United Airlines

In the wake of several unfortunate animal-related incidents, United Airlines temporarily banned all pets from their flights while they reevaluated their PetSafe travel policies. Yesterday the company released a list of 25 dog and cat breeds no longer approved for travel in the cargo hold starting June 18. The decision came after a French Bulldog named Kokito suffocated in an overhead bin on a flight from Houston to New York in March. The very next day, United accidentally sent a dog to … Read more

Joey, a 9-year-old Beagle/Australian Shepherd mix, has such bad separation anxiety that a German airline twice refused to board him on a plane home to the United States. They were afraid that he would hurt himself during the flight after he had already destroyed 2 airline-approved dog carriers and lacerated his nose in his attempts to escape and find his family. Now, Joey’s dad is back in Germany with no idea how to get him back to the United States. … Read more

After a week that saw United Airlines try to manage 3 separate dog-related incidents on their flights, they have decided to suspend the PetSafe program that allows dogs to ride in the cargo hold of the plane. Small dogs will still be allowed in the cabin as carry on luggage in approved carriers. While the airline will not accept any new reservations for pets flying in cargo, they will honor reservations that were made prior to this decision. The suspension … Read more

A United Airlines flight was diverted from its intended destination of St. Louis, Missouri to Akron, Ohio when it was discovered that a dog in cargo had been loaded onto the wrong plane. Flight 3996 left from Newark, New Jersey on its way to St. Louis when the airline discovered there was a canine passenger aboard who was not bound for St. Louis, but was intended to be on a flight to Akron, Ohio instead. The airline decided that the best course … Read more