Couple refunded by airline after claiming 'farting dog' ruined their 13-hour flight

Singapore Airlines has refunded a couple after they complained about sitting next to a 'farting dog'.

A 13-hour flight isn't much fun at the best of times, even if you sit in premium economy like Gill and Warren Press did when flying from Paris to Singapore in June. You'd think being joined by a dog could make the experience a whole lot more entertaining, right? Well, the canine the Press' sat next to seemingly had a bit of a dodgy gut.

But hey, when a dog's gotta go, a dog's gotta go. And as Shrek says, 'It's better out than in, I always say!'

Well, maybe in all situations bar being inside a small, pressurised cabin where you can't escape the stench for 13 whole hours.

The Press' arrived at their premium economy seats to find a passenger with what they believed was an emotional support animal with them.

Unfortunately, the flyers didn't get off on the best paw from the get go, with Gill saying the dog was drooling, snorting and dribbling saliva over them.

The couple decided to ask a flight attendant if there were any other seats they could move to, but when they realised they'd have to move out of premium economy to escape the pup, they decided to stay put.

Long story short, the dog started farting - and couldn't stop apparently. The Press' weren't happy as they eventually moved seats and then complained to the airline trying to get their money back for having to downgrade their seats and claim their flight was ruined by a 'farting dog'.

Getty Images/ Chelsea Guglielmino

The airline issued an apology to the couple, with a spokesperson telling Tyla: "Singapore Airlines (SIA) apologises to Mr and Mrs Press for their experience on board their flight from Paris to Singapore.

"SIA endeavours to notify customers who may be seated next to an assistance dog prior to boarding. In circumstances where customers seated next to an assistance dog request to be moved, we will assist to re-seat customers within the same cabin if space permits.

"In this instance, we were unable to move Mr and Mrs Press within the same cabin as the Premium Economy Class cabin was full. Our crew offered to move Mr and Mrs Press to two empty seats in Economy Class, which they accepted after take-off."

It said it would be in contact with the pair to provide further assistance, and after two weeks, the Press' claim they were offered a gift voucher worth NZ$125 (£59), before later being offered NZ$200 (£94).

However, the pair continued to argue for a full refund and have since been given a refund of around NZ$1,410 (£557).

Mr Press told Insider he and his wife's persistence 'wasn't about the money', but about 'making people accountable'.

The pair set to donate the funds to a charity in New Zealand, which pairs guide dogs with those who are visually impaired.

Topics: Animals, Dog, Health, Money, Sex and Relationships, Travel, Plane Etiquette, Mental Health

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.