Man and Dog Fleeing Irma Denied Flight for Not Having a Pet Carrier

Last week, as people braced for Hurricane Irma, Florida resident Matt Varga made arrangements for him and his dog, Meeka, to evacuate. He booked an American Airlines flight out of Florida and began searching for a pet carrier for Meeka to fly in, as required by federal regulations.

However, after searching ten stores, Varga still couldn’t find a pet carrier. He tooks his chances and went to the airport with Meeka anyway. Unfortunately, American Airlines would not make an exception to the pet carrier regulations, so Varga returned home to ride the storm out with Meeka by his side.

When it comes to saving the lives of animals, airlines and hotels have often made exceptions to strict policies during emergencies and natural disasters. This was an instance where American Airlines should have done the same.

Meeka is a small dog. The risk of allowing her onboard under Varga’s supervision was probably far less than the risk of the two returning to their home to face Hurricane Irma. By strictly adhering to one-size-fits-all policies, American Airlines put Matt Varga and Meeka’s lives in grave danger.

Please sign this petition asking for American Airlines to apologize and to reconsider such strict policies in future emergencies.