Air Canada has declared its aircraft no-fly zones for pets.

As of next month, animals will no longer be allowed aboard any Air Canada flights.

While the airline barred pets from aircraft cabins last September, the restriction now applies to the baggage compartment as well.

In a letter sent to the Canadian Transportation Agency on Wednesday, the national carrier said, "please be advised that Air Canada will cease the carriage of pets as checked luggage on domestic as well as international routes [including transborder routes], as of July 15, 2007."

Air Canada said the decision was prompted by "record load factors" for the past three years, as well as new security requirements that are leading passengers to check more luggage.

"It really comes down to a question of carrying bags for the vast majority of our customers or carrying pets for a small number of our customers," spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick told CBC News.

He denied the ban was related to a case in January 2004 when a B.C. family's pet dog died of carbon monoxide poisoning while travelling in an Air Canada cargo hold.

Although Air Canada said it was not responsible for the accident, owner Darren Jakubec argued that the rules around liability were unclear. He took his case to the CTA, which agreed, but concluded that airlines were not responsible for the health of pets.

"The Canadian Transportation Agency did exonerate Air Canada in that case, although they did ask us to clarify our rule," Fitzpatrick said. "This is really about improving customer service."

Fitzpatrick said the airline will allow people with existing reservations to fly with their pets after the deadline. Otherwise, animals will be permitted to travel only on more expensive Air Canada cargo flights that have trained animal handlers.

Air Canada's website still advises passengers that pets are permitted in the cargo compartment.

Hedy Hope, a spokeswoman for the Calgary Humane Society, said it's not fair that pet owners will have to resort to cargo flights.

"I think it's important that if people object to not having their pets able to travel with them on the plane that they should file a complaint to the company and state their objections," Hope told CBC News.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/06/21/pet-flights.html

This has nothing to do w/ our own pets, but I'm glad they've stopped this part of their animal shipping.....



Air Canada halts dog shipments to Europe; Passengers protest animals shipped for medical testing
Max Harrold, CanWest News Service

Published: Tuesday, June 12, 2007

MONTREAL - Air Canada has stopped shipments of beagles for medical research after protests from its passengers.

It turns out Air Canada's May 21 cargo of 70 to 100 healthy beagles from Montreal to Paris was the last of the shipments that had been taking place for a number of years.

The Gazette has learned that Marshall BioResources, a company that breeds beagles for biomedical research in North Rose, N.Y. -- located between Syracuse and Rochester, N.Y. -- was supplying the dogs.

"It's the first time we received formal complaints from [at least one of the] passengers on those flights," Air Canada spokesperson Isabelle Arthur said yesterday.

Air Canada policy permits it to stop any shipment if the cargo disturbs passengers, Ms. Arthur explained.

"We advised the shipper that we would no longer be accepting their cargo."

The protest came after an article about the shipments appeared in The Gazette on May 29, she said. Passengers on a May 21 flight complained about hearing the dogs yelping in the cargo hold during takeoff and landing.

"All we could hear during the boarding and before the takeoff was barking, crying and whimpering," one passenger in business class on Flight 870 who did not want to be identified told the newspaper.

After landing in Paris, passengers saw three pallets with cages of two dogs each being unloaded from the Airbus 330 aircraft.

"Their tails were wagging through the cages," said one passenger, who also asked not to be identified.

Because Quebec's animal protection law is vague and weakly enforced, the province provides a steady source of dogs for laboratories both here and abroad, animal rights activists maintain.

Well hopefully Companion Air will expand their services soon to include Canada and international flights.

If you look around there are still a handful of airlines that will let you have the pet under the seat. However they limit the number of pets per flight so that could be an issue trying to get your pet on board.
When I flew to the US in December(2006) the only carrier I was able to find to take her on board under the seat was united. Others would still let them in baggage..however you have to read the fine print some wont do this certain times of the year due to lack of A/C or heating.
I think its terribly unfair to have to send them on cargo planes now. I understand what they are trying to do..but they should accomadate the few passengers that do travel with pets if they can. I guess if I need to travel again with my pets..we will be driving..at least you know they being handled properly.