A couple who were kicked off a plane after being accused of using forged vaccination documents to fly with their beloved pet Dachshund are suing the airline.
Marie Rienecker, 38, and her husband Kim Birtel, 55, had been flying to their holiday home on the French Riviera when they fell foul of officials at Hamburg airport in Germany.
Airline staff said their seven-year-old pooch Fine’s rabies vaccination was out of date and invalid.
But when psychologist Marie checked the document she found her vet had made a mistake.
So she dashed to a nearby emergency vet and came back with a new document saying the certificate was still valid.
But after Marie and businessman Kim took their seats on the Eurowings flight EW7428 to Nice on 22nd October, the flight crew accused them of using forged documents.
The mortified couple were marched off the plane like criminals to be met by police who escorted them out of the airport, according to local media.
Marie told Newsflash in an interview: “At the check-in desk in Hamburg, the employee looked at Fine’s passport and said that the rabies vaccination had expired two months ago.
“In fact, the vet had made a mistake and dated the vaccination as only valid for one year and not for three years.
“The lady from the ground staff was called in and approached us shaking her head. She was so incredibly unfriendly.”
Kim added: “I explained to her that the date was entered incorrectly and that the vaccination protection is still valid.”
But despite showing the employee a number of documents and even calling the airline’s service, they were not allowed to continue their journey.
The desperate couple then found an emergency vet practice near the airport and rushed back with a new document confirming that the vaccination would be valid for two more years.
Marie said: “We quickly drove back to the airport, ran to the check-in counter, and showed everything.
“Another very friendly staff member issued us with our boarding passes and said that everything was okay. We were glad that we made it in time.”
But as they took their seats, cabin crew began quizzing them about Fine’s documents.
Marie said: “Nobody was interested in our version, even the pilot said he had to ask us off the plane because he had been told that there were passengers on board with forged papers.
“We were accused of forging the new documents from the emergency vet’s office and smuggling the dog onto the plane.
“When we arrived at the gate, we were told we had to wait for the federal police.
“The two officers told us that we had to leave the airport immediately because we no longer had passenger rights.
“When I asked what we could do now, the officials advised me to consult a lawyer.”
Marie added: “We are frequent flyers. To accuse us of forging the vet’s papers is cheeky and defamatory. We feel hopelessly exposed to the harassment of airline employees.
“We have the feeling that Eurowings is only interested in making even more money. And this only ever happens to us in Hamburg.”
Budget airline Eurowings spokesperson Florian Graenzdierffer told German newspaper Bild that the couple had been ejected from the plane for hiding Fine under a jacket.
Graenzdierffer said: “During a follow-up check on board, the cabin crew noticed that the dog the guests had brought with them was not properly registered.”
Kim said: “We had no reason to smuggle the dog onto the plane. We had all official papers and valid boarding passes at the gate.
“If you can so easily smuggle a large visible bag on board Eurowings, what else is possible?”
Now the couple have filed a lawsuit for damages against Eurowings, demanding a EUR 300 (GBP 260) refund for their tickets and another EUR 60 (GBP 52) for dog charges.
They are also seeking compensation for the high loss of earnings due to the missed flight, as they ended up driving 19 hours to Nice.
Marie concluded: “We have received many messages from other dog owners who have experienced very similar situations – always only in Hamburg.”
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Story By: Sofija Dizdarevik, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
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