United Flight Diverted After Pet Mistakenly Loaded On Plane

AKRON, OH — A United Airlines flight headed from Newark to St. Louis had to be diverted to Ohio after a pet was mistakenly loaded on to the plane, the airline said.

The flight from Newark to St. Louis was diverted to Akron on Thursday. The pet that was loaded on to the plane has since been returned to its family, the airline said.

United also said it provided compensation to all customers on board.

The incident is the third this week involving United Airlines and a pet.

On Monday, a dog aboard a United flight from Houston to New York died after reportedly being made to fly in the overhead bin. A passenger brought the dog onboard in a TSA-approved carrier but was ordered to store it in the bin by a flight attendant, according to news reports. The airline said it accepted full responsibility for the dog's in-flight death.

In another incident, the airline mistakenly flew a family's dog that was headed to Kansas to Japan instead. The dog has since reunited with the family. The airline planned to send the dog, 10-year-old Irgo, via cargo but the family protested and Irgo flew home on a United corporate jet.

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