What you need to know about flying with pets
This is a tough economic climate to launch an airline, let alone one
that won't carry human beings. Yet last month Pet Airways took to the
skies with one-way fares ranging from $149 to $299—and now all its
flights are booked through November.
"It's a needed service," says Alysa Binder, who co-founded the company
along with her husband after their Jack Russell terrier Zoe
encountered a rough cross-country flight in a baggage bin a few years
ago. The so-called "pawsengers" fly in the reconfigured main cabin of
a Beech 1900 aircraft, along with a trained pet attendant. The route
map currently consists of service from airports in and around five
metropolitan areas—Long Island, Baltimore-Washington, Chicago, Denver
and Los Angeles County—but Pet Airways has ambitious expansion plans
for 25 North American cities within a few years, and Binder says South
Florida, Boston, and Phoenix are next.
It would seem Pet Airways never would have gotten off the ground if so
many pet parents weren't concerned about commercial airlines
transporting animals. "This is our core competency," says Binder, who
like many animal advocates is not happy that so many critters are
forced into belly cargo compartments.
Obviously Pet Airways isn't the answer for everyone. But before you
book a flight for a furry companion, it's critical to learn more.
How airlines have performed
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Denver | Federal Aviation Administration | US Airways | Continental
Airlines | Amtrak | United States Department of Agriculture | JetBlue
Airways | International Air Transport Association |
Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport |
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
In recent years the U.S. Department of Transportation has provided
some insight into the problems encountered by pet owners on domestic
airlines. Since May 2005, the DOT's monthly Air Travel Consumer Report
has included Airline Animal Incident Reports. This requirement
mandates that all U.S. scheduled passenger airlines report the loss,
injury or death of any pets transported. These monthly reports can be
downloaded at airconsumer.dot.gov/reports.
A review of the most recent 12-month period, from July 2008 through
June 2009, reveals that thankfully such incidents are relatively rare,
considering the DOT estimates 2 million pets and other live animals
are transported by air in the U.S. each year. This is apparent even
without calculating the exact percentage of animals carried by each
airline, which is not provided by the DOT. In fact, there were no
incidents reported at all on domestic carriers during the months of
September, January and April. But of course citing such statistics to
someone who has lost a beloved pet is like quoting similar data on the
safe transport of unaccompanied minors to the caregiver of a child who
is lost en route.
So overall it's difficult to formulate meaningful rankings since these
incidents are reported without the context of total number of pets
flown, let alone total distance of pets flown. That said, here's a
rundown of the 32 incidents that were recorded over the last 12
months, with commuter airlines listed alongside their major carrier
partners:
Deaths (21 total)
Alaska: 4
American: 4
Continental: 4
Delta: 4
Northwest: 2
Trans States/United: 1
United: 2
Injuries (7 total)
Alaska: 1
American: 2
Horizon/Alaska: 1
Northwest: 3
Losses (4 total)
American Eagle/American: 1
Delta: 1
Horizon/Alaska: 1
United: 1
As for the causes, each incident is cross-linked to the airline's
actual report so consumers can learn from these tragedies. In some
cases, pets were sedated or placed in improper containers, and in
others airline personnel (or their sub-contractors) mishandled the
animals.
Policies vary — widely
First things first: Is it best to travel with your pet or would he or
she be better served by staying behind with family or friends, or at a
kennel? If you're relocating, is air travel the only viable option?
Consider the following advice from the American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: "The ASPCA urges pet owners to think
twice about flying their pets on commercial airlines, especially if
they plan on checking them in as cargo. Unless your animal is small
enough to fit under your seat and you can bring him or her in the
cabin, the ASPCA recommends pet owners to not fly their animal."
Such decisions can be tough, particularly because neither Amtrak nor
Greyhound allow pets on board. If you do decide to transport your
furry friend by air, first realize there are three options, though all
three are not available for all pets. Some airlines allow pets in the
cabin, though they must travel in a container and there are extensive
restrictions on the size and weight of such a carrier. In other cases,
an animal may travel as checked baggage, though there are size and
weight restrictions for this as well. Finally there is the option to
ship your pet as air cargo. Service animals such as seeing-eye dogs
are exempt from airline prohibitions under DOT rules.
Each airline determines what type of pets to allow, with nearly all
permitting dogs and cats. Policies for other species—ranging from
birds to gerbils—are specific to that carrier. United, for example,
allows dogs, cats and household birds in the cabin, and rabbits,
hamsters and guinea pigs as checked baggage only.
