Aegean Airlines in the Doghouse: Fury Erupts Over Lost Blind Kitten Incident

Aegean Airlines in the Doghouse: Fury Erupts Over Lost Blind Kitten Incident - Aegean Airlines' Response to the Feline Fiasco

Aegean Airlines found itself facing a furry fiasco when a blind kitten named Jack went missing on a flight from Athens to Vilnius last month. The distressed pet parent, Milda Malinauskaite, took to social media to voice her outrage over the airline's mishandling of her special needs cat. What followed was a public relations nightmare for Greece's largest airline.

In response to the social media firestorm, Aegean Airlines issued an apology and stated they were investigating how Jack escaped from his carrier during the flight transfer in Warsaw. They assured the public that an internal investigation was underway to determine what went wrong and how they could improve their pet handling procedures.

However, for many customers, this apology came too late and felt insincere. Malinauskaite pointed out that the airline showed little urgency in resolving the issue until she made it public. She claimed they were slow to initiate a search for Jack at the Warsaw airport and seemed indifferent to her emotional distress over her missing companion.

Other passengers chimed in with their own tales of pets being mishandled by Aegean Airlines. Some reported pets arriving frightened and dehydrated due to lack of care. More than one customer stated their pets were left on the tarmac during extreme temperatures while handlers were nowhere to be found.

Amidst the public outrage, questions arose regarding Aegean's policies and procedures for transporting animals. The airline states pets are "handled with extreme caution" but many argued their practices suggest otherwise. The fact that a blind kitten could simply disappear mid-journey indicated major lapses in protocol.

While Aegean maintains their personnel are trained in handling animals, their conduct in Jack's case and other incidents casts doubt on the rigor and effectiveness of this training. The apparent lack of communication between departments and airports also came under fire, as did the delay in initiating search efforts for a missing pet.