have had a traumatic experience on a recent journey from Ahmedabad to Bengaluru. The passenger Lakshay Pathak listed the main problems that spoiled his trip in a LinkedIn post. The caption to the post, read, "Horrible experience with Pet Travel in Akasa Air." "My wife and I were travelling with our pet Shih Tzu on 26th Jan Flight from Ahmedabad to Bangalore. The flight that was intended to leave at 10:20 pm left at 1:40 AM. It being our first time with pet travel we reached the airport 3 hrs in advance. So a delay of more than 3 hrs and we have already spent over 6 hrs in the airport", he wrote.

Pathak emphasised the inept handling of pet-related inquiries by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and ground workers, citing their unhelpful attitude. ‘Worst Flight Experience of Life’: Man Misses International Trip After IndiGo Flight Gets Delayed for Six Times in Seven Hours; Airline Provides Refund. 

On call & mail a very different picture was painted at buying a pet ticket for Rs5000 would enable comfortable travel of the pet. Despite the huge delay the airport staff was adamant on not letting the pet ever out of the container. While sitting, thrice the airport security came and asked us to not even let him lie on the floor, the post read. Pathak further revealed, "There is no provision for pets to relieve themselves. All the washrooms in the airport have blowers that make a lot of noise, leaving no chance for pets to pee. Additionally, neither the ground staff nor the CISF assisted in terms of going out of the airport and coming back inside. The ground staff told me that I would be able to relieve my pet in the flight's washroom." UN Diplomat Shares Worst Experience of Travelling in Air India, Complains for Broken Seats, Cockroaches on New York-Delhi Flight (See Pics). 

"There is no 'special seat' to accommodate pet travel, not even in the last row. For the first 45 minutes of the flight, my dog kept crying. To console him, I placed his container on my lap, allowing his head to breathe for a while. Apparently, this was also 'not allowed.' The pet is supposed to be near your leg space below the seat, and we all know how limited that space is", he wrote. Pathak, calling the flight attendants "untrained and unprofessional," said that he tried to comfort his upset cat by letting it breathe outside the container, but a steward refused to comply. The passenger's annoyance was increased by the crew's disregard for their comfort during the journey. The post is currently doing rounds on social media.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2024 02:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).