traveling on planes with fluffy and / or rover

the following is a copy of an actual letter i received from a major airline re: pets in the main cabins. bottom line, paying customers without pets rank a bit below customers with pets. this very same airline is being sued because an animal died during flight. i would think they would want nothing to do with pets on planes.

this may be a reason to go with southwest; they do not allow pets.

April 4, 2006

Dear Mrs. [jaws]:

I am sorry that you were uncomfortable by the presence of an animal aboard your flight to Los Angeles on March 30. From the details you provided, it is clear that the animal aboard created unpleasant conditions for you -- again, I am sorry. I apologize, too, that our personnel weren't more successful in improving the situation for you. No doubt it was an annoying experience for all concerned. [read on, they're not that concerned that i had to smell a dirty dog which drove me to sneeze for most of the flight.]

In addition, it might be helpful to know that while it would not be possible for us to effectively contact every customer who has booked a reservation to advise them that a pet may be traveling on their flight, the next time you make reservations to travel with us, ask the booking agent if any animals are booked for travel on the flights on your itinerary. [please note this will cost me $10] Bear in mind that some people book flights on the spur of the moment, so it will be necessary to call our reservations office about 12 hours or so before the departure time. That way, we can give you the best information available about pets in the cabin. However, we cannot guarantee a pet-free cabin because some customers traveling with pets or service animals could be reaccomodated on one of your flights after either missing an earlier flight or their flight was canceled. [also note that service animals are not an issue, they are trained.] Believe it or not, our regulations for pets carried aboard the aircraft are aimed at reducing any discomfort on the part of our other customers. When traveling within the48 contiguous United States, we allow seven kennels per flight, two in the First Class cabin and a total of five in the Main Cabin and Business Class combined.The pet must travel in a kennel that fits underneath the seat in front of the accompanying passenger. We require that the animal stay in the kennel (there are exceptions) in order to reduce odor, noise, allergic reactions and unpleasant "accidents."

Additionally, the pet must be able to stand up in the kennel, which precludes large animals from being accommodated. For the most part, no pets are allowed in the cabin on long transatlantic or transpacific flights or on flights to or from Hawaii. [which is actually because of quarantine issues]. While we appreciate the perspective that things would be a lot easier if pets were barred from the passenger cabin, unfortunately the large number of our customers who want to travel with their animals don't share this view. [read between the lines, we can't lose anymore customers to other airlines.] So, I hope you can appreciate our reasons for not applying any such ban unilaterally.

Many customers traveling with animals are professional breeders on their way to shows and competitions. Their livelihood may well depend on the ability to transport their animals inside aircraft cabins. [also not the issue, usually are well trained animals]. Again, I'm sorry your experience was unsatisfactory. However, pets will continue to be passengers aboard our flights. We will continue our efforts to ensure compliancewith our inflight restrictions for pets in the cabin to make for a quiet and peaceful journey for everyone. We want all customers to enjoy their flights with [major] Airlines -- whether they are customers who care to travel with their pets or those who would prefer that "Rover" be left home. Thank you for sharing your perspective and for listening to our point of view. This is an "outgoing only" email address.

Sincerely,
Hobby Customer Relations [major] Airlines