China Airlines Offers Free Ticket After Locking up Cat for 38 Hours

China Airlines has responded to a woman who said they locked her cat in its cage for 38 hours before sending them both back to the US, leaving her thousands of dollars out of pocket.

But she says she was unhappy with what they offered as compensation, a premium-economy ticket from the US to a destination of her choice.

Nina Galy, an influencer with over 400,000 followers on TikTok, hoped to bring her cat with her when she moved to Bali, Indonesia, in early July.

She thought she had all the documentation in place to bring her pet, Baby Cat, from LAX to Bali via Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.

In a previous interview, she told Insider she spend nearly $1,500 on consultations, blood tests, vaccinations, and other protocols.

But when she arrived in Taiwan for her layover flight, she was told Baby Cat could not enter Indonesia. Her only option, she was told, was for them both to fly back to the US.

Distraught, Galy asked if she could be with her cat, who by that point had already been locked up for the 13 hour flight, but was told it wasn't possible.

"They said they covered her cage with a blanket, so she's trapped in the dark, for what would be 25 hours, before boarding the return flight," Galy said, adding that the staff at the airport lacked "empathy" for her situation.

Galy shared the ordeal on the platform on July 6, amassing some 17 million views.

"I have traumatized my cat, I have sedated her, I have starved her, she has been in a cage for almost 15 hours now with no food and nowhere to relieve herself," she said in her video.

(China airlines didn't respond to Galy or Insider at the time, but in the later email said that somebody did feed Baby Cat during the ordeal.)

Galy and her cat were reunited the next day when they landed in the US. She updated her TikTok followers saying her cat was fine, though she "smells terrible," and had clearly been sick in her cage.

Galy told Insider she was considering suing the airline. Then she received a text message from a China Airlines customer service manager on July 17. Not wanting to speak over text, Galy emailed the representative, who responded with an offer of compensation. Galy sent Insider the email for verification, which appeared to come from a legitimate China Airlines address.

"For clarification while you were waiting in Taipei, China Airlines ground staff did feed your baby cat and make sure baby cat was taken care of on July 6, 2023," the email reads.

"For your inconvenience, we are able to provide a round-trip premium economy class ticket from USA CI gateway cities to any destination operated by China Airlines."

Galy told Insider "I was literally sick to my stomach after reading the email."

"They basically doubled down and clearly really don't care," she said, adding that they "didn't even bother to do any research" because she had stated several times she had moved away from the US, so a free ticket from there wouldn't do her much good.

Galy also updated her TikTok followers about the situation, reiterating that she was seeking legal advice, and doubting the manager's claim that Baby Cat was "taken care of," considering the state she was in when they were reunited.

"They didn't even offer a REFUND or any compensation after I was forced to spend OVER $5000 on this fiasco," Galy wrote in the caption. "Texting me was WILD, but offering one premium economy ticket after both me and my animal companion were traumatized and shown NO empathy is unacceptable."

She said both she and Baby Cat had gotten sick after the ordeal "and it took me over a week to recover physically and mentally."

"I am not accepting this," she said.

A representative for China Airlines said in an email to Insider that an internal investigation found that the LAX ground stuff were wrong to accept Baby Cat onto the flight. It said staff "immediately explained the situation" to Galy, and "ensured that the cat was well-fed and in good health."

First off, I MOVED to Bali. I dont even live in LA anymore to accept an LAX flight if I wanted to. Also, I wouldnt be caught in a casket on China Airlines again. Third, they didn’t even offer a REFUND or any compensation after I was forced to spend OVER $5000 on this fiasco. Texting me was WILD, but offering one premium economy ticket after both me and my animal companion were traumatized and shown NO empathy is unacceptable. Just as they said they “didnt accept my opinion” I am not accepting this. I left the airport with a fever, baby cat got sick, and it took me over a week to recover physically and mentally.

This article was updated on July 24 to include a response from China Airlines.