Peekaboo

Warning: This is long. It's been a VERY long couple of days.

I want to preface this by saying that I made this exact same trip in late October with absolutely no issues. Importing pets into Hawaii is a very tricky endeavor, but the biggest concern I had for the flight itself was to try and make it as short as possible for the comfort of my dogs and also arrive before the Quarantine Station closes which could be 5pm on any given day without any notice. Catching the latest flight out of RDU into ATL to get on DL803 to HNL provided the best possible solution with a total travel time of a little over 13 hours. Worked flawlessly for me then. Therefore, I never saw this coming.

We set out 4am EST Monday morning to RDU. There was heavy fog. I asked upon arrival at the counter if there were going to be delays as I'd let the dogs roam the pet area a bit longer if so. I was told "If your plane is already here you'll depart on time". So I checked the dogs and went on to my gate and boarded.

I was given my little "We're onboard too!" stickers and relaxed into my seat. Then we get the "delayed" announcement. Then another. At that point I became concerned as I only had a 1:27 layover in ATL, but the FA assured me not to worry as ATL was worse than RDU and my connecting flight would certainly also be delayed.

We land at ATL to see a parking lot on the flightline. Planes were lined up for miles. It was so crowded that we couldn't pull into the gate and after some time we were now gating at Terminal A. My outbound was at Terminal E. I didn't really worry because I could clearly see that the outbounds were delayed, but hurried off anyway because I had promised my son breakfast when we got to ATL while I was hurrying him to leave at 4am to make the flight.

As soon as we got to the gate, I look at the board to see my outbound flight listed as "On Time", which meant departing in 20-some-few minutes. I went straight to the Gate Agent and explained that I have 2 checked dogs, my flight is listed as "On Time" and I am concerned if they will make it to Terminal E. It didn't occur to me to ask if *I* would make it, because I was going to run, I just wanted to know if the dogs could make that kind of transfer. The GA tells me "They drive them straight over, they'll make it.".

So we took off running toward the tram. We continued running once we arrived at E, because of course our gate was nearly at the end. We made it!...or so we thought. We arrive at the gate at 10:45 for a 10:50 flight, along with the dozen or so other passengers running to catch this same plane. They wouldn't let us through the gate.

The Gate Agent at that gate says the doors are closed and we have to go to the desk (all the way back down the terminal) to get rebooked. We all spent a very brief moment protesting, as we had run so far and it wasn't even 10:50 yet, only to be shown that would be fruitless as the GA really didn't give a flip. "They'll handle you at the counter" was his only reply.

So we all go get in line. At this point, I was mainly concerned that my dogs were on the plane without me. I knew they'd redirect me, but I just didn't like the thought of not being able to comfort them as soon as they got off the plane. As we're waiting in this swelling line, they are directing people to get on the phones to get redirected, but I needed to know the status of my dogs, so they tell me stay in line. People get out of line to get on the phones, and they're on hold just as long as we are in line.

I finally am queued to an Agent and hand over my boarding pass. She then informs me that I had already been rebooked on a flight that was departing 10 minutes from now, didn't anyone tell me to scan my boarding pass at the kiosk to check that? No, they didn't. They only told me to come to the desk. So they announce to the people in line that they really should do that. Too late for most, though, including me. She'll have to rebook me again. OK, fine, but "Can you please tell me where my dogs are?" Little did I know that this would be the first of dozens of utterances of that question. The Agent placed a call to the ramp to try and locate them, and was assured that my dogs were not put on the plane. It was a NW flight in, so they informed her that they were now transferring my dogs to Delta. They are absolutely positively NOT on that plane, they're just being transferred right now so we don't have an exact location.

With that I was somewhat relieved. I was disappointed that we now had no chance to make the HNL Quarantine Station, but I went ahead and took the meal voucher she offered and accepted the rebooked flight through Vegas leaving in 2 hours because I understood that it was the best she could do. Besides, that would certainly give us enough time to locate the dogs and link us all up again. "Go have lunch and I'll have an update for you when you're done" she said.

