OK, I’ve heard all the WAG, PETA rants, and second-hand scare stories I can stand to hear on this. I would like to learn, preferably from someone in the industry, about how pets are transported as air cargo or checked baggage on an airliner. For the sake of discussion, let’s say we’re talking about cats or dogs.
Here’s what I want to know specifically -
Temperature and pressure control in the compartment. Is an animal-safe environment maintained? Is the baggage/cargo environment linked to the passenger compartment, or separate? If loss of temperature or pressure occur, would the crew be alerted that animals are in jeopardy so they could take appropriate action?
Stowage of the pet container. Is proper distance maintained around the cage? Is there light and adequate airflow? Is the cage secured adequately to prevent blockage of airflow by shifting?
Loading and unloading. Do animals get last-on, first-off loading priority to minimize the exposure to the weather?
Incidence of injury and death. Are there any figures on this?
We all take risks when we fly, both humans and animals, but I would like to know what animals really face on an airliner. There’s a dearth of objective information on the internet, so I come here as a last resort.
IANAFA, but I’ve got a lot of miles and every time they seem to be with a different company…
The answers to your questions vary wildly from company to company and plane to plane, ok, so they are general.
The baggage compartment is usually not specially heated. The reason planes are cold is not that “the a/c is too high”, but that it’s bloody cold out there. If you’re carrying a pet, you will be told to bring a blankie in its cage: this is partly for familiarity and partly for the cold. The compartment is part of the cabin for pressure purposes.
2,3) Pet cages get put in last, after the regular luggage, and taken out first, in every company I know of (but I can’t vouch for Air St Potatoville). This also helps with airflow, etc. But they have to be tied down (to keep them from bouncing around if things get rough, the pet can’t hold onto the chair).
No information but if it helps I haven’t heard of any cases. And I know people who travel with the cat regularly.
Airliners usually have one cargo compartment that is pet-friendly. This compartment is heated and pressurized, and any animals must be loaded in this compartment. When pets are loaded I get a note on my closeout that gives the number of Live Animals aboard. So yes, we know about them. And if we lose pressurization we will be taking action to protect ourselves and our passengers - the airplane is one large pressure vessel, so if you lose pressurization in the cargo compartment you will lose it in the cabin. There are no oxygen masks in the cargo compartment, but the pets in there will benefit from the descent that we would do.
Not sure what you mean by “proper distance around the cage”. Put your pet in a container that they will be comfortable in for several hours. If there are multiple pets they could be placed next to each other, but they are never placed where the doors to the cages face each other. There is plenty of airflow, but it will be dark and loud. The cages are strapped down so they can’t shift around during flight.
Yes, animals are last-on/first-off. Most airlines will restrict animals from being shipped as cargo during the summer months because even this priority cannot guarantee safe temperatures (think Las Vegas or Phoenix in the summer).
By “proper distance around the cage” I mean that air holes in a pet carrier are only effective if they aren’t blocked by adjacent cargo. Thus you need at least two sides of the carrier exposed to an open space.
Also I wonder if the carrier is stowed in some kind of secondary cargo container, or if they are stowed as-is.
The carriers are placed directly on the cargo floor. They are usually separated from regular bags by several feet. There are no extra containers placed around/on top of the pet carriers.
From the links provided, I was able to learn this important information:
In April 2000, Congress enacted legislation requiring air carriers to report consumer complaints of animal loss, injury, or death in the monthly Air Consumer Travel Report which shows animal incidents by airline.
From this source, I see that in 2003 there was a total of 2 animal-related complaints, and in 2004 there were 4 complaints. This is a far cry from the 1% (or 5,000 out of 500,000) DOT estimate of animal loss rate which was published prior to the year 2000. It suggests to me that the earlier estimate was wildly incorrect, or the industry has done quite a bit of reform in this area after the legislation. There is, of course, the possibility of underreporting, but I don’t think pet loss is an area where there would be a bias toward underreporting. The 5,000 number is still being thrown around by the ASPCA as if it were current and accurate.
NattoGuy I don’t know what your purpose is, but if you are shipping a pet you should feel comfortable doing it.
Every single time I’ve had a dog or cat on board I’ve talked to the rampers as they loaded the animal, and they’ve told me the “personality” of the pet. Every pet has been anxious and nervous, but has still been able to lick my hand when I come see them before takeoff.
The pets are well taken care of, and everyone involved seems to get a “personal stake” in the animal’s well being.
Bottom line: if shipping pets as cargo was dangerous then no one would do it!
At some point in the future I may be taking 2 animals on a 12-hour flight. We all accept risks when we fly, but for animals it is not voluntary. That is why I want to make sure it is as safe and comfortable as possible.
I appreciate the comments, they are reassuring. Until I posted on this board, all I had been able to get is scare stories from well-meaning but overzealous pet lovers who claim that the compartment is neither temperature nor pressure controlled (not really believable, otherwise how would any animals survive at all?). The 1% loss figure was scary, but frankly not very believable. Thus I brought the question here, where everyone has helped me obtain better information.