MISSING PETS on Delta

[SKY HIGH]

http://news.travel.aol.com/2011/01/03/delta-airlines-lost-my-cat/?icid=main%7Cverizon%7Cdl4%7Csec3_lnk1%7C193266

Michelle Evans of Riverside, California, last saw her much-loved Patch on Dec. 18, when she checked in for a Delta Air Lines flight from Cairo to New York's JFK. That's when the short hair white cat, with brown and black patches, went missing.

With Delta also losing a German Shepherd mix named Nala after she escaped from her crate – the dog was found dead on a highway near Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport on Friday – Evans says she is wondering just what is going on with the carrier's ability to transport pets.

 

[gizmo_sc]

Delta has a terrible track record for transporting PETS. If you love your PET, dont fly on DELTA.

 

[Kev3188]

Seems to be happening fairly regularly of late. I don't get it; what's so hard about transporting an animal?

 

[SKY HIGH]

Delta has a terrible track record for transporting PETS. If you love your PET, dont fly on DELTA.

Sadly, DOZENS AND DOZENS are found each year at JFK: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/18/nyregion/18dog.html

remember the whippet dog from JFK? NEVER FOUND.

 

[Spock]

Seems to be happening fairly regularly of late. I don't get it; what's so hard about transporting an animal?

I remember PMNWA, not a problem and we all knew DAL had a bad record with transporting pets. I guess that part of nw didn't transfer over to the new DAL.

 

[RDU Jetblast]

How about using better pet carriers with padlocks using a universal key? Owners have to accept some responsibility.

 

[WorldTraveler]

Animal incidents and deaths are part of the monthly DOT report on the airline industry. Based on the last 2 months of data (which runs several months behind passenger data), DL does have more pet incidents than other airlines... although DL is the largest airline as of the date of the data and based on passenger traffic carries more transoceanic int'l passengers than other airlines.

It is also possible from the monthly reports to see the actual incident reports. Even from the 6-8 reports I read, there are a couple trends that are apparent.
- Almost all of the dog reports (all but one report involved dogs; one was a bird) involved dogs that were flown on longhaul flights - transoceanic or US southeast to Alaska. One of the dead dog reports involved an itinerary to MNL completely on PMNW aircraft and routes - and presumably handled by PMNW personnel. Unless there was a change in how PMNW and DL handle pets, I'm not sure there can be any conclusion that DL handles pets worse than NW did.
- at least two of the reports involved dogs that harmed themselves in the kennel by trying to escape or chewing their own limbs. One report says the pet owner disclosed before the flight that the dog did not do well flying (so why was he accepted?).
- There were necropsies done on all of the deaths and none of them were conclusive. One cited potential hypoxia but noted that all aircraft systems were determined to have been functioning.
- Most of the "dead dog reports" involve pug nose breeds which are known to be less able to deal with limited oxygen situations as happens on aircraft - even for humans.

Having transported a dog on an int'l flight, I can assure you that even with medications, it is a very unsettling experience for many dogs. Travel for everyone is traumatic. Combine that with environmental factors that affect some breeds more than others and there very well could be problems.

While we might like to think that jumping a plane from one corner of the world to another is no big deal, the reality is that not everyone makes it - pets or people. Sometimes the right answer is that you - or it - should just not fly.

I am as curious as anyone if DL is doing anything differently from other airlines that puts animals at risk but my brief review of incident reports shows that some animals are just being pushed beyond their physical limits by being carried on some itineraries.

As airlines increase their amount of int'l flying and Americans attempt to take dogs on long flights, there will likely be more, not less, of these types of incidents.

 

[Kev3188]

Unless there was a change in how PMNW and DL handle pets, I'm not sure there can be any conclusion that DL handles pets worse than NW did.

I'm drawing it from 1st hand experience.

None of the reasons you list will make a bereaved owner feel better.

... And DL only transports 'em ~ 9 mos. a year....

 

[WorldTraveler]

I'm drawing it from 1st hand experience.

None of the reasons you list will make a bereaved owner feel better.

... And DL only transports 'em ~ 9 mos. a year....

Can you highlight specific differences in DL's handling procedures that can account for an increase in animal deaths?

Statistically I do see more reports filed by DL than other airlines but the size of DL's longhaul operations relative to other carriers as of create more pet incidents.

Do airlines have to file pet handling procedures with the USDA or other government agencies? It would seem that if someone is regulating pet transportation and any carrier is deficient in procedures, that would become apparent to the government or consumer groups.

I'm simply trying to understand what drivers might exist that create a more difficult environment for pets at DL vs at other carriers. I'm also not convinced statistically that DL has a higher loss ratio for pets than other airlines because the total number of pets carried is not known.

Yes, statistics don't matter if your pet is the one in a zillion that is lost but it is possible to analyze problems from a statistical standpoint and identify solutions - similar to the same way manufacturing processes work.

Have you recently dealt w/ or become aware of an actual pet mortality or injury incident that left you concerned about DL's pet handling procedures, Kev?