When I returned to the counter, she didn't have an exact location, but she had sent the redirect order through and had not been notified of any problems. "So go get on the plane and they'll bring your dogs. You'll get the 'We're onboard too!' notice as soon as they're loaded, but check with the Gate Agent there when you board to make sure they're on the ramp"

So I did that. The GA tells me to go ahead and board and she would let me know when she closes the door.

We're on the plane and I've been watching out the window to see if I can catch a glimpse of them. When they announced they were closing the door, I grabbed the FA and asked "What about my dogs? Can you please tell me if my dogs are here?" She checks but the ground crew has not seen them.

The GA boards and she gives a thumbs up to say the dogs are onboard. They aren't, though. I don't think she ever actually even checked.

The Captain says he is going to wait, if not for the dogs to get boarded, at least to get a status on them. After 10 minutes or so, he sends the FA back to tell me that my dogs were loaded on flight 803. I explained to her that I'm not calling them liars, but I was told they absolutely positively were NOT on flight 803, so I really don't think they are. She was very understanding and assures me that if they were still in Atlanta, they would definitely meet up with me in Vegas by taking the next plane which is leaving in an hour.

After the delays, though, we were now looking at less than an hour layover in Vegas if the Hawaiian flight left on time. I was concerned about this, but I was thinking that this would have to be at least "doable" because of all the work the Agent at the desk had to do in ATL to get me a "legal" connection reroute...until I arrived in Vegas at 4pm, that is. Again, I go straight to the GA with a quick summary - "I'm traveling with 2 dogs that I can't locate, I need to get on this 5pm Hawaiian flight and I really need them to be there, too". He simply responds that Hawaiian is at Terminal 2, and it is a long way away. I'll have to leave the terminal and go through security again at that terminal, so hurry to the shuttle bus.

So again, we start running. We had to just generally run in the direction everyone else was going because we are looking for Terminal 2 without any signs to direct us. All of the signs display letters (A,B,C, etc.) and no numbers. I'm asking people I see with badges along the way if this is the right way, all of them directing us along and saying "It's a long way". Yikes!

When we get on the tram we are directed to, we were on with another passenger trying to make the same connection and luckily a few flight crew members overheard us and explained how to get there. Then they decided they'd walk us to where we needed to catch the shuttle bus to the terminal. Thanks to them, we find the bus stop, but there is no bus for several minutes.

It's 4:25 now and I'm on the phone with Delta asking if my dogs are here and explaining that I am probably not going to make it through security to catch that 5pm flight anyway, so please just try to link us up with the dogs and give us another reroute. There is nothing else until 2:45am, and they believe the dogs are going to make it on this flight.

Some TSA agents had gotten on the bus with me during the call and tell me I might make it, just hurry through. They lead us to the security area saying "Just hurry". So we went straight through security pretty quickly. They're getting ready to close the door when we get to the gate, but they were waiting for us. Well, they were waiting on the other passenger, that is. We didn't check in (we didn't know we were supposed to), we ran following the TSA folks to security and we didn't actually have boarding passes but some receipt or something we were supposed to have scanned before clearing security, so we didn't have seats. There's no time to check in now, we will have to wait for the 2:45am flight. "Can you please tell me if my dogs are on that plane? They have now been in their kennels for 15 hours and if I have to wait another 10 hours plus a 6 hour flight, fine, but I want access to them."

They decided that it would be better to get me on the plane with the dogs, so they got us on. They waited a few minutes for the dogs to transfer and then we prepared to depart. At this point, it was going to be over 21 hours in the crates for my dogs and I was upset, but I was just looking forward to this being over. When it came time to fill out the Agriculture form, I declared my dogs...and that's when I was told they were NOT on the plane.

When we finally landed at HNL, we went to the Quarantine Station for help. They called Hawaiian to try and help locate them. Hawaiian's best guess was that they would be on the 2:45 flight and arrive at 6am HNL time.

