jdrtravel

Yeah, that's not good. But I'm not sure it's about being "conditioned to assume they are scamming the system." Rather, I think lots and lots of people don't really care or even think it's adorable and cute to have animals on board and that FT is full of busybodies.

jentheman

Yeah, this pretty much sums it up.

jamesteroh

And how many passengers really deal with a problem animal onboard anyway? I only see pets on probably 10 percent of the flights I'm on. I have more issues on flights with screaming small children or drunk DYWIA adults being disruptive than a pet.
I really don't care if I sit next to someone with a pet as long as they are well behaved and don't mind if the passenger takes them out of the carrier in flight.

MrHockey

Are you kidding me? I'd give anything to travel with mainly pets. They sit there, wag their tail, don't whine or ..... about not getting a PDB or acknowledged by the FA by their royal first name, given "gasp" non linen service or "gasp again" plastic cup to drink their 0730 Tuesday morning bloody mary. So yes, i'd take a plane full of ESA pets over any pretentious flyers, any day and twice on Sunday.

Boraxo

Is that in cabin or cargo?

Personally I would never fly my animal in cargo again, just too many things can go wrong in terms of temperature on the tarmac or in the hold, not to mention delays, etc. I would gladly pay the cabin fee but not sure of the size limits. And of course he would be sedated (in F) as I would not want to disturb others.

I agree with others that I would not fly my pet for a vacation, but it may be unavoidable when you are relocating.

alman84

In cargo - we don't have a choice unless we really wanted to skirt the ESA rules. While I'm a dog person, I can appreciate that many passengers (in particular, those with allergies) may not be so excited to be in the presence of a constantly-shedding 85 lb Great Pyrenees for 12 hours, even if he is well-trained and won't bark. Lufthansa's pet travel facilities are world class, so I'm not worried about them making the right choices in transit - but it's always a risk, and it's still stressful thinking about the journey. You had a bad experience flying a pet in cargo?

jamesteroh

That would be hard with a 85 lb dog to fly him in the cabin. Too bad the airlines do allow passengers to just buy the next seat and allow the dog to lie in the foot area if they are behaved.

I would never allow a cat to fly in cargo. There was a story a couple years ago about a Sphynx cat dying in cargo due to Delta's neglect. The cats I fly with are burmese and it's dangerous for them to fly in Cargo due to their noses (most airlines won't allow Burmese cats and Pug dogs and a few other breeds with certain type noses to fly in cargo due to health/breathing issues). And like a poster pointed out flights get delayed. I've been on at least two flights in the last year where the flight has fully boarded and when we had to deplane due to a maintenance light coming on and on one of those flights it didn't go out until the next morning (that's another thing, when I fly with pets I try for an early flight in cases there's irrops since most hotels aren't pet friendly).

I'd would love flying next to an 80 lb dog as long as he is well behaved. I'd rather fly next to a pet than a screaming infant or drunk or DYKWIA adