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On Facebook, Mikhail Galin, the cat's owner, said that he was flying from Sheremetyevo to Vladivostok, but was not allowed to bring his cat, Viktor, on board because its weight exceeded the regulations and it needed to be checked in as baggage. "The cat weighed 10 kg, while Aeroflot's maximum weight for carry-on baggage is 8 kg," Galin wrote. To avoid this procedure, during security, Galin presented another cat similar to Viktor but lighter to trick security and successfully check it into business class.
Mikhail Galin and his fat cat on the flight.
Upon returning home, the passenger nonchalantly posted a photo of Viktor sitting with her on the plane, enjoying a glass of wine. The post immediately attracted attention from "Russian cat lovers." Some considered Galin's actions shameful, while others feared that Galin's case might lead airlines to tighten regulations on bringing animals on board.
Aeroflot conducted an internal investigation and discovered that the passenger with his cat had committed "a series of serious violations": he failed to check in his pet as checked baggage, took it out of its cage when boarding the plane, and committed fraud during check-in. This was confirmed by security camera footage. Aeroflot has removed this passenger from the Aeroflot Bonus program (the airline's reward miles program).
"Aeroflot has decided to remove this passenger from its frequent flyer program. All miles accumulated during his flight will be cancelled," Aeroflot announced. This means Mikhail Galin has lost nearly 400,000 miles (644,000 km) of accumulated flight time.
