After 74 deaths, Delta no long accepts pets as luggage

AlterEgo

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Jan 9, 2009
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[Info for pet owners who ship back and forth from DR]

After 74 deaths in a decade, Delta bans pets from being checked like luggage

Soon you won’t be able to check your dog with your suitcase on Delta flights.

Delta Air Lines stated on its website that it will no longer allow customers to check their pets with their baggage after March 1, 2016, unless passengers are a member of the military with active transfer orders or require service animals. Certain pets can still travel in the cabin for a fee or be shipped on the ground via the Delta Cargo service. Prices for Delta Cargo shipping range from $193 to $1,481.

The move may have been prompted by Delta’s history of pet incidents. The airline has recorded the highest number of pet deaths between May 2005 and September 2015, according to the US Department of Transportation. On Delta flights alone, 74 pets have died in the 10-year period, accounting for about 25 percent of all recorded airline pet deaths in the US, and 14 pets have gone missing. However, these numbers are just a small percentage of the thousands of pets that travel on airlines each year.

Delta imposed restrictions on pet travel in the cargo compartment in 2011, banning snub-nosed dogs and cats from being checked after a number of incidents with breeds with respiratory problems, according to the Atlanta Constitution-Journal. However, 24 pet deaths on Delta flights were recorded by the Department of Transportation after December 2011.

Once the new policy goes into effect, American Airlines will be the only US-based airline to allow pets to travel in the checked-baggage compartment of its airplanes, according to data from travel review website BringFido.com. Other airlines, like JetBlue, United Airlines and Southwest don’t allow animals to travel in the cargo compartment. The Humane Society of the United States doesn’t support pets traveling in cargo: “We strongly discourage having your pet travel by air in the cargo hold of a plane,” its policy states. “It can be dangerous and stressful.”

Delta didn’t respond to a request for comment, but in 2013 it required travelers to provide a health certificate for pets that are traveling on the same flight as the owner, which must be issued within 10 days of transport. The company advises on its website that customers take extra care when traveling with animals: “Your pet is an important member of your family. Review the health, kennel and weather requirements listed below to help keep your pets safe and secure during travel.”

http://nypost.com/2015/11/18/after-...&utm_source=NYPFacebook&utm_medium=SocialFlow
 

Meemselle

Just A Few Words
Oct 27, 2014
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I'm glad I have a carry-on dog. Not that we travel together, as he's not very amusing company, but still.
 

jd426

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Dec 12, 2009
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What is the size limit for carry on Dogs if anyone knows , and how hard is it to get a dog listed as a Companion Dog ? like lets say a LAB ? not sure if thats possible.
Used to fly with my dog all the time back in the day.. within the US. never had issues. pup to full grown dobie.
Wondering why they cant do something as simple as keeping a pet alive for a couple hours in the air.. just sad.
 

AlterEgo

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Jan 9, 2009
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What is the size limit for carry on Dogs if anyone knows , and how hard is it to get a dog listed as a Companion Dog ? like lets say a LAB ? not sure if thats possible.
Used to fly with my dog all the time back in the day.. within the US. never had issues. pup to full grown dobie.
Wondering why they cant do something as simple as keeping a pet alive for a couple hours in the air.. just sad.

Carry on limit last year when we brought our pup from DR to NJ was "under 20 pounds and able to fit in a carrier under the seat in front of you". That was United Airlines. Cost was $125.
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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United still has a cargo program for dogs... but it's expensive.....$300+ each way

There is a kennel at EWR for overnights.