Airline Travel and Pets

When Libby Sherrill of Tennessee tried to board a Continental Airlines flight with a rescued pit bull, she was turned away. The four-month old puppy named Joey was rescued by The Chako Rescue Association for the American Pit Bull Terrier, which is based in Sacremento, CA. Sherrill was expecting to fly back to TN from CA with her rescued pit bull puppy. Continental turned Sherrill away because Joey was six pounds over Continental’s limit for pit bulls. “They would not accept any pit bulls over six months of age that weighed more than 20 pounds,” explains Dawn Capp, founder and director of The Chako Rescue Association.  

“Sherrill was referred to customer service who told her that Continental has had a restriction on pit bulls for several years,” says Capp. “I think Continental’s restriction is ridiculous. They will fly a 90-pound German Shepherd. They’ll fly a Rottweiler. They’ll fly just about every breed of dog but not a 4-month old pit bull puppy. I can’t imagine what a pit bull puppy would do that a 90-pound German Shepherd wouldn’t do.”

Since the incident, Capp has been telling people who show and rescue dogs to avoid using Continental. “I honestly don’t see how this is a safety issue,” Capp says. “He doesn’t have adult teeth yet. He still has his puppy teeth. What they’re doing is discriminating against a breed of dog.”

According to Capp, American Airlines, United, and South Western do not have pit pull policies. Joey flew home on American Airlines.

The friendly skies are not the best place for dogs and cats. Former Eastern Airlines flight attendant Carol Ann Hafner, says, “When I worked for Eastern, we took excellent care of animals. Things have changed and I would now never put an animal in cargo. There is a horribly high incidence of death and injury not to mention it is a traumatic experience due to noise and temperature extremes. Taking them in the cabin is expensive but at least they are with you and you can care for them en route. Still, with all the new restrictions, air travel is no longer a pleasant experience for anyone. I’m sure the big guys will tell you all is fine in the cargo holds but see how many of them check their own pets.” 

 Jim Willis, author, animal advocate, and World Animal Day Ambassador for the USA, agrees. “The skies are purposely unfriendly to pets, with some airlines no longer accepting animals as cargo. Pet shipping represents a liability for airlines, and since 2005, they have been required to file incidence reports. Several sites such as Petflight.com track those. It is always a risk to fly an animal, especially if the animal is sedated, very young, or senior, or is of a ’shortnosed’ breed, and planes on the tarmac can’t cool their pressurized cargo hold. Flying an animal because of a permanent move or rescue effort may be a necessity, but owners who ship animals as cargo for the purpose of showing or vacationing are selfish, foolish, and playing roulette with the animal’s life.”

From Continental Airlines

Customer service at Continental sent me to their website. Here is what I found: Continental Airlines will accept American Pit Bull Terrier puppies which are between 8 weeks and 6 months of age provided they do not weigh more than 20 pounds. All American Pit Bull Terriers more than 6 months old or weighing more than 20 pounds will be refused. Crossbreeds with American Pit Bull Terriers are also excluded from this embargo. This embargo is due to the danger presented to our aircraft and our customers.

Airline Pet Policies
For extensive information about airline pet policies, Cheap Flights has come up with useful guide. Another way to transport pets is with Pet Airways. At Pet Airways pets fly in the main cabin, not in cargo. The company launched this past July. They fly between NY, DC, L.A., Denver, and Chicago.

Readers’ Comments:

Andy Garfinkel wrote:
Very interesting article – thanks for sharing.

11/14/2009 6:04 PM Jan Keith wrote:
Continental is making a huge mistake. Their policy is discriminatory.