'Qantas killed my best friend': Woman devastated after pet bird 'freezes' on flight

A young woman has blamed Qantas for "killing her best friend" after she found her pet bird dead in a water-filled cage after a longhaul flight.

Danielle Di Fiore moved from Australia to London in March and decided to bring her two Indian ringneck parrots, Kakota and Elvis, saying they were like her children.

The 21-year-old paid $2500 to transport the birds in separate crates, but received a phonecall on March 10 to say Kakota was suffering hypothermia after landing at Heathrow.

"I rushed to the animal reception centre where I got her released," Ms Di Fiore wrote.

"I kept her on a hot water bottle, then on our way home she started having seizures and [we] went to the nearest vet [where] she died of hyperthermia."

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Ms Di Fiore said Kakota's cage was overflowing with water and very cold.

The 21-year-old said both Qantas and the animals transport service Skypets have refused to take responsibility or offer compensation for the death of the bird.

A report completed on Kakota's arrival at Heathrow said she was in "very poor condition" on arrival and was "wet and very cold."

But, it said after being placed on a hot water bottle and "massaged," Kakota appeared to improve by the time Ms Di Fiore arrived to collect her.

7 News Online has contacted Qantas for comment.

Skypets spokeswoman Sue Rogers said the company was not to blame for the death, saying "something happened" on the flight.

“I have a statement from the vet at the (Heathrow) animal reception centre that it was fit and healthy and ready to fly when it left there.

Something has happened on that flight," she said, news.com.au reported.

“There is nothing that we did in that job that was negligent, the crate met our standards and we are not responsible for the loading on the aircraft, the airline is.”

Ms Di Fiore has created a GoFundMe page to raise $5000 for an animal negligence lawyer to take both Qantas and Skypets to court.

"I'm a hard worker which does what I can for the community and I just need help to take down this company that I paid a service for that neglecfully transported my baby which resulted in death," she wrote.

"Kakota my baby bird was more like my child... I handraised and hand fed her from 8 weeks old and she has never left my sight for more than a few hours."

Ms Di Fiore's other bird Elvis arrived in perfect health.