When Madison and James Miller moved to Nashville from London, they scheduled a British Airways flight for James and their dog Bluebell on December 1 in the hopes of a trouble-free transatlantic trip. In contrast, Mr. Miller described what happened as "an awful nightmare."

Bluebell, a five-year-old black Labrador mix who had to ride in the cargo hold, was not with Mr. Miller when he landed in Nashville, as he had expected. Instead, Bluebell had unintentionally been sent to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by British Airways. When the Millers asked for "proof of life," they received a picture of Bluebell looking out from her crate in response.

It would take more than 60 hours for the Millers and Bluebell to be reunited; in spite of the Millers' desire for a direct flight from Riyadh, Bluebell was flown back to London before continuing onto Nashville. (Although there aren't any scheduled or freight flights between the two locations, the Millers mentioned another instance in which a misplaced dog was transported home on a private jet.) The Millers claim their dog spent the majority of the ordeal confined to her box, with the exception of a brief respite during her layover in London.

In a statement given to TripSavvy, IAG Cargo, which oversees cargo operations for British Airways and other airlines, expressed regret for the error. "We sincerely regret the unfortunate mistake that took place on Bluebell's journey to Nashville. The company noted that Bluebell "received refreshments frequently and had time outside to stretch her legs—including regular walks and eight hours with the team at the Heathrow Animal Reception centre who cared for her. We take the responsibility of caring for people's loved animals seriously and are investigating how the redirection happened."

The only justification offered to Mrs. Miller and James for the blunder, according to TripSavvy, was that "several persons didn't verify Bluebell's papers, despite all of her paperwork being accurate on her box, and as a result loaded her onto the wrong plane."

The Millers claimed that Bluebell has experienced behavioural problems since the encounter, which they attribute to the traumatic travel experience. "After the trauma, she destroyed her kennel in the first 10 minutes when we tried to leave her home alone. The following time, she sobbed the entire time as she chewed through a wooden door "Mr. Miller stated in a statement. "We can't leave her now because she might hurt herself. She finds it too distressing to be away from us."

For Bluebell's medication and therapy, the couple is asking British Airways for close to $10,000 in damages. The Millers turned down British Airways' offer of 50,000 frequent flyer miles, which was all they were given. Even though Mrs. Miller told TripSavvy they haven't heard from the airline in a week, the disagreement is still active.

Sadly, this is not the first time an airline has mistreated a pet. A handler for American Airlines left a cat named Jack outside of its kennel at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in 2011. 61 days later, Jack was discovered and in such bad condition that he had to be put to death. At JFK in 2015, a cat by the name of Felix managed to escape after his carrier was smashed during the unloading of an Etihad aeroplane. Felix had a better outcome than Jack because he was found within two weeks and was in a relatively good state.

Then, in 2018, a United Airlines flight attendant insisted that a French bulldog be kept in the overhead bin rather than under a seat; that dog passed away during the journey. A German shepherd named Irgo was unintentionally transported to Japan instead of Kansas by United Airlines a week later. (At that time, the airline paid for the dog's flight home on a private plane.)

Such instances underscore the statistically remote but actual risk involved with flying with dogs, especially in the cargo compartment. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that while there were no missing animals in 2021, there were seven documented animal deaths and fourteen reported injuries. 1 This amounts to 0.82 incidences per 10,000 transported animals.

While most pets arrive at their destination unharmed, mistakes—and even deadly ones—do occur. Airlines will hopefully make more efforts to safeguard the safety of travelling pets in light of such high-profile occurrences as the Millers'.