Delta Airlines announced this past week that they will no longer accept pets as checked baggage.  All of us who care about the safety of pets on planes should be jumping for joy, right?  This is going to keep animals out of the area below the plane and make them much safer, right?

WRONG.

By banning pets from traveling as “checked baggage,” Delta has done two things:

1. Made it impossible for pet parents to travel on the same flight with their pet if that pet cannot be transported in the plane with them.
2. Excused itself from having to report deaths/injuries/losses of pets.  Animals traveling on designated CARGO flights do not have to be reported to the Department of Transportation each month.  Delta will now have virtually NO PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY regarding its treatment of pets.

This is heartbreaking.  After waiting over two years for the new DoT rules that required airlines to more fully report animal incidents to be implemented, Delta has now found a way to get around the “problem” of more honestly accounting for their treatment of animals.

The three major carriers (Delta, United and American Airlines) have all made it crystal clear that they do not actually care about the animals they transport – they just want to make sure they aren’t harassed about the losses, injuries and deaths, which they consider a “minor” problem.

Of course, this may change quickly if it is expedient.  As the article and Delta’s own website mention, they do not allow snub-nosed and “bully breeds” to travel on passenger flights.  Yet Delta itself reported incidents involving not one but TWO American Bulldogs just during the month of September of this year (see lines 492 and 494).  Delta doesn’t seem to follow its own policies, so who knows what could actually happen.

While Where Is Jack? Inc. continues to advocate for change in both government regulations and airline industry standards, the best way to keep animals safe today is education:  please share this post, and spread the word to anyone you know who is considering flying with a pet who cannot be accommodated in the plane: DON’T LET YOUR PET FLY WITHOUT YOUR DIRECT SUPERVISION. Ever.  Not as checked baggage.  Not as cargo.  Not under any circumstances, ever.

If you or someone you know is facing a situation (like a move) where it seems that it will be impossible to get from Point A to Point B without putting your pet in the hands of the airlines, please contact us here at Where Is Jack? Inc.  CEO/Founder Mary Beth Melchior, Ph.D. is available to brainstorm ideas, and our team wants to help anyway we can.  Contact us via phone at 305-582-5884 or email at MaryBeth@whereisjack.org.

Spread the word, Friends.  We can’t let what happened to Jack keep happening.  Let’s keep our pets out of the airlines hands!!