It was business as usual when a Toronto-bound airplane departed Tel Aviv Sunday morning. A few hours into the flight, however, the Air Canada pilot noticed that the temperature control systems for the luggage compartment were malfunctioning. Normally, this wouldn’t have been an issue for the pilot; however, on this particular flight, a seven-year-old dog named Simba was being transported in a cage.
Like any man would do to save his best friend from freezing, the pilot announced to the passengers on Flight AC085 that they would be making an unscheduled stop in Frankfurt, Germany. Once they landed, Simba and his owner were placed on another flight to Toronto.
"The captain grew rightfully concerned for the dog's comfort and well-being," a spokesperson for Air Canada, Peter Fitzpatrick, said to CBC in an email. "With the altitude it can become very uncomfortable, and possibly the situation could have been life-threatening if the flight had continued."
According to the Jerusalem Post, the total delay was approximately 75 minutes. Passengers were reportedly more than understanding of the situation.
