As the owner of a dog that has more frequent flyer miles than I do :-), I know a
little something about this.
First, it's not cargo hold temp. that's the issue. (Cargo holds are pressurized
and temp controlled.) It's the temp. on the ground and in the baggage handling
depots, both before and after flights, and during layovers, where animals
sometimes have to sit in sweltering heat before being reloaded onto the next
plane. These places are not air-conditioned. There is often excessive heat from
jets and the constant stench of jet fuel. In colder months, this is not a
problem. But when temp get above 90 or so, it poses serious hazards to animals.
Airlines (and airports) simply do not want to be responsible for taking care of
animals. Nor do they want dead or vomiting animals in the cargo bays. And nor do
they want upset petowners and the spectre of lawsuit in today's overly
litiginous society. And to tell you the truth, I can't blame them.
>see they carried about 2,500,000 dogs and cats in 5 years, 2,500 were
>affected by the temps, that's .1%. And 108 died, that's about .00432%.
>So they decide to close up the whole thing for the summer. It seems the
>fix is a little extreme.
If you had a .00432% chance of dying on a flight, would you still take it?
Flights have been cancelled and planes grounded for far less of a chance of
mechanical failure. Is that extreme? I could argue that FAA regulations aren't
tight enough!
chris
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