June 2007 Airline Pet Travel Report

Alaska Airlines reported the death of an 11 year old dog. It was noticed that the dog had one eye closed and tearing up prior to flight. The owner mentioned that the dog had been under stress during the family's move. No corrective action was taken.

Alaska Airlines also reported the injury of a small Poodle who escaped from a two-piece kennel and ran across the Seattle ramp / runway. The owner was able to call "Buddy" out of the bushes where he ran, but was bleeding for at least two paws. Alaska Airlines said that hey will remind ticket agents to inspect two-piece kennels and to continue to suggest that owners secure kennels with zip ties to ensure that they stay together.

Continental reported the death of one dog and the loss of one cat. The death was a 4 year old female Bull Mastiff who was found deceased in Seattle from Houston. There was no apparent cause of death and a necropsy indicated a pre-existing heart condition.

A cat escaped its kennel from a Honolulu to Guam flight, but was not noticed until arrival in Guam. Continental flew the owner back to Honolulu to help in the search. To date, the cat has not been found.

This might point to a trend of careless in the ground workers at the Honolulu airport as there have been a few incidents that point to this.