July 2013 Airline Pet Travel Report

The July, 2013 Airline Pet Travel Report contains pet incidents for the month of May, 2013.

On Alaska Airlines flight 62 from Sitka, AK to Ketchikan, AK a German Shepard was found to have escaped from its kennel mid flight by chewing through the grate of its kennel. Escaping from the kennel caused the dog to sustain minor cuts around the mouth and paw. Alaska Airlines reports that mishandling is not the cause of the incident, thus no preventive measures were taken. The incident happened on May 4th 2013.

On Alaska Airlines flight 645 from Phoenix, AZ to Seattle, WA a seven year-old, female, pug was found deceased upon arrival in Seattle, WA. Alaska Airlines reports no mishandling on their part, thus no preventative measures were taken. The incident happened on May 9th, 2013.

On American Airlines flight 246 from Kailua-Kona, HI to Los Angles, CA, a female cat named Jazz escaped whilst a ticket counter employee removed the cat from the kennel to assist with TSA security screening. The incident happened in Kailua-Kona, HI, on May 22nd. American Airlines reports that all of their KOA staff has been briefed on correct pet handling practices.

On Delta Airlines flight 1212 from Honolulu, HI to Los Angles, CA, a 22 month old English Bulldog named Dozer was found deceased upon arrival in Los Angles, CA. Upon a veterinary examination, the cause of the incident was found to be an underlying heart problem. When the dog was accepted at Honolulu International by Delta agents, it violated Delta's internal policy of not accepting any American, English or French bulldogs at any time. Due to this death cargo agents at Honolulu are undergoing a complete retraining of live animal handling. The incident happened on May 15th, 2013

On United Airlines flight 399 from Los Angles, CA, to Las Vegas, NV a 3 year-old, cat escaped from the Airline upon arrival in Las Vegas, NV. United Airlines reports that the cat was placed in too large of a kennel, so an agent put zip ties around the kennel door, but a gap was left that was too large and the cat escaped. A reward has been offered for the cat, and several sighting have occurred, but no capture to date. The incident happened on May 15th, 2013

On United Airlines flight 616 from Houston, AZ to Washington D.C., a 20 year-old, male, cat named Fat Man was found deceased upon arrival in Washington D.C. United Airlines reports that the cause of death is old age, thus no preventative measures were taken. The incident occurred on May 20th, 2013

Pet Travel Incidents by Airline during May, 2013.
Airline Losses Injuries Deaths
Alaska Airlines 0 1 1
American Airlines 1 0 0
Delta 0 0 1
United Airlines 1 0 1
Total 2 1 3

See all incidents included in the July, 2013 report.

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Source: July 2013 Air Travel Consumer Report.