Breaking: Dog Dies on United Flight After Family Forced to Put Carrier in Overhead Bin

On Monday night, a United Airlines flight attendant forced a family to stow a dog in an overhead bin during a flight from Houston to New York.

The dog's owner and her two daughters boarded the flight with their French bulldog inside of a TSA-compliant carrier and placed it beneath the seat in front of them. A flight attendant remarked the bag was blocking the aisle and instructed the family to place the carrier in the overhead bin. Passenger Maggie Gremminger expressed on Facebook that the passenger "adamantly refused," clearly communicating that her dog was in the bag. Yet another passenger, June Lara, explained that the flight attendant then "assured the safety of the family's pet so wearily, the mother agreed."

According to Gremminger, the dog barked for the first 30 minutes of the flight.

It was discovered upon landing that the dog had died.

“A stranger offered to hold her newborn while she sat on the floor, there in the airplane aisle. She was holding her dog and rocking back and forth. Her daughter was also crying,” Gremminger told People.

After the dog was discovered, according to Gremminger, the flight attendant then appeared "frazzled" and denied that knowing there was an animal inside of the carrier.

United Airlines is now apologizing.

"This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin. We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them. We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again."

United’s pet policy clearly states that non-service animals are permitted with a $125 service fee as long as the animal “is in an approved hard-sided or soft-sided kennel. The kennel must fit completely under the seat in front of the customer and remain there at all times.”

One-third of U.S. animal deaths aboard passenger flights during the last five years occurred on flights operated by United Airlines.

See Gremminger and Lara's detailed reactions below: