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A Maine coon cat named Mittens clocked up some serious air miles this month after being left on an Air New Zealand flight and accidentally flown to Australia and back.
Mittens’ owner, Margo Neas, described the events as “both distressing and unacceptable” after paying $1948 to have her feline flown to Australia. Air NZ said it was investigating the event and could not confirm who was responsible but apologised and refunded Neas the cost of Mittens’ transport.
On January 12, Neas flew one-way from Christchurch to Melbourne with her son and Mittens, with plans to live there permanently.
Since Air NZ does not accept direct animal bookings from the public for international flights, passengers must book via an approved pet carrier and Neas booked with Christchurch-based company Move My Pet.
Mittens flew between Christchurch and Melbourne three times after being forgotten in the cargo hold.
Everything went smoothly, Neas said, until they landed in Melbourne and cleared customs.
“We waited three hours at the freight collection depot with no explanation and no cat.”
Eventually, a Qantas representative said ground handlers had overlooked Mittens, who remained onboard and en route back to Christchurch, for a total journey of about 7.5 hours.
On the return flight, back, Neas said the pilot was contacted to turn the heating on in the cargo hold, which can sit around 7C.
“This situation is deeply concerning and raises serious questions about animal safety protocols,” said Neas, who added the safety and wellbeing of live animals “must be taken seriously”.
Air NZ general manager of customer care Alisha Armstrong apologised for the distress and confirmed all costs associated with Mittens’ travel would be covered.
“We’ll work closely with our ground handler in Melbourne to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
Mittens underwent a cleaning and visual health check before taking a third flight home.
At 2am the next day Move My Pet retrieved Mittens from the flight, cleaned her, conducted a visual health check then rebooked her on a flight back to Melbourne on January 13 at no additional cost. Neas described the service as “invaluable”.
Last Thursday, Neas lodged a complaint with Air NZ, requesting an explanation and reimbursement for Mittens’ transport fees, and transport costs Neas paid returning to Melbourne Airport to collect her. Neas received an auto-reply stating she could expect a response in five business days.
Today, Neas claims she received a call from the acting New Zealand sales manager for Air NZ, who offered an apology and reimbursement, as requested.
“He acknowledged my concerns and mentioned that if it were his family pet, he’d feel the same way,” Neas said, adding they described it as a “human error”, as a wheelchair also in the cargo hold possibly blocked Mittens from view.
“After the wheelchair was removed, staff handling the freight apparently didn’t realise there was anything else in the area,” she recalled him saying. He allegedly added an investigation would be done, which Neas said she was eager to see.
“While they hire third parties to manage freight removal, ultimately, Air NZ is responsible and must give the same care and priority to all passengers — whether human or furry,” she said.
Move My Pet did not respond to a request for comment.
