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A New Zealand couple received a $1,410 refund from Singapore Airlines months after they were seated next to a farting dog during a 13-hour flight.
Gill Press told Insider that she and her husband, Warren, relocated from premium economy to economy seats during the flight due to the dog, who was also reported to be snorting and drooling during the flight from Paris to Singapore in June. The couple sent numerous emails to the airline company before finally receiving about $1,410 in compensation, which they pledged to donate to a nonprofit that matches vision-impaired people with service dogs.
Insider said Singapore Airlines didn't respond to its request for comment regarding the couple's reported refund, however, a representative had previously told the website that the company had issued an apology. The incident was first reported by Stuff on September 8.
"I said to my husband, 'You need to sort this. We can't have a dog sitting next to us for this length of time,'" Gill Press said via Insider, referring to the dog initially snorting and drooling.
Warren Press then spoke to a flight attendant about the situation, who said the couple could take the only open seats available, which were located in the back of the economy cabin. The couple initially opted to stay in their premium seat until the conclusion of dinner service, at which point the dog started farting as they attempted to sleep.
The couple then went back to the flight attendant and accepted the two economy seats, which were reserved for staff. The flight attendant told the couple that they could fill out an incident report, which they complied to, and that the airline would contact them about a reimbursement.
Gill said they initially received an apology and two $73 gift vouchers after an extended period of time, which was significantly less than they'd hoped for considering the difference in cost between premium and economy seats. The airline eventually countered with two travel vouchers valued at $118 each, which was still significantly less than the $1,000 price difference between the two tickets.
The airline finally complied "as a gesture of goodwill" to reimburse the couple with a full refund of about $587 each, though they said they received about $1,410.
"That's the least they could do," Gill said via Insider. "If they wanted to be really nice, they could've given us way more."