Delta Airlines Pet Transportation Needs an Overhaul

Remember the famous advertising slogan used by Delta Airlines-- "Delta is ready when you are?" They may be ready for human passengers, but is this particular airline really ready to provide the outstanding care, safety and protection for the transportation of pets, a service that customers expect? According to an article on Gadling.com, things have gone awry with the transportation of pets along Delta Airlines. Last month, aboard a flight on one of their jets on a trip from Utah to Connecticut, Snickers, an 11 week-old Sphynx kitten, fell off the baggage handler's radar, resulting in the kitten's death. Snickers was left in the hold for 50 minutes in 10 degree weather, even though Heather Lombardi, the kitten's owner, bought a special pet ticket for around $290. The cost of the ticket included a $50 surcharge which claimed that upon landing, the kitten would be immediately removed from the hold. Sadly this did not happen. Due to the baggage handler's negligence, when Lombardi and the kitten were finally reunited, Snickers was unable to move her paws or head. She was wrapped up in a coat and immediately brought to a veterinarian. When Snickers arrived at the veterinarians' office, however, she was already dead due to hypothermia, bleeding from the nose and mouth. In regards to the unfortunate event, a Delta Airlines spokeswoman said, "We are turning our attention now to offering our condolences and discussing how we can provide some kind of restitution to support her during this time." But this is not the first time that Delta has had problems resulting from sloppy handling of traveling under their care. Over the recent holiday weekend, a dog lost by Delta Airlines was found dead on the side of the road, according to a report by CBS. Furthermore, according to a report by AOL Travel, Nala, a German Shepherd Mix, went missing at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after escaping from her crate, when changing planes en route to Frankfurt, Germany. She was last seen on Christmas Eve. Delta is offering a $1000 reward for her return, but now reports say they will donate the money to a local animal rescue organization. But these compensations by no means make up for the loss of beloved pets. After reading these disturbing reports, it seems to this writer that Delta has a serious problem when it comes to providing secure and safe transportation services for the animals they are transporting. One would think that Delta, based on these tragedies, would be tightening up the procedures they use in supervising and handling the pets they are shipping. Unfortunately, these are the risks taken when an animal is shipped in baggage. It is far safer to travel with pets in the cabin, where their safety is ensured since the owner can easily supervise them. What kind of experiences have you had while traveling in planes with your pets? Tell us about them in a comment. Image Source: Flickr user David_Howell