NEW YORK - The fallout over United Airlines forcing a family to place their dog in an overhead bin continues.
Thursday, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) and Senator Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced the Welfare of Our Furry Friends Act, also known as WOOFF.
The bill which directs the Federal Aviation Administration to create regulations to prohibit the storing of a live animal in any overhead compartment and establish civil fines for violations. The backlash on Twitter was swift.
This move comes after United Airlines issued an apology after a dog died on board a United flight from Houston to New York.
The dog's family says they were forced to put the animal in an overhead bin. The family also alleges the dog was barking before the plane landed.
The family also alleges the dog was barking for nearly two hours before the plane landed.
United Airlines, along with the president of the Flight Attendants Union, says pets should never be placed in overhead bins.
Maggie Gremminger, a passenger on the plane, told NBC News she now lives with regret.
“It's horrible now because now I'm thinking about hearing that dog and not knowing that it was needing help,” she said.
Charlie Leochoa, president and founder of Travelers United, says saying no to members of a flight crew is risky.
“The other issue is now the airlines have become so aggressive in terms of dealing with what they call unruly passengers," he said. "If you say, ‘No, I am not going to put my dog up there or I want to talk to somebody else,’ all a sudden you are labeled an unruly passenger and you may be dragged off the plane like Dr. Dao was."
Leochoa said by law, passengers are required to follow all of the instructions issued by the flight crew.
“If you don’t, they might drag you off the plane if your protest a lot,” he said. “Once you are on that plane you are under the control of the airline.”
Leochoa says this is a classic case of miscommunication. He says the woman should’ve let the crew know her dog carrier contained an animal.
Now, the best recourse is to complain.
The federal government wants people to submit written complaints with the carrier. A Department of Transportation rule requires that airlines acknowledge written complaints within 30 days and send a substantive response within 60 days of receiving the complaint.
The DOT also recommends submitting reports of animal mistreatment by airline personnel to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.