Wife of AFL premiership star calls out Qantas for leaving their ‘terrified dog in a crate for 14 hours without food’: ‘Disgusting animal abuse’

Qantas has come under fire from an influencer couple after its cargo system was thrown into chaos, with their dog caught in an IT glitch that left goods stranded at airports.

The airline has confirmed that a system upgrade to its cargo handling system in late September resulted in an outage that caused significant delays for customers.

With the IT system down, employees were forced to process shipments manually, causing backlogs in deliveries at some of the country’s largest airports.

AFL star Nathan Broad and his television personality wife Tayla saw their French bulldog caught up in the delays and claim their pet was left in a crate without food for up to 14 hours when they sent him from Melbourne to Perth.

The airline has confirmed that a system upgrade to its cargo handling system in late September resulted in an outage that caused significant delays for customers.

They say Qantas failed to notify them of any changes after the dog was not put on a flight, and a family member waited for hours at Perth airport to be told the dog had not arrived.

“This is disgusting and animal cruelty,” Ms Broad wrote on social media.

“He’s so confused. We couldn’t go up the stairs anymore due to exhaustion, so dehydrated, drooling and not feeling well at all,” she wrote in another post.

Broad said Qantas’ “excuse” was that the system was not working.

“You belong in a crate, you useless airline!” he wrote on Instagram.

The airline has issued a statement following the incident in which it apologizes to the couple.

‘Our team regularly checked the pet’s health, topped up the water and made sure the crate was clean. The box was covered in our cargo terminal while waiting,” a spokesperson said.

The delays also meant that unrefrigerated produce and pharmaceuticals were broken, with the Sydney Morning Herald reporting that bodies were left in coffins on the tarmac.

“This is disgusting and animal cruelty,” Ms Broad wrote on social media

“He’s so confused. We couldn’t get up the stairs anymore due to exhaustion, so dehydrated, drooling and not feeling well at all,” Ms Broad wrote in another post

Qantas has denied coffins have been left at airports, with urgent medical supplies and human remains prioritized to avoid delays.

The airline says the IT issue has been resolved and domestic backlogs cleared; However, there are still delays on international freight services.

“The issue has now been addressed and we are working around the clock to ensure all outstanding items get to where they need to go as quickly as possible,” a Qantas Freight spokesperson said.

‘We understand that this is very frustrating for customers and we are sorry that this outage has affected them in recent weeks. We post regular website updates and interact directly with customers.”

The airline has issued a statement following the incident in which it apologizes to the couple