With U.S. airlines, the rules and regulations for pets as carry-ons
vary widely. The Federal Aviation Administration sums up the
industry's "general procedures" by noting that most airlines limit the
total number of pets, restrict them to their containers for the entire
flight, and require that animals be "harmless, inoffensive, and
odorless." You may also need to produce a recently issued health
certificate.
Among the majors, fees for bringing aboard a pet as a carry-on range
from $75 (Southwest) to $100 (Alaska, American, Delta, Northwest, US
Airways) to $125 (Continental, United) for a one-way domestic flight.
Such fees can be higher under certain circumstances and for
international flights.
There also can be additional fees for pets carried as checked baggage
and/or air cargo. Delta, for example, spells out your choices on its
Pet Travel Options page.
Sorting through these policies can get tricky. AirTran allows pets in
the cabin, but not as checked baggage; conversely, Frontier accepts
pets as checked baggage but not in the cabin. And because of the heat
at its Phoenix and Las Vegas hubs, US Airways bans pets in the cargo
compartment, except on its Shuttle flights between New York, Boston
and Washington (it's worth noting that US Airways reported no
incidents during the last year).
Continental allows pets in the cabin, but bans them as checked
baggage. Instead, they can be transported as cargo under the carrier's
PetSafe program, which provides a 24-hour Live Animal Desk. Also, your
furry friends earn you one OnePass mile for every dollar spent on pet
transport, as part of Continental's PetPass initiative. JetBlue also
awards TrueBlue points for pets under its JetPaws program.
Southwest previously banned carrying pets, but that changed on June
17th when the airline began accepting "small vaccinated domestic cats
and dogs" for transport in the cabin only, in carriers that can be
stowed under your seat. In fact, Southwest says "under no
circumstances" will it accept pets in the cargo bin.
Important considerations
Consider all the options before you decide to put your pet on an
airplane. Here are some general guidelines:
• Ask your veterinarian if your pet is healthy enough to fly safely,
as well as what precautions you should take. Compile specific
questions about feeding.
• Experts advise that puppies and kittens, sick animals, animals in
heat, and frail or pregnant animals should not travel by air, and that
"pug-nosed" animals should not fly in an aircraft's cargo area.
• The American Humane Association recommends that pet owners do not
sedate animals prior to air travel: "Whether flying in the cabin or
with cargo, animals are exposed to increased altitude pressures of
approximately 8,000 feet. Increased altitude ... can create
respiratory and cardiovascular problems for dogs and cats who are
sedated or tranquilized."
• Despite marketing claims to the contrary, the Agriculture Department
states there are no USDA-approved transport kennels: "Airlines or air
transport organizations [such as the International Air Transport
Association] do not certify containers. Statements such as 'airline
accepted' or 'IATA Approved' are misleading." Instead, the USDA
suggests you select a container that is "put together securely" (e.g.,
with locking bolts); contains metal doors rather than plastic,
especially those fastened by four metal rods; and offers a "strong and
effective" door lock mechanism.
• Make sure the container is the proper size. Also, note that many
airlines will not accept a container with wheels. There are many other
considerations concerning containers, so visit the sites linked at
left to learn more.
• Properly label all containers and make sure your pet has
identification, such as a collar, ID tag, and/or microchip. Affix a
photo to the container in case the animal escapes.
• Acclimate the animal to the container prior to the day of travel.
• Bring along copies of vaccination and health records.
• International air travel can be quite complex. As the USDA states:
"Each country has their own set of rules, some simple, some complex,
and some require quarantine." For an extensive list of nations, visit
the USDA's Regulations and Assessments page.
• Speaking of animal quarantine policies, they exist not only in many
foreign destinations, but also in the state of Hawaii. Further
information is available at hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/info.
• Book as early as possible, since some airlines limit the number of
animals onboard each flight. Reconfirm prior to departure.
• Always choose nonstops over connecting flights whenever possible. I
found that several recent DOT Airline Animal Incident Reports
concerned pets routed on domestic itineraries that contained multiple
connections and three or even four flight legs each way.
• Consider the time of year and the time of day, particularly midday
flights in the summer and late night flights in the winter, and how
extreme temperatures might affect your pet. Some airlines impose
embargoes at certain destinations and/or during certain times, or when
ground temperatures exceed specified limitations.
The bottom line: There are dozens of restrictions and caveats about
transporting pets by air, and all sorts of embargoes on specific
destinations as well as certain times of the year. In addition, space
is limited and usually subject to a first-come reservation basis. So
never make a booking until you're clear what the rules are for that
airline.
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