 

[Kev3188]

16 animals between January and October of last year is pathetic, regardless of DL's size. That's an unacceptable number for a carrier that purports to be the best.

No, I have not had to personally tell an owner their pet is dead; that doesn't mean it's not occurring elsewhere; it just means I've been lucky so far....

 

[WorldTraveler]

I totally agree that any death is too much... but how many passengers do you think died while flying DL? We still don't have a total number of pets carried so we can't calculate a rate of pet deaths. Perhaps DL really carries more pets than other airlines? I don't know but simply pulling out one or two death reports w/o putting in context doesn't help to understand the problem and potential solutions- and that is ultimately what I value about this forum: connecting w/ people like you who understand two airline's procedures and can help explain the differences.

Is DL perhaps saying "yes" to carrying pets that other carriers would say "no" to? Does DL's presence in the South where there are more military bases and thus perhaps people who move around w/ pets greater than other regions? Are the temperature extremes from the south (hotter summers) vs. the summer mean that southern pets are not as strong as northern pets who are more "cold hardened?" I dunno....???

I'm not being sarcastic but the mortality rate for humans and animals is still 100% which means everyone/thing is gonna die somewhere.

 

[lineguy43]

16 animals between January and October of last year is pathetic, regardless of DL's size. That's an unacceptable number for a carrier that purports to be the best.

No, I have not had to personally tell an owner their pet is dead; that doesn't mean it's not occurring elsewhere; it just means I've been lucky so far....

I agree..NW didn't have the greatest record either but I seem to remember it greatly improved when "Priority Pet" came out. I remember some A hole ramper when I started at NWA in EWR heard that they were loading a DC-9 bin and they had a cat carrier with several cats in it well the other rampers put the carrier on the side of the loader so they could load them last ok fine. Then I guess they were loading Skiis or something and put the carrier on the ground in back of the loader. Well they finished loading locked up the bin and forgot about the cats. Well the cat carrier is now behind the belt loader so this dumbass starts backing up the belt loader and hits something ( he said he thought it was a wheel chock) So instead of stopping and removing it he hits the gas and runs over it crushing the cats. He picks up the crushed carrier the cats still alive but bleeding badly so what does this brain surgeon do next? He takes it opens the bin and puts the injured cats in the bin and closes it all in view of the little girls who owned the cats looking out the window of the airplane and other pax. Station manager wanted to can him but the IAm saved his sorry ass. Sounds like DL has a problem.

 

[yoyodyne]

I agree..NW didn't have the greatest record either but I seem to remember it greatly improved when "Priority Pet" came out. I remember some A hole ramper when I started at NWA in EWR heard that they were loading a DC-9 bin and they had a cat carrier with several cats in it well the other rampers put the carrier on the side of the loader so they could load them last ok fine. Then I guess they were loading Skiis or something and put the carrier on the ground in back of the loader. Well they finished loading locked up the bin and forgot about the cats. Well the cat carrier is now behind the belt loader so this dumbass starts backing up the belt loader and hits something ( he said he thought it was a wheel chock) So instead of stopping and removing it he hits the gas and runs over it crushing the cats. He picks up the crushed carrier the cats still alive but bleeding badly so what does this brain surgeon do next? He takes it opens the bin and puts the injured cats in the bin and closes it all in view of the little girls who owned the cats looking out the window of the airplane and other pax. Station manager wanted to can him but the IAm saved his sorry ass. Sounds like DL has a problem.

But of course they saved him, it was the cats fault...

Sorry a$$es..

 

[WorldTraveler]

I never cease to be amazed at the turns some of these threads take.

too bad the family didn't file animal cruelty/abuse charges... that would have removed the decision from NW/DL or the IAM's hands.

 

[nbmcg01]

I never cease to be amazed at the turns some of these threads take.

too bad the family didn't file animal cruelty/abuse charges... that would have removed the decision from NW/DL or the IAM's hands.

I love flying Delta as a passenger. It is my airline of choice. BUT, I will never ever trust DAL (or any airlines) with my pets. In 2006 my daughter flew home from Germany(military wife). Dogs were fine when she cleared them in ATL. Due to clearing the dogs, she
missed the flt to STL but the dogs traveled. I called the local baggage claim office and was told that I could NOT under any circumstance pick up the dogs. (my name and contact number were on both kennels) The bullies sat in a hot STL bag room after having flown from MUC-ATL-STL. The little dog was near death when I was finally able to get them (5 hours later). $6000 later and now close to $9000, we were able to save the pup and I've had 4 great years with her. Her breathing will always be compromised from her ordeal and she will always be compromised for aspiration pneumonia. After many weeks,months I was compensated all of $1500 even though reems of bills, payment receipts and Drs. notes were provided.

I still see the agent every now and then and yes a report was made to the ASPCA and the Humane Society. My objection is the agent did NOTHING. I could have been called. A vet could have been called immediately when the agent realized the pup was compromised. Same old same old..obviously no lessons learned.