The idea that airline passengers should ask for no pet seating annoys me. Why inconvenience the people who do not want to bring, or sit with, pets? First, they are not likely to think about the flight being pet friendly when they are not traveling with livestock themselves. Second, let the pet owners make arrangements for their animals and be responsible for how they travel.
Why not leave pets at home while you travel? Save money, save stress for the animal and save yourself from being thrown off the flight when your animal proves not to be as welcome as you expected. (Not just on the plane).
If pets are not kept in cargo then buy them a seat, a full air fare seat. There should be pet friendly seating for those who buy the extra pet ticket. But, the seating must be sealed off from other passengers who have paid for a ticket and do not want to deal with asthma and allergies from pets.
Maybe there should be pet only flights and people only flights. That way the pet friendly people could poop and scoop the whole flight and everyone else could have a pet free trip. I’d prefer pet free flights.
In a recent survey, 52% of U.S. adults responded “yes” when asked if a non-service animal should be allowed in the airplane cabin on a flight. The other half said they prefer animals be kept in cargo.
Of those who said yes, 63% said in-cabin animals should be kept in designated areas away from any passengers with allergies.
The survey of more than 430 customers was conducted by GO Airport Express, a Chicago-based transportation company.
“We recommend that travelers tell their gate agents if they are allergic, or prefer to be seated away from animals if there are any scheduled on their flight,” said GO Airport Express president John McCarthy.
Airlines charge fees from $50 to more than $200 for pets, though the fee rarely goes toward any additional services. In-cabin pets must be kept in an approved carrier under the seat in front of the passenger.
Fees are often higher for transporting pets in cargo. Although accidents with pets traveling in cargo are rare, there are several short-nosed dog and cat breeds — like pugs and bulldogs, or Persians and Himalayans — that airlines refuse to transport that way. These kinds of animals tend to suffer from breathing problems that would be exacerbated by the cargo hold climate.
Several of the respondents suggested that pet owners should ask airlines for better care of animals in cargo. That sounds more than optimistic, however, considering how well human passengers are treated.
Additional comments said travelers should just leave their pet at home while traveling.
Nearly half of travelers want your pet out of airplane cabins, survey says.