United Changes Pet Policy, Imposes Breed Restrictions
Jennifer Billock May 08, 2018
After the untimely death of a passenger’s French bulldog on a United Airlines flight earlier this year, the airline is making massive changes to its animal transportation policies in hopes that it will curb further incidents like this from happening.
After the unsettling deaths of several pet dogs on United Airlines flights, the airline has decided to revamp its animal policy in order to avoid similar incidents in the future. Now, only dogs and cats can fly in the cargo hold, and breed restrictions have increased from only six to 44.
“Effective June 18, 2018, United will implement several new policies and customer requirements for pet air transportation to improve the safety of the travel experience,” United said in a statement.
The breed restrictions encompass many breeds that are considered short- or snub-nosed—like Boston terriers, French bulldogs, pugs, and boxers. Four breeds of cat are restricted.
“We are doing this to further minimize risk and ensure the comfort of pets we fly,” United spokesperson Charles Hobart told People. “Prior to today, we flew all sorts of animals. Geese, foxes, leopards, you name it, we pretty much flew it. That will change moving forward. We’ll only fly dogs and cats as pets that belong to our customers.”
As far as pets in the cabin, where the French bulldog incident occurred, new guidelines have not yet been released.
“This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin. We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them. We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again,” United spokesperson Maggie Schmerin told People.
[Photo: Shutterstock]
