French Bulldog Simba is held by his owner after the diverted flight.
If you’re a traveler who’s had to take your pet along on flights…this will hit especially close to home. An Air Canada flight, slated originally from Tel Aviv to Toronto, had an unexpected change of course when the pilot decided to take emergency action and land the plane in Frankfurt, Germany. The reason? He noticed a heating system malfunction in the cargo area just as the plane was about to head over the Atlantic Ocean, which would have caused cargo temperatures to drop significantly – bad news for the pooch stowed there.
Simba, a French Bulldog, was saved by the pilot’s precautions – even though it delayed the flight by 75 minutes and cost an additional $10,000 in fuel costs. Simba’s owner was overjoyed at being reunited with his best friend, saying, “it’s my dog, it’s like my child. It’s everything to me.”
According to aviation expert Phyl Durby, there was no other option. Durby confirmed that the pilot made the right choice, estimating that the cargo area’s temperatures would reach below freezing without its heating system employed, which would have killed Simba.
Three cheers for the thoughtful pilot! No word yet from Air Canada over whether or not they think it was worth the cool $10k, though.
(Picture and story details via CityNews.)