Originally Posted by Paplover

While this is an option there are many people who find themselves in situations where flying with a pet is the most practical option. Moving cross country where driving takes too long or is expensive. Transporting an animal to a new owner, transporting a performance/show animal to a competition, transporting an animal to a training center, etc. Pre-COVID this would have to be by cargo with larger animals but that is difficult now. Transporting an animal as cargo opens a new set of issues, if you miss a connection you can cope, is stuff misses a connection, no big deal, if an animal misses a connection someone has to feed it, give it water, let it out to relieve itself, etc. If your bags get misrouted, they will be OK until you get them back several days later. What about a dog or cat locked in a crate for several days? For 2016 there were at least 26 animal deaths reported by airlines and as many injuries, so shipping animals by cargo does entail real risks to the animal. So while banning animals from airlines may make many passengers more comfortable it removes a valuable service to those individuals who have to move animals long distance.