Gill Press and her husband were travelling from Paris to Singapore in June when they were seated next to the so-called 'assist dog'. Photo: Supplied
A Kiwi couple sat next to a farting, snorting bulldog in premium economy on an international flight earlier this year have finally been thrown a bone.
Singapore Airlines has decided to refund them the difference in price between the premium economy seats they paid for, and the economy seats they ended up sitting in to avoid the putrid pooch.
Gill Press and her husband were travelling from Paris to Singapore in June when they were seated next to the so-called 'assist dog'.
"We got onto the plane hot and flustered because the departure process is not easy there, and there was this really strange noise, and I thought it was my husband's phone," Press told Checkpoint earlier this month.
"So I said to him, 'Your phone is making some strange sound,' and he looked, no, and he said it's the guy next door. At the same time we both looked down and saw this heavy breathing, distressed dog and we looked at each other and went, 'You're joking, this is not happening. It's not on our plane.'
"The smell got to me" - Gill Press, Singapore Airlines customer
"And I mean, it was unbelievable. My husband went and spoke to the flight attendant, who said, 'Look, there's nothing else - we can give you three seats at the back of the economy'. And I said, 'Well, let's just try sitting where we are,' and halfway through in the dark, the smell got to me."
She said it was "in distress" from the moment the flight took off.
"The people behind said, 'Why have you got a dog on the plane?' And he said, 'I get anxious,' and they said, 'Well, we could have brought our dog too,' and I thought I could have brought my dog too.
"So the dog, he then had to fan - with the safety card - the dog for an hour-and-a-half to calm it down and get its breathing right. When those dogs breathe, they emit moisture out of their mouth.
"He was, I'm saying snorting - he was breathing heavily and and the back of his legs, the dog's legs, were out into the aisle so the flight attendant had to ask him, the owner, to move it forward so that he could get the trolley through."
Singapore Airlines initially tried closing the complaint with a $125 gift voucher. Photo: AFP
She complained to Singapore Airlines, which at first said it would give her a $125 gift voucher for its KrisShop website in compensation. A few weeks later the airline upped its offer to two $200 travel vouchers.
Press thought the airline was barking up the wrong tree, so went to the media. Her story was covered earlier this month by the likes of Stuff, the New Zealand Herald and RNZ's Checkpoint, and was even picked up by a few international news sites.
On Wednesday, Stuff reported the airline had caved - offering Press and her husband $982.50 each - the difference in cost between economy and premium economy. They would also get the travel vouchers, as a "gesture of goodwill".
Press told Stuff the money would be donated to Blind Low Vision NZ, which trains guide dogs.
Singapore Airlines stopped letting passengers bring 'emotional support' dogs on board in April. The only canines allowed are those "trained to assist those with disabilities, such as guide dogs, hearing dogs and mobility assistance dogs".
The airline apologised to Press for not informing her before the flight she would be seated next to someone with a dog.