UAL, in a press release, said that all UAL crewmembers are trained that no animals are to ever be put in overhead bins. The "points guy", a frequent flyer webpage, says that animals will die if left in the overhead bin.
(UAL) This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin. We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them. We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again.
(the points guy) While the bin is pressurized, there’s no air circulation in the bins as there’s no expectation for a living animal to be placed inside.
Since then, UAL mixed up two dogs, and sent the dog bound for Wichita, Kansas, to Japan, and vice versa. UAL flew the dog in Japan back to Wichita on a private jet.
Next, UAL diverted a flight, because it mistakenly had a dog on it...the plane was diverted to where the dog was supposed to be going, and then the plane flew on to the original destination.
UAL has a new policy where all live animals' crate/luggage will have a specially coloured tag on it indicating it is a live animal.