Comments on: Airline absurdity: Why does kitty’s ticket costs more than mine?

By: Astrid

Astrid — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:27:32 +0000

We relocated from NYC to London, and had to ship our cats with British Airways World Cargo. The cats arrived safe and scared, but in one piece. We were not allowed to bring the cats onboard with us, they had to be in the hold! I was terrified that they would get loose. But yes, the tickets/fees for them was way more complicated than it was for us! Thank god they don’t do the 6 month quarantine anymore! We even considered flying to France instead, because AirFrance will allow pets in-cabin for transatlantic flights. (Personally, I tried to get us on the Queen Mary II, but that idea was vetoed pretty fast!)

By: Toni

Toni — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:10:10 +0000

The FAA, NOT the airlines, mandates that your pet-in-carrier be counted as one of your allowed carry-on bags.
The fee that is charged isn’t for the fuel needs resulting from an eight-pound pup. It covers all the problems caused by animals. For example…Logan Airport being closed due to a pet-in-carrier, taken out on a jetbridge while a pax was waiting for a valet bag and which escaped. A United flight that had to be cancelled due to flea and tick infestation, resulting in nearly 200 pax having to be compensated. Pax who are allergic (many of whom are children who don’t even KNOW they’re allergic until they’re in an enclosed metal tube with recirculated air and a pet) require diversions and treatment. It’s expensive. And guess what? THEY SUE. Their parents sue.
What about the pax who insist on violating the rule and take their pet out of its carrier? THEN they bite or snap at a fellow pax. They run around the plane, frightening pax. They urinate, defecate and vomit in the plane. It requires cleanup, maintenance delays, and compensation for pax who complain.
So that pet fee goes to help pay for all that stuff….

By: Carver

Carver — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 05:59:17 +0000

@Joan

Respectfully, your pet is not a carry on. A carry on cannot bark, meow, urinate, defecate, shed, escape, require food or water, or any myriad of things that a pet can do. Now, your pet may be perfectly angelic and do none of those things during the flight. But rules are based upon common experiences, not what one’s individually well trained animal does.

And yes, most Americans love pets but most american do not fly with pets.

By: Joan

Joan — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 19:25:26 +0000

I can’t speak for everyone, but most people with allergies need to breathe in particles of animal dander in order to trigger the allergic reaction. If the cat or dog has been placed inside a nylon or canvas bag that has some kind of tightly woven ventilation screen, like the one I have, and that bag is pushed under an airplane seat, it seems unlikely that dander from fur will escape the bag, become airbourne, rise to the level of an allergic person’s nose, and cause problems. As a cautionary measure, however, a pet owner should ask the person sitting in the next seat if there might be a problem, allowing that person to switch seats. Dander from one confined animal is not going to end up escaping a tightly woven and closed bag and drifting all over the plane!

I am also angered by the cost. The pet is in my carry-on, and he takes up the same amount of space that a normal carry-on bag would occupy. He sleeps quietly under the seat without using the rest room, without consuming drinks, and without using magazines or other features that cost the airlines money. Yet, I have to pay more for him than I pay for myself. If I need to bring additional luggage, I have to pay extra for that too. Any airline that makes a move to end this discrimination and outrageous pricing policy will win a lot of loyalty among pet people. And the majority of Americans like pets.

By: Deborah Baker

Deborah Baker — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:05:19 +0000

I also am very upset about the pet fee increase for flying in the cabin, not to mention that they cannot be taken out of their bag even in the waiting area, even if they have a leash/harness on. AND that they have to be stowed under the seat in front of you where your feet go. And you all are absolutely right, NOTHING is done for them – people take out their laptops and put on their lap, no cost, they have noisy kids on their laps, in the seat and they can be interruptive with crying or yelling the entire flight at no charge, some bring carry on bags that barely fit under or in the overheads, no charge, they listen to music so loud in their earphones that you can hear it next to them. So bottom line we all put up with stuff and I don’t know what to say about allergies – I’m apologetic to that – but seems like everyone is allergic to something – perfume, air, etc. those things are not listed as “NOT ALLOWED”. My dog is a Yorkie – people are not allergic to them – he has quieted many a crying baby in his day and made peace with everyone he has met, invoked smiles out of grumpy people and made my life a happy one. He likes to visit his adopted mommas and aunts and especially his Uncle and Grandma, yet it is getting prohibitive with the cost. I also asked once if I could buy a ticket for him and put his bag in the seat and he would bother no one – I also was told no. They never have a really good reason for the answer – it is just their policy. This is one of those things that will never be settled because everyone has rights and everyone wants it their way. I think we as pet owners did compromise by paying a fee but the $75 I paid each way in the beginning was more than enough and now you tell me it is $150 each way – I just can’t do that. I mean what does charging us more do – does it make the people on the plane less allergic – no it just makes us not afford to travel with our pets. I think there are a lot of pet lovers out there and for some it is their business (showing dogs, etc.) so the airlines will lose business but I guess they will just write it off to the state of the economy as a whole. I have no answer – I just have a desire to travel with my dog to visit friends and relatives at a reasonable price. And look at Southwest they don’t even allow dogs – no matter the price – they all make the rules and they can change them at anytime and we just have to find another way to travel I guess.

