The Problem Of Pets Travelling On Planes Heats Up.

Have you ever been on a plane that was delayed because a pet got loose in the baggage department?

I spent 2 long hours in a plane on a runway somewhere in Ireland because when we stopped to refuel and pickup a couple of passengers a dog escaped from the cargo hold.  It had chewed through the cage it was being transported in, and lept from the plane as soon as the door was opened.

The owner of the dog was discreately accompanied from the plane to help recapture the dog.  Meanwhile the rest of the passengers were stuck in a stuffy plane unable to offload because we weren't officially supposed to be there.

Recently a Cheetah escaped from the cargo hold of a plane that landed in Atlanta. The big cat and its mate were destined for the Memphis Zoo but one of them broke free and escaped the plane.  Fortunately neither cat nor any bystanders were hurt in this incident.

Delta have decided to take advantage of pet owners who choose to travel with their pets and recently introduced a $150 tax per flight for in-cabin pets.  If you take your pet there and back it will cost a whopping $300 dollars.  This may well cost more than your own fare.  But the folks at Delta know that people who travel with their pets and don't want them to travel in the hold will pay whatever it takes. 

A survey conducted by smartertravel.com uncovered some interesting statistics.  For example 72 percent of those who took the survey said that people should be allowed to travel with cats and dogs in the cabin. The interesting point to note is that only 25% of the people surveyed had ever travelled with a pet.

Which do you think is the more annoying travelling companion, babies or pets?

According to the above survey babies were concidered less desirable travelling companions than pets.

The general consensus is that Delta is price gouging with its pet tax.  The worrying feature is that United is looking at their policy on pet cabin travel.  If we as pet owners don't want this to become an industry norm then we have to act now, and vote with our wallets.   Support pet friendly airlines today!