PetFlight - Air Travel Information for your Pets

September 2012 Airline Pet Travel Report

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 13:47:51 GMT

Alaska Airlines reports the injury of a Pit-Bull who injured itself trying to chew its way out of the kennel.

American Airlines reports the loss of a dog named Brody who escaped his lead while he was being walked. American provides little detail on this incident.

Delta reports the injury of a 6 year-old Shepherd mix named Snickers who because stuck and injured attempting to chew his way out of the kennel.

August 2012 Airline Pet Travel Report

Sat, 08 Sep 2012 11:57:41 GMT

Delta reports the death of an eight year-old short hair cat named Baby. Baby was overnighting at Atlanta, GA during a trip from Raleigh Durham, NC to Narita, Japan and was found unresponsive at the kennel. Baby's owners declined a necropsy and two other pets completed the trip without incident.

United Airlines reports the death of a seven year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Jake. Jake arrived decreased in San Diego, CA from Houston, TX. A necropsy was performed and the cause of death was diagnosed as chronic cardiac disease.

United Airlines also reports the death of a six year-old Golden Retriever named Rocket during a flight from Newark, NJ to San Diego, CA. A necropsy did not indicate a cause of death, but Rocket did have self-inflicted injuries.

July 2012 Airline Pet Travel Report

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 01:10:00 GMT

Alaska Airlines reported the death of a two year-old Pit Bull traveling from Kona, HI to San Jose, CA. The dog was found deceased upon arrival. No details on the cause of death were provided.

Alaska Airlines also reports the injury of a three year-old cat sometime during travel from Anchorage, AK to Burbank, CA via Seattle, WA. Five days after travel the owner called the airline and stated that the cat has injuries to its mouth and lover teeth. No injuries were reported the day of travel, and the airline states that there was no signs of damage to the kennel.

American Airlines reported the death of a cat during a flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina to New York, NY. A necropsy was performed and the cause of death was listed as a heart attack.

Delta reported the death of a 16 year-old Dalmatian named Penny during a flight from Brussels, Belgium to Atlanta, GA. Delta states that all procedures were followed. A necropsy was performed and stated that Penny likely died of possible hyperthermia and also noted that Penny was overweight.

June 2012 Airline Pet Travel Report

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 01:36:06 GMT

American Airlines reports the death of a dog named Toby. Toby was found deceased while unloading in Dallas, TX from Honolulu, HI. A necropsy was performed and it was revealed that the dog had a pre-existing condition and that a “Tracheal Collapse”, along with the kennel being too small for the pet, was the cause of death. American noted that the agent who accepted Toby in Honolulu will be counseled on checked pet procedures and the acceptance of kennels.

Delta reports the death of a 2 year-old Labrador Retriever named Mocha. Mocha was traveling from Monrovia, Liberia via Accra, Ghana to Atlanta, Georgia. Upon unloading in Atlanta Mocha was found deceased. A necropsy of the pet indicated she died of heat stroke. Delta reports that Mocha was in apparent good condition prior to departure from Monrovia Liberia. The flight crew advised the heat/cooling controls were properly set. There were no indications of a mechanical malfunction during the flight. A check of the bin heating system by mechanics found the system is working properly.

Delta also reports the first death of a rabbit. Upon arrival in Atlanta, GA from Munich, Germany a 2 year-old Mixed Holland Lop and Rex Rabbit was found deceased. A necropsy of the rabbit indicated the cause of death was a pre-existing medical condition.

American also included the report of a dog that occurred in January 2012. This should have been included in the March 2012 report. American accepted a snap-together kennel in Newark, NJ. During unloading at Dallas, TX the kennel broke apart and a dog named Cup Cake escaped and was killed on an active runway.

May 2012 Airline Pet Travel Report

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 03:03:39 GMT

Alaska Airlines reports two injuries, but for the same dog. A Pit-Bull injured itself chewing out of a kennel prior to loading on the aircraft. The dogs was returned to the owner and two days later they attempted to fly again. The dog again injured itself chewing out of a new kennel prior to boarding. The dog was returned to the owner and they did not travel.

Delta Airlines reports the injury of a 4 year-old Samoyed named Frannie. Frannie was found to have injured her mouth trying to chew out of the kennel during a stop in Minneapolis, MN. Delta provided a loaner kennel and the dog traveled on to the second stop in Portland OR. The dog attempted a second escape between Minneapolis and Portland.

Delta reports the death of a 2 year-old Pug named Oy. Oy arrived deceased in Atlanta, GA from Seattle, WA. Delta reported temperatures of 45F in Seattle and 43F in Atlanta. A necropsy was performed and the cause of death could not be determined; however the examining vet cited Brachycephalic Airway Obstruction Syndrome (BAOS) as a predisposing factor.

Delta reports the injury (and temporary loss) of a 7 year-old Pointer named Dakota who was being transported from Dusseldorf Germany to Atlanta, Georgia with its owner. Dakota sustained injuries to its paws and/or snout while chewing and pawing through the wall of its kennel just prior to being loaded on the aircraft in Dusseldorf. The dog escaped from the hole in the kennel. According to the passenger, the dog was captured some days later outside the airport perimeter and is being treated for the injuries to its paws by a local vet.

