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Air Canada Puts Bite on Dogs

By Dan Schlossberg
ConsumerAffairs.com

June 26, 2007

That’s because the airline, pressed for cargo space, has decided dogs, cats, and other animals won’t be accepted after July 15.

Air Canada says its decision is the result of tighter restrictions on carry-ons, which forced passengers to check more bags.

Because animals require more room, as well as adequate ventilation, they take up space that otherwise could be used for luggage and other cargo.

For pet owners, the latest decision was Strike Two against Air Canada. The airline earlier stopped allowing pets in the passenger cabin because customers with allergies complained.

Transporting pets in Canada won’t be impossible, since Air Canada’s cargo planes will continue to carry them. But owners aren’t happy about traveling separately from their pets.

In addition to the extra room they require, pets need extra care in handling. Three years ago, a dog in an airplane cargo on an Air Canada subsidiary died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Air Canada was later found not liable for that incident, or for any others involving animals checked in as cargo. That decision was made in 2006 by the Canadian Transport Agency.

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