6am HNL time, I call to find out if they arrived, but they tell me it can take an hour for them to be transferred, so call back after 7.

7:15am HNL time, they confirm they had NOT arrived on that flight.

Delta has been bouncing me around since I arrived, sending me to their Pet First program (which handles animals traveling as cargo, not checked) three times before they told me "This time, when I transfer you back, ask for a supervisor.".

I do get connected with a supervisor in Montreal and at last, I have one person to deal with instead of repeating the situation over and over to each new CSR. He does his best to assure me that my dogs have been taken care of along the way and that they are not lost, just unaccounted for. He explains that he started out with Delta working in baggage and they have a very good system in place, etc.. They'll see the time on the sticker and let them out. While I wanted to believe him, I'm still thinking - if you don't know where they are, how can you know they're being tended to? But I try my best to keep it together and not be rude because I was exhausted and upset. I had to bite my tongue the most when he made a comment about how HE "should not even be dealing with this" at one point, but he was personally making calls trying to locate them for me.

*I* certainly should not even be dealing with this...

Finally, about 9 am HNL time he calls to tell me they arrived at HNL and the Quarantine Station is on the line to verify that they are in fact there.

31 hours crate time.

As I am getting ready to go, I get a call from Delta baggage in Vegas to tell me that my dogs had been located. They were currently on a flight and that they would be arriving in a few hours.

The Quarantine Station employees inform me they arrived literally covered in their own feces and urine and they had to hose them off upon arrival. My dogs are not puppies, they're older and they'll try to hold it as long as possible. They're very upset and stressed and they stink to the high heavens. Then they inform me that FAA regulations prohibit the airlines from removing animals from their crates - so they were likely never allowed out.

It isn't Delta's fault there was fog. It isn't Delta's fault there were delays. I had planned the trip out to make a stressful situation as comfortable as possible for my dogs, and it just didn't work out as planned...that can happen.

However, every single Gate Agent failed to provide me the information and direction I needed. One of them flat out lied to me. My dogs were regarded as just another piece of luggage that had been "misplaced". I was being told whatever I wanted to hear to get me out of their hair so they could get the next person out of their hair, too.

This may not be the worst story out there, but I really hope it is for the sake of the animals traveling in the future. Right now, I am very upset and disappointed with my experience and I don't know if I would advise anyone to fly Delta with or without pets. I will say this, though - if you fly Delta with your pet and there is a hiccup in your itinerary, make them physically take you to your animals or at least bring them near a window so that you can see them. Lay your own eyes upon them. Do not assume they are treated with any more regard than a suitcase that needs to be loaded. Do not feel badly or that you are being overly demanding - take a "Who cares" attitude about this - because YOU CARE about your pet's well being...and they don't seem to.

starlanet

So sorry about this, as a pet lover I realize they treat dogs/cats as mere lugagge. Hope they are out of the stressful situation and recouping now. And Peekaboo, thanks for sharing your story, it's important for people to know about things like this.
^Best wishes.

oldpenny16

The whole thing is ridiculous and very dangerous for your dogs.

Were they also without water?

Were they in the cold?

WBurcham

Very unfortunate situation and the exact reason that, when I travel with pets, I schedule layovers that aren't likely to be missed in the event of issues.

Unfortunately on a flight like ATL-HNL where there is single daily service, a misconnect generally means a 1+ day delay unless you are rerouted.

Your concern about the dogs being dealt with as cargo shouldn't be one. Cargo is very often treated better than bags & passengers when it comes to priority for a flight. People are offloaded before the cargo.

gdeluca

What a terrible ordeal for you and your dogs. I do hope they are okay now. I don't know much about traveling with pets on airlines, but having 2 older dogs of my own I feel for you. Take good care.

Peekaboo

Mahalo for all of the thoughtful replies. It's comforting to know that someone does understand your feelings.

