Originally Posted by
Flaflyer
Cargo planes are allowed to carry hazardous materials. FAA safety regs flat out prohibit Hazmat on passenger planes. Freight pilots know and are paid to take the risks, paying pax cannot be allowed to be exposed to the risk. Think Valuejet. If a last minute hazmat shipment shows up, the cargo plane must either leave off the high $$$ freight or the passengers. Too big a headache. I do not think FAA will ever change such a basic safety regulation.
For example, note on a Fedex form it asks how much dry ice is in you package. An agent told me that if the total on any given plane is over a certain amount, the two pilots must wear their oxygen masks the whole flight so they don't pass out. Way too big a problem if there are paying pax on such a flight.
As for the KL combos, I bet they have no hazmat, and I'll guess one of the largest cargos from AMS is flowers.
I too have heard of the Dry Ice thing.
Pretty sure HAzmat is the biggest issue reguarding these kinds of things, they classify all kinds of things hazmat, not to mention they aren't going to wait for you and it would make rebooking hard, as most flights are once a day not 3-4times a day.
To add, the weight of a passenger and the consumption of fuel probably isn't worth what they would expect to pay.