A diminutive dog accompanying an elderly New Jersey woman on a US Airways flight from Newark to Phoenix bit a passenger and a flight attendant Monday, forcing the pilot to make an unexpected stop in Pittsburgh.
Mandy, a 12-pound Manchester terrier, was riding in an approved carrier. The dog's 89-year-old owner was one of 122 passengers and five crew members aboard.
The dog owner opened the cage despite having been told not to, an airline spokesperson said. Mandy then bit a passenger who had tried to calm it down, then ran up the plane's aisle and bit a flight attendant who tried to grab it.
The bites were not severe, but the pilot landed the plane as a precaution, US Airways spokesman Todd Lehmacher said. "We allow pets in the cabin as long as they are in an approved container and under the seat in the carrier," said Lehmacher.
The flight resumed without the woman and her dog, and landed in Phoenix hours later. The woman, whose name was not released, spoke with authorities in Pittsburgh before boarding a different flight to Phoenix with Mandy safely in her carrier.
