Dog Died in Cargo Hold of Air France-KLM Flight
Jennifer Billock March 22, 2019
Pets and airlines are in the news once again as another dog was found dead in the cargo hold of an airplane; this one was found on an Air France-KLM flight going from Amsterdam to Los Angeles. The exact cause of death is still unknown and currently under investigation, though suffocation is suspected.
Once again, a pet has been found dead on an airplane. This time, it was an Air France-KLM flight from Amsterdam to Los Angeles and the passenger’s dog was in the cargo hold. Initial reports suggest the dog died from suffocation during the 11-hour flight, but the airline notes that an official cause of death has not yet been released.
“A dog was found dead in the cargo hold of the KL601, after a flight from Amsterdam to Los Angeles on March 19th,” the airline said in a statement, reported by Fox News. “The dog’s owner has been notified and we express our condolences. In cooperation with the local health authority in the US, the CDC, the dog was initially examined to ensure there was no immediately obvious public health threat. The dog was loaded correctly according to KLM’s pet policy. We have to wait for the results of the necropsy to determine the cause of death.”
Additionally, the airline’s policy states, “Please note that during the flight, we are not able to give pets travelling in the hold any food or water.”
The owner picked up her deceased pet from a warehouse at the airport in Los Angeles following the flight. Nearly a year ago, United faced a somewhat similar incident when a 9-month-old French bulldog puppy died on a flight; the flight attendant had instructed the family to put the puppy into the overhead bin rather than below the seat.
[Image Source: Wikimedia/ Tomás Del Coro]
As a pet owner who moved a frenchie from London to Dallas recently, I have to say it is a pain to do it. The easiest thing is to put your pet on cargo but the likelihood of a fatal result is pretty high. I think owners shall think about it twice and assess other options. Also airlines shall be more flexible to be able to fly in cabin in transatlantic when dogs are small and they have a kind of certificate of some agency proving they can behave...
Why don't airlines create a Pet+Owner travel pair.. Setup a few special spots in the hold with a seat so you can travel with your pet. I bet there's plenty of people that'd take this
It's indeed up to the pet owner to provision for food and water during flights. Most if not all airlines including AF mandate that bowls for both be attached to the crate, and in my experience Air France is diligent about enforcing this at check-in.
No food or water for an 11 hour flight, plus the time before the flight and after........WHY would you put your pet through this? PETA should speak out against pet owners, and I really don't like PETA that much
don't take dogs on aircraft simple.