United Files Dogs to Japan by Mistake; Northeast Locked in Winter's Grip
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ear infection made the 16- hour flight with no food or water. He was examined in Japan and is flying back to Kansas with an escort.</s>KARA SWINDLE, DOG MISTAKENLY FLOWN TO JAPAN ON UNITED: He was probably so scared and freaked out and probably hurting too because he doesn't have his medicine. I'm hoping and praying that he will still be alive.</s>JONES: United apologizing in a statement saying that an error occurred during connections in Denver for two pets sent to the wrong destinations. The mix-up coming one day after this French bulldog died on board a different United flight after flying more than three hours from Houston to New York in an overhead bin.</s>SOPHIA CEBALLOS, DOG DIED ON UNITED FLIGHT: And the flight attends came. She said put -- you have to put him up there because it's going to block the path. And we're like, it's a dog, it's a dog. And she's like, it doesn't matter, you still have to put it up there. She took him out and opened the thing and then she got the dog and he was dead.</s>JONES: United taking full responsibility. acknowledging that the passenger did tell the flight attendant that the dog was in the carrier. but explaining that the attendant did not hear or understand her and did not knowingly place the dog in the overhead bin.</s>CEBALLOS: He was a really special dog. And it's just sad how -- the way he has to just leave.</s>JONES: Lawmakers are demanding answers.</s>SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R), LOUISIANA: What happened to this pet was disgraceful. And I can't imagine how the pet's owner feels. But we need to get to the bottom of it.</s>JONES: Republican Senator John Kennedy introducing legislation today to ban animals from being put in overhead bins. The Department of Transportation says 18 animals died on board United Airlines flights last year, more than any other airlines. These latest incidents coming nearly one year after United Airlines faced intense backlash after this video surfaced of a passenger being dragged off a flight for refusing to get off the plane due to overbooking.</s>JONES: And who can forget that story? Now, United has announced that start in April it will issue brightly colored tags to passengers traveling with pets to put on their pet's carriers so they can be easily identified by the crew.</s>ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, that sounds like a start. That maybe a -- that might work.</s>JONES: They also listen to the passengers who are telling them the dog's in the carrier. And the dog that's barking.</s>CAMEROTA: Exactly.</s>CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: She did not knowingly put the dog -- that's just legal language to cover themselves for what is sure to be a lawsuit. But also interesting aspect to this. John Kennedy, we have him on the show there, Republican senator out of Louisiana, Congress is moving on this right away. What happened with this dog? We've got to figure it out. Bills are being introduced. School shootings, not so much. But this dog and why? Because they believe that you act out of consequence, not conscious, and they know voters will reward and punish if they don't on this. They don't feel the same way about the other issue. There it is in action.</s>CAMEROTA: Enough said.</s>CUOMO: Thank you. The nor'easter, the U.S. is locked in winter's grip with spring now just five days away. Fake spring. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers joins us with more. Fake spring, Chad. Fake spring.</s>CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That is a new hashtag. I will probably use that today. It's spring in St. Louis where it's 49, but not in Jacksonville right now where it's 32, 17 degrees colder. This weather is brought to you by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, packed with goodness. Is spring on the way? No, not yet. Not for the northeast. Not for Atlanta. Temperatures will be in the 70s the next couple of days. So, yes, down here. But the spring weather could also bring some severe weather with it too. That would be on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. I know you've heard about this nor'easter that could potentially hit the northeast on Tuesday. Well, the American model says, not so fast, it's a rainstorm. But the European model says, yes, sirree (ph) there's going to be snow. We will see the battle between the models in the next couple of days, who believes what. Temperatures are still going to be cool in the northeast and nice and mild in the south. Alisyn.</s>CAMEROTA: OK, Chad, thank you very much. So thousands of students walked out of school across the country to fight gun violence. Two students who participated tell us what they accomplished, next.