Thinking of Taking Kitty on a Flight? Airlines Report Pet Deaths, Injuries
Posted on: Friday, 8 July 2005, 15:00 CDT
The government on Thursday issued its first monthly report on bad things that happen to pets on planes.
For years, the Department of Transportation has issued reports on lost baggage and late arrivals, but now the airlines are also required under a new law to report the loss, death or injury of household pets.
"This is a source of information that will help consumers make informed decisions about how to travel with their pets," said Bill Mosley, a spokesman for the DOT.
Six carriers reported 10 incidents that happened in May, including four deaths, five injuries and one loss.
Continental Airlines, top carrier at Newark, had the dubious distinction of reporting the most mishaps with three.
A 5-year-old cat named Buffy became a DOT statistic by breaking free of her cage while being transported to the plane. Buffy received medical attention for a scrape on her mouth at Continental's expense and got to fly for free.
And in two separate incidents a black lab named Cave and a rat, name unknown, died in-flight, apparently of natural causes, the airline reported.
Alaska Airlines reported that a dog owner was taken into police custody after his pooch broke out of an inadequate kennel in a cargo hold and killed an Abyssinian cat.
The dog's owner was barred from flying on Alaska Airlines for a year and the dog was barred for life.
All in all, airlines seem to be doing a pretty good job moving about 2 million animals a year. DOT has received only two complaints this year about airlines' handling of their pets, Mosley said.
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By the numbers
Animal mishaps in May
Alaska Airlines:
One death, one injury
Comair: One injury
Continental Airlines: Two deaths, one injury
Frontier Airlines: One injury
Northwest Airlines:
One injury, one loss
U.S. Airways: One death
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation
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E-mail: newman@northjersey.com
Source: Record, The; Bergen County, N.J.
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