The August, 2006 Airline Pet Travel Report contains pet incidents for the month of June, 2006.
Dog stolen during transport?
The August 2006 Air Travel Consumer Report which includes the airline pet travel incidents for June, 2006 contains six incidents. Continental Airlines reports one death and one injury. Delta reports one death and one loss. Shuttle America (United Express) reports one loss and United Airlines reports one death.
The first incident involving Continental was a 7 year old Golden Retriever that injured itself attempting to get out of the kennel during the flight. The second incident was the death of a 7 year old Pug during a flight from Oklahoma City to Houston. A necropsy was performed and the cause of death was listed as "acute cardiovascular collapse", which seems to be fairly common cause of death for brachycephalic dogs.
The death reported by Delta was cat who escaped from the kennel during a transfer and was struck by a tug. Delta listed the cause of this incident as poor kennel design. The loss from Delta is very interesting and involves a Yorkie that was shipped as cargo to Dallas Fort-Worth but never arrived. Delta reports that it is looking into the possibility of theft.
Shuttle America reports the loss of a cat that escaped through the top hatch of its kennel while being transported to the aircraft on a baggage cart. It was not located at that time.
The reported death from United is interesting as it appears the dog died before the plane took off. The owner requested that both dogs being shipped should be checked before the flight took off. This was done and one was found to be deceased. The report gives no further details.
The incidents this month remind us how important it is to make sure that your kennel or carrier is of good quality and is securely closed. Airline policies do not allow for locks to be put on kennels in case the animal has to be removed in an emergency, but zip ties can be used to secure the kennel parts and doors as an added safety measure. The Delta loss is most interesting and I'll post more information if it becomes available.
| Airline | Losses | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continental | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Delta | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Shuttle America | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| United Airlines | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Map of all airports that have reported an air travel, pet related incident.
The inspiration for PetFlight.