2016 Airline Pet Travel Summary
The overall number of reported pet related travel incidents decreased in 2016. Six airlines reported a total of 63 pet deaths, injuries and losses. This is an decrease over the 64 incidents reported in 2015.
| Carrier* | Death | Injury | Loss | Total Incidents | Total Transported | Incidents per 10,000 animals transported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon Air | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16,674 | 0 |
| Mesa Airlines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9,796 | 0 |
| Republic Airlines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8,909 | 0 |
| Shuttle America | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6,863 | 0 |
| Sun Country Airlines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5,283 | 0 |
| GoJet Airlines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,156 | 0 |
| Compass Airlines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3,130 | 0 |
| Island Air | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 484 | 0 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 34,381 | 0.29 |
| ExpressJet Airlines | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 31,815 | 0.63 |
| American Airlines | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 94,700 | 0.74 |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12,706 | 0.79 |
| Alaska Airlines | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 103,656 | 0.87 |
| Endeavor Air | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6,525 | 1.53 |
| Delta Air Lines | 11 | 5 | 2 | 18 | 96,630 | 1.86 |
| United Airlines | 14 | 9 | 0 | 23 | 97,156 | 2.37 |
| Envoy Air | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1,673 | 5.98 |
| TOTAL | 35 | 25 | 3 | 63 | 534,537 | 1.18 |
*The rankings of the carriers that had no incidents are based on total number of animals transported.
A summary of all the pet incidents in 2016 can be found here.
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2017 Airline Pet Travel Summary
The overall number of pet related travel incidents decreased in 2017, with 40 incidents being reported compared to 63 in 2016.
2025 Airline Pet Travel Summary
In 2025, U.S. airlines reported 8 pet-related air travel incidents — down 33% from the 12 recorded the prior year. The year's incidents spanned four carriers: Alaska Airlines led with 3 incidents, including 2 deaths, followed by American Airlines with 3 incidents including the year's only reported pet loss. Delta and United Airlines each recorded 1 incident. Deaths fell sharply from 8 in 2024 to 3 in 2025, though the year closed on a somber note with the December death of Meli, a three-year-old Golden Retriever, on an Alaska Airlines flight in Seattle.
2024 Airline Pet Travel Summary
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) documented 12 pet-related air travel incidents, comprising 4 injuries and 8 deaths, with no reported losses.