Air Travel

Question:

When talking to a representative of Southwest Airlines, I was shocked to hear that putting an animal in the luggage compartment is an absolutely inhumane practice. According to this woman, the luggage compartment is not pressurized for a living animal and subsequently a pooch will suffer incredible pain for the entire duration of the journey. Is this true???? I thought people (concientious, dog-loving people) shipped there animals with them all the time! Somebody tell me if this woman gave me the straight dope, or if she’s looney!! Thanks in advance!! PS: Taking my dog in the passenger compartment is not an option, since she’s enormous and I heard that you have to be able to fit your dog in a small crate.

Response:

I ship collies from Anchorage Alaska to Syracuse New York for training in guide dog programs frequently.  The dogs are put in special pressurized compartments in the baggage hold.  What is more of a concern at the moment is the way many airlines are taking advantage of the FAA’s regulations on crate size for shipping dogs.  They often insist that a dog is shipped in a crate much to large for the animal.  An animal must have enough room for comfort, but not so much that it can be injured bouncing around in its crate if air conditions are rough or the crate is dropped.  At the present time their seems to be no consensus on this.  A have had three dogs shipped to me in size 400 crates, upon taking them back to the airport three weeks later I’m told these dogs are too big for these same crates, ie I must buy a size 500 crate for each dog ($90 each) and pay additional shipping charges of $127.00 per dog!  This is airway robbery.  The same airlines just shipped these dogs in the smaller crates 3 weeks ago! Athena

Response:

>When talking to a representative of Southwest Airlines, I was shocked to hear >that putting an animal in the luggage compartment is an absolutely inhumane >practice. According to this woman, the luggage compartment is not pressurized >for a living animal and subsequently a pooch will suffer incredible pain for >the entire duration of the journey. Is this true???? I thought people >(concientious, dog-loving people) shipped there animals with them all the time! >Somebody tell me if this woman gave me the straight dope, or if she’s looney!! >Thanks in advance!! >PS: Taking my dog in the passenger compartment is not an option, since she’s >enormous and I heard that you have to be able to fit your dog in a small crate.

Well, I’ve sent Danes from Perth to Canberra via Sydney (air time – about 4.5 hours) with no ill effect. I think you’ll find luggage areas in modern aircraft are within the pressure hull of the aircraft. Happy new year Shane Read aus.pets – for an Aussie perspective on pet ownership Australian Dog Page:  http://www.pcug.org.au/~sbaker/dogs.htm Canberra – Australia’s National Capital.

Response:

1.  Southwest Airlines does not accept pets.  Their employees may not be knowledgeable on air travel with pets. 2.  I’ve had my best luck checking with the cargo folks after I talk to the reservation people.  I like to know what type of aircraft we’re flying on and the capacity for pets.  Between the two, I’ve gotten a pretty good assessment of the capabilities of the particular aircraft involved for that trip.  Keep asking until you’re entirely satisfied with their responses. Good luck!!

Response:

as an aside, i was on a delta flight from atlanta to dallas when my luggage got ‘lost’ (misrouted, forgotten, whatever).  there was an incredibly hysterical family at the luggage claim office, and i commented to a friend "these people must not fly much if they are freaking out that [of course, i got my bags eventually, so i'm sure the doggies got home too....?] —         *  if there are pieces left over, you screwed up…. *                             dallas, texas

Response:

        That almost happened to me too. When I got on the plane, I just happened to look at my baggage claim tickets and saw one going to Columbus, ohio instead of MS. I almost freaked!!! The plane haden’t taken off yet so I grabbed one of the stewardess who told me to talk to the lady who had taken my ticket at the gate. SHe notified the ground crew and they checked the carrier. Thank God, we all arrived safely. I think that the possibility of the air line losing pets is the reason why they have you put a sticker on the carrier as to when was the last time they had clean water and when was the last time they were fed as well as a small bag of food. CHristine Calder

Response:

Any airline that accepts live animals for transport in other than the passenger compartment MUST pressurize the hold or the dogs will die, period.  They also must heat it.  Southwest doesn’t accept live animals so they do not pressurize their cargo holds any more than they need to so that hairspay etc won’t blow up in your luggage.  The FAA has very strict laws concerning accepting live animals as cargo so any airline that takes them will have to make sure that their cargo hold is safe.  However, quality treatment of live animals varies from airline to airline and even from airport to airport.  It is best to talk to those in your area who are experienced with shipping dogs to find out which airline is the best.

Response:

 k> When talking to a representative of Southwest Airlines, I was shocked  k> to hear  that putting an animal in the luggage compartment is an  k> absolutely inhumane  practice. According to this woman, the luggage It is true that the luggage compartment is not pressurized.  In the bigger airlines there is a special compartment that is pressurized, it is used for shipping flowers, organ transplants, and yes, live cargo.  Kathleen

Response:

>When talking to a representative of Southwest Airlines, I was shocked to hear >that putting an animal in the luggage compartment is an absolutely inhumane >practice. According to this woman, the luggage compartment is not pressurized >for a living animal and subsequently a pooch will suffer incredible pain for >the entire duration of the journey. Is this true???? I thought people >(concientious, dog-loving people) shipped there animals with them all the time! >Somebody tell me if this woman gave me the straight dope, or if she’s looney!! >Thanks in advance!! >PS: Taking my dog in the passenger compartment is not an option, since she’s >enormous and I heard that you have to be able to fit your dog in a small crate.

Each airline, and sometimes each type of craft, has different specifications.  It was pointed out in a recent discussion that SOME cargo holds are not pressurized; some are pressurized but not to the same quality as the passenger compartment, while others are pressurized and climate controled, and are very suitable for shipping animals.  The only way to find this out is to ask specifically about the flight you have reserved.  This is something that I would take seriously; don’t just ask the person at the ticket desk, but write ahead of time to the airline and ask, and when calling, speak to two or three people and ask to speak with a supervisor and make sure they all tell the same story. amy

Response:

> When talking to a representative of Southwest Airlines, I was shocked to hear > that putting an animal in the luggage compartment is an absolutely inhumane > practice. According to this woman, the luggage compartment is not pressurized > for a living animal and subsequently a pooch will suffer incredible pain for > the entire duration of the journey. Is this true???? I thought people > (concientious, dog-loving people) shipped there animals with them all the time! > Somebody tell me if this woman gave me the straight dope, or if she’s looney!! > Thanks in advance!! > PS: Taking my dog in the passenger compartment is not an option, since she’s > enormous and I heard that you have to be able to fit your dog in a small

crate. Sounds looney to me. Not only pets, but valuable show dogs are flown every day, with no ill effects. I’ve flown mine, and they have ranged from bored with the whole process to "well, where have YOU been?". And think about this….if the hold was unpressurized, just think about the *mess* your aerosols etc. would make in your luggage……. FAA regulations do not, I believe, allow for the shipment of animals in any but pressurized holds. So if the type of plane doesn’t have this, they are not allowed to accept animals for shipment…… BTW, Southwest does NOT take animals……FWIW. — Wendy Duggan Kyzyl Kum Salukis-Smooth & Feathered

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