By: Bunny Faber

Bunny Faber — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:53:35 +0000

I also sneak my pet aboard. I often fly first class where I think everybody is too busy drinking to notice that I have a teeny tiny adorable parakeet in a non descript carry-on bag. I give him water and some millet and he keeps pretty quiet. Once in awhile he will talk softly to himself which makes me laugh.
I just plain refuse to pay one dime to bring a small pet aboard. The airline staff does nothing, provides nothing, and is just squeezing me for extras without justification. I have never been asked for receipt of payment though. I guess he could just fly himself to our destination…

By: Susan Morgan

Susan Morgan — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:10:01 +0000

I thought I was all alone in this ridiculous battle with the airlines. I have resorted to sneaking my little dog on in his sherpa bag. He never makes a peep, I drape a coat over the sherpa bag and have only been stopped once at Xray (yes, I ALWAYS take him out!!) What I mean is that only once did someone at xray ask to see his receipt for payment. I apologized, said I would go back and pay and merely went to another xray station. They are usually so busy and googling my dog they just don’t ask. I’m very discreet and no one on the plane ever realizes that I have him under the seat. He NEVER barks or makes noise, so I’m lucky there. I do NOT feel I’m cheating the airline of anything! It’s become INSANE!!

By: James

James — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:50:51 +0000

JetBlue charges $100.00 each way and will take up to a total of 4 pets small dogs or cats only in the cabin. No pets in the cargo hold

By: goldie

goldie — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:13:08 +0000

it does seem odd that an airline got rid off peanuts due to some people being allergic(and not able to bring thier own medication-cuase they are stupid) but it is fine to bring pets on and sit next to allerig people with very little hope of moving your seat.- my friend is allergic to cats and when we brought out a syringe to medicate her epienephrine (after telling the airstaff aboard the flight) all hell started breaking out with other people.. —so to the lady who thought it was funny that some one was allergic please think twice—not breathing really kills people.—–the other thing is animals do actually have more rights than humans on a flight-they cannot leave the animal in trouble in cargo but humans have no rights here in the USA like the rest of the flying world.

By: tripso.com | “Please stop the madness” dog owner begs Delta Air Lines

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:24:50 +0000

[...] Wilson attacks the fee in a newspaper editorial, echoing the sentiments of another pet owner I recently wrote about in my blog. [...]

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:30:12 +0000

To add to my previous post, JetBlue also has a pet frequent flyer program called JetPaws.

By: Jason Coletta

Jason Coletta — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:40:35 +0000

Thank goodness the holiday break is almost here – for a minute I thought you were referring to Kitty Yancey when I first read the headline.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:25:40 +0000

For Karen, I believe United, Midwest, Virgin Atlantic and El Al all give frequent flier miles to pets.

By: noah

noah — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:24:48 +0000

I wonder if the “direct roll” is made from cat.

By: Karen Fawcett

Karen Fawcett — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:11:50 +0000

My kitty has made at least 20 round trip flights to and from Europe. So many that she has an EU passport.

Skip the cost of transporting her ($120-$160 each leg – depending on the strength of the dollar), she is required to have a medical exam within 10 days of each flight. Add $100 per.

I have asked United to issue her frequent flyer miles. As soon as she boards the plane, she is asleep before departure. Kitty has never asked for a meal or a drink. Occasionally, I’ll ask for a few ice chips in the event she becomes a bit dehydrated. Passengers and children under the age of two, should demand so little. So why can’t Kitty be awarded some miles?