The dogs are doing better today, we are all tired and trying to rest and recover. They still seem a bit fatigued and anxious, but so am I, so I suppose it's normal. Hopefully we will have a relaxing weekend and they'll be completely back to themselves next week.

I am still very curious to know who was right about airline crews walking the dogs. Was the Delta rep right to assume they would be tended to, or was the Quarantine Station employee right to say they cannot and do not? Does anyone happen to know?

I realize that they did NOT, in fact, walk my dogs, but what I don't know is if the Delta rep was purposely lying to me or if he was telling me what he believed to be true and was simply wrong.

jennj99738

I'm so sorry to hear about this, Peekaboo. I understand weather happens but to be constantly lied to, or at the least given misinformation, is very upsetting to me. If I were in your place, I would write a letter to Delta to give them the opportunity to give you the real story.

This is one of the reasons I so hesitate to fly with my dog in the cargo hold where I flew all the time with my Yorkie in the cabin. A dog is not a package, he's alive and has needs.

I used to watch Airport on the Discovery Wings channel. It was a reality show based out of Heathrow and the animal center there was amazing. The guys really cared about the animals who came through the airport. It's unfortunate we don't have facilities like that for misconnects and irrops here.

BarbiJKM

My experience with flying two dogs (separately, two trips) from Tahiti to Phoenix (MOZ-PPT-LAX-PHX), although NOT on Delta, is that the luggage/cargo employees are not allowed to open the crate to walk or comfort the dogs. Their liability in the event the dogs escape is just too great... In my case, it was apparent that my dogs were not even given the extra food I provided (in a top compartment) or additional water into the crate container cup.

If making a trip like that again, you might consider including an overnight layover in a dog-friendly hotel along the way to give the dogs a break along the way. I know it complicates the itinerary, but sometimes it makes the trip easier.

What you went through is a NIGHTMARE that should never have happened! I'm glad you were safely reunited with your dogs!

JDiver

Very late to the party - but here's what I recommend for people who might encounter similar challenges: book a LIFO (often, you can book for the same amount what is called Last In First Out) ticket. RDU - ATL and overnight (you will recover your dogs and baggage, overnight in a hotel near the airport using a hotel lister like www.dogfriendly.com) and the next day check in with all for the first flight out.

This gives you much more control and better assurance you and the dogs will be on the same flights; the tickets generally can be had for the same amount. We may do this when we have iffy flights - such as SFO-ORD-NRT, and the last time we overnight at ORD; it snowed overnight, and the sold-out ORD-NRT flight departed 1/3 full because the snow affected most connections and some people who were driving longer distances to get to the airport - or SMF-DFW-CZM.

Peekaboo

Update:

Pepper (my 10 y/o female) has been at the animal hospital since Thursday. She developed a very bad skin breakout that the vet currently thinks may be a severe staph/bacterial skin infection covering her entire body.

She seemed to be doing OK at first, but this has rapidly progressed over the past week as she did not respond to the milder antibiotics she was initially taking. When I got to visit her today, she could not even stand up. They are running all kinds of tests, but so far the only results they've gotten are telling them she has a severe infection, with the skin being the only obvious source (not kidney, etc. - all those tests are basically negative.)

Alexisriley

This is a horrible update. I am so sorry that your dog has gotten sick. I truly hope the vets can help her this week.

LongingForORD

I am so sorry to hear your terrible story. I hope the dog is responding better to the drugs. Please let us know.

From what I understand, the airlines can not open the cages to let dogs out, unless othewised arranged.

I think the suggestion to take the last flight out and then overnight and conect in the morning is a good one. I would try to re-arrange your flights home (not sure how long you are away for).

I have also shipped a dog cargo, and they are very careful with the handling and transfer. I think maybe better than when they are traveling on the same flights with you.

I wish I could give you better information, but we are all thinking good thoughts for your dogs.

parsec

I just read your horrible odeal today, and I'm so sorry for your dogs. Do you have any further updates to give us? I hope pepper is doing better.