Pet Airline Travel Weather Restrictions
Published March 3, 2009
If you're traveling during the warmest or coldest months of the year, or into a particularly hot or cold location (Phoenix? Alaska?), you may not be able to travel with your pet on an airplane. Airlines typically restrict pet travel during extreme temperatures. Here's why:
Most cargo holds are not climate controlled, so the temperature can either get very cold or blazing hot.
If the plane is delayed, your pet could be stuck in the hold for hours. The extreme heat or cold could cause distress and health problems for your cat.
Before you make reservations, find out if the airline imposes weather restrictions on pet travel. If you must travel and your airline won't allow your cat to come with you, consider a pet taxi service which will provide ground transportation.
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Comments (2)
Any responsible pet owners know - NEVER PUT YOUR PET IN CARGO.--Kiss them goodbye. I am sorry for your loss Heather, but next time you'd be better off going to your local animal shelter where thousands of animals are euthinized a yr. Continental through my new laptop in cargo-sd. there was no room on the plane for a carry on. They demolished it and I did not get 1 cent on the dollar and they said tough luck. They don't care.
This is how Delta advertises their pet travel: "Pet Travel from Delta for happy healthy, jet-set pets" BUT this is what happened to me: On 1/22/11 we were having our newest family member, a kitten we named Snickers shipped to us from Utah. We paid for her to be in a climate controlled cargo & even paid an extra $70 for an expedited service called Delta Dash which should have meant she was the first thing off or on the plane. When we got to the airport, we waited, her flight came in at 8:40, they didn't bring her out to us until 9:30. (50 minutes after the plane landed) She was cold, pale, limp & unresponsive & had blood coming from her nose & mouth. My family rushed her to the emergency vet, but on the drive, she passed. The vet pronounced her DOA, she died from extreme hypothermia, she froze to death. Apparently, what we thought was a warm cargo bin, wasn't. When a plane lands, climate control is lost & she didn't stand a chance for 50 minutes in their cargo hold. If for any reason there is a holdup on the tarmac, our animals are trapped, unable to escape the extreme cold or extreme heat in the summer. Our family is devastated & Delta's response has been disgusting. They valued her life at 50 cents per pound if you can even believe that. Life to them is worth no more then 50 cents a pound -- DISTURBING! BUYER BEWARE!