Delta reports the death of a 7 year-old Manchester Terrier named Ivan. Ivan arrived deceased in Atlanta, GA from Frankfurt Germany. A necropsy of the dog indicated the dog had an undetected preexisting disease of the heart valve, endocardiosis, which compromised its ability to compensate for the stress of travel.

Delta reports the injury of a 5 year-old Shepard Spitz mix. The dog was able to escape its kennel, even though the door was secured with zip ties. The dog was quickly captured and taken to a local vet clinic where he was diagnosed with cuts to his face, legs and paws. The next day the owners attempted to fly the dog again but delta refused to transport the dog as it was chewing at the kennel and showing signs of aggression.

Delta reports the injury of a 4 year-old Pit-Bull named Maximus who injured himself escaping from his kennel. He was captured after 40 minutes. Delta notes that they accepted a kennel that did not meet their standards for transport as well as the temperature being too warm for short-noseds dogs to travel.

United Airlines reports the death of a 4 year-old Chihuahua. The dog traveled from San Antonio, TX to Huston, TX and was found to be barely breathing. Ramp agents on site immediately sought emergency treatment for the pet but it died prior to reaching the clinic. A necropsy was performed and found that pre-existing conditions likely lead to the death of the dog, including the fact that is was obese at 19 pounds.

No Pets in Cargo Hold for Delta 767 Planes

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 02:33:04 GMT

Effective June 9th 2012, Delta is no longer allowing bets to be transported in the cargo hold of Boeing 767 aircraft. This includes both pets as cargo and checked baggage.

Delta's Policy Change

April 2012 Airline Pet Travel Report

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:54:36 GMT

Alaska Airlines reports the injury of a dog that arrived in Seattle, WA from San Diego, CA. The dog appeared to have a self-inflected wound to its gum and was bleeding. Alaska indicates that there is no evidence that their handling contributed to the injury.

Alaska also reports the injury of a seven month old Yellow Lab on a flight from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to Seattle, WA. Upon arrival the dog was found to be limping. Alaska Airlines suggested the dog be taken to a veterinarian to ensure that no injury was present. After an X-ray, MRI and exam, the dog will go to physical therapy for 2 to 3 weeks, for left hind limb monoparesis (slight paralysis to a single body part usually from nerve damage).

Delta Airlines reports the death of two Chinchillas on a flight from Anchorage, AK to Minneapolis, MN. The Chinchillas were mistakenly loaded into a bin that contained dry ice. While the necropsies did not identify a cause of death, it did indicate that the animals were subject to some sort of cardio-vascular insufficiency. The report states that the carbon dioxide from the dry ice could be a plausible explanation for the cardio-vascular insufficiency and may have caused or contributed to the deaths.

Load Supervisors in Anchorage were counseled on this incident over and above their annual training covering the system wide ban against loading live animals with shipments containing any amounts of dry ice. In addition new local procedures have been instituted at the origin station to include a review by the Operations Office to verify shipments with dry ice are not mixed with live animals before approving the dispatch of the aircraft.

Rhodesian Ridgeback Escapes Kennel

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:48:35 GMT

A 14 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback named Byrdie escaped from her kennel while being loaded on a Delta Airlines flight at La Guardia International Airport. The dog's owner was taken off the plane and was able to quickly get Byrdie to come to her.

This is another great reminder of how important it is to secure the top and bottom half of your pet's kennel with zip ties, along with securing the kennel door with zip ties as well.

Additional details on this incident will be included in the June 2012 Pet Travel Report.

Source

March 2012 Airline Pet Travel Report

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 15:37:50 GMT

Alaska Airlines reports the injury of four dogs. Two of the dogs received injuries to their mouth from apparently trying to escape their kennels. The other two dogs were able to escape their kennels and received injuries after their escapes. Alaska Airlines does not indicate that their should be any corrective action on these incidents.

American reports the injury of one dog and the death of another. In actuality the injured dog died so PetFlight will be reporting two deaths. In the incident reported as an injury the dog arrived in obvious distress and started to have a seizure when delivered to baggage claim. The dog later died at a local veterinarian's office. The second death was a dog named Cup Cake that escaped the kennel and was found deceased on the tarmac. American reports the the Newark, NJ gate agent, against American policy, accepted a snap-together kennel for transport.

Delta reports the death of one dog and the injury of another. A 1 1/2 year old Yorkshire Terrier arrived in Atlanta, GA deceased from Frankfort, Germany. Delta reports that the aircraft's HVAC system was working correctly and that another animal in the same bin arrived safely. A three year old Cocker Spaniel named Bentley arrived in Atlanta, GA from Sarasota, FL with an injury to his mouth. He was seen by a local veterinarian and resumed the remainder of his flight two days later.

This months incidents again points out how important it is to use a quality, air travel approved kennel and zip tie the kennel halves as well as the kennel door closed.

2011 Airline Pet Travel Summary

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:01:41 GMT

The number of pet related airline incidents declined in 2011. Six airlines reported incidents that included 36 pet deaths, 8 injuries, and 2 lost pets. With a total of 46 incidents being reported in 2011 compared to 56 incidents reported in 2010.

Brachycephalic, or short-nosed dogs also faired better in 2011 making up only 39% of the dog deaths compared to 70% in 2010.

A summary of all the pet incidents in 2011 can be found here.