December 2025 Animal Transport Consumer Report

This month we have one incident to report, from Alaska Airlines.

Alaska Airlines reported the death of Meli, a three-year-old Golden Retriever, on Flight AS402. Meli and a second Golden Retriever were traveling from Honolulu (HNL) to Seattle (SEA) with a final destination of Charleston (CHS), and were kenneled overnight in Seattle as part of the routing. There were no issues noted during the acceptance process, and both dogs reportedly appeared normal both during the overnight stay and prior to transport to the ramp on December 5, 2025. Before loading at the gate in Seattle, ramp personnel discovered Meli was unresponsive in her kennel. She was transported to a veterinarian, where she was pronounced deceased.

The cause of death has not been determined at this time, and Alaska Airlines has reported no corrective action.