I've flown many times on KLM with my dog in the hold, mostly 777 but also 747 and 787 on SFO-AMS-SFO. I recently booked an award ticket AMS-SFO and called to reserve the hold space for my dog. After about 25 minutes on the phone with a Delta agent, I was told that the request was refused (travel is in late-October). I reached out to KLM and was told the following:
Please be informed that to prevent offloading of high-value perishable cargo, KLM (KL) will impose an embargo for animals in the hold (AVIH) on Boeing 787-900 (789) Dreamliner & Boeing 787-10 (781) Dreamliner for travel effective 1 August 2019.
The explanation seems rather peculiar since I assume that "high-value perishable cargo" travels on 747 and 777 aircraft. I thought that this could be related to summer temperatures, but there is no termination date for the embargo and it appears to impact only one type of aircraft.
It was a struggle, but I got Flying Blue to refund my miles and fees. (It was done well within the 24-hour window after booking.) My only option is to find any remaining flights on older aircraft, either to SFO or LAX with a one-way car rental. PITA. What's the real story here?