We have had to ship our pets as cargo coming into and now going out of Hawaii. The animal cargo is not like our luggage, they do take really good care of them. They are stricter with temps (how long the animals stay on the tarmac, kennel requirements) It's really not as bad as it seems. Both of our dogs, the cat (via Northwest back in 06) and our parrot via Delta also in 06) all did great. Yes, it is more expensive, but to me, it is worth it knowing they are cared for differently then my suitcase. But the cost has definately increased (especially if you send them unaccompanied) We are paying more than double this time around.