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basically, 24 pets died on air carriers last year.
18 were on united. ( and as the article says, it doesn't include the small dog stuffed into overhead on united Monday )
United doesn't seem to be able to do anything right.
They don't care, because they believe that there is no good reason to. Implications are minimal if any. Their insurance pays the people and off they go again.
Before I flew with Leo, under the seat in front of me on Southwest (for a mere $95 extra) I asked for advice on three Facebook cat groups (Bengals the Beautiful Cat, Meezer Moms and Tabby Cats and other kitties). Dogs and cats are different but I got advice to sedate the cat and advice not to sedate the cat. I imagine an over sedated animal of any type is at higher risk of dying during a flight. I wonder how that plays into the deaths of animals on Untied.
If the airlines had one spot on the plane, and sold just one ticket per flight, where there was one missing seat or where there is tons of legroom near a bulkhead, for a person who wanted or needed to travel with an animal/pet of reasonable size, the airlines could charge whatever they wanted and they would make a killing.
My wife will inherit a family home in Hawaii and we plan to spend winters there and summers in Minnesota. If we could book a flight and get the one "pet space" for $2k we'd pay it so we could travel with our dog rather than to look to board him for six months and we would never stick the dog in cargo, ever. If our dog was ill behaved, the airline could blackball us. You could require muzzles if they like. Set the requirements and we will obey them. Our only options now are to downsize the dog to one that will fit under the seat. Put them in cargo (not gonna happen) or book passage on a cargo ship (yes it is a real option) and take ten days by sea to reach the islands. We did find one outfit that will negotiate a first class seat for the dog and the owner, but you are talking about more than $10k each way.
Most people are ok with dogs/cats, only a few are sticks in the mud that they are allowed on an airplane. I am allergic to cats, but if someone needs to fly with one, I am ok with it, just help me move my seat if necessary. It is an unserved market. I wish someone would offer it. You don't need to have a flying Noah's Ark, and my wife and I would really only be looking to use it on two flights a year. One animal space per flight at whatever price the market will bear. That is all I ask. I think some airline could make a lot of money if they wanted to try it.
vader1, just FYI, have you looked into bringing your dog to Hawaii? They have super stringent rules about letting them in. My sister had a home in Wyoming and one on Kauai. I believe her dog had to be in quarantine for 6 months in Hawaii (I don't know which island) before they'd let her have him. When I took Leo on my flights I asked the ladies next to me if they were allergic to cats. Most of the time people don't know you have one unless it meows.
If the airlines had one spot on the plane, and sold just one ticket per flight, where there was one missing seat or where there is tons of legroom near a bulkhead, for a person who wanted or needed to travel with an animal/pet of reasonable size, the airlines could charge whatever they wanted and they would make a killing.
My wife will inherit a family home in Hawaii and we plan to spend winters there and summers in Minnesota. If we could book a flight and get the one "pet space" for $2k we'd pay it so we could travel with our dog rather than to look to board him for six months and we would never stick the dog in cargo, ever. If our dog was ill behaved, the airline could blackball us. You could require muzzles if they like. Set the requirements and we will obey them. Our only options now are to downsize the dog to one that will fit under the seat. Put them in cargo (not gonna happen) or book passage on a cargo ship (yes it is a real option) and take ten days by sea to reach the islands. We did find one outfit that will negotiate a first class seat for the dog and the owner, but you are talking about more than $10k each way.
Most people are ok with dogs/cats, only a few are sticks in the mud that they are allowed on an airplane. I am allergic to cats, but if someone needs to fly with one, I am ok with it, just help me move my seat if necessary. It is an unserved market. I wish someone would offer it. You don't need to have a flying Noah's Ark, and my wife and I would really only be looking to use it on two flights a year. One animal space per flight at whatever price the market will bear. That is all I ask. I think some airline could make a lot of money if they wanted to try it.
vader1, just FYI, have you looked into bringing your dog to Hawaii? They have super stringent rules about letting them in. My sister had a home in Wyoming and one on Kauai. I believe her dog had to be in quarantine for 6 months in Hawaii (I don't know which island) before they'd let her have him. When I took Leo on my flights I asked the ladies next to me if they were allergic to cats. Most of the time people don't know you have one unless it meows.
I have. We are about a decade away from retirement at this point so this might all be moot and we might have a pocket sized dog by then, but in the last few years Hawaii has a process where you can fill out paperwork and you need some documentation from your vet, etc that the dog is of good health, vaccinated, and has no parasites and they will give the dog a quick glance on entry and let you pass. If you don't follow the procedure, you may have the dog quarantined for up to 30 days and even refused entry.
But yes, Hawaii is very protective of their isolated ecosystem, and I completely understand.
Had not heard of this operation. Thanks for the heads up, I will look into it. It does appear that the animals fly as cargo, which is not ideal given that they ask the animals temperature tolerance. I have heard some horror stories of animals that flew cargo and were covered in their own droppings and vomit as the process can be really terrifying for them. I have flown on a military AC130 that was not fitted with the sound proofing of a passenger plane and it was deafening. For 8 hours to Hawaii, that would be really hard on a dog.
03-14-2018, 05:56 AM
not a good stat to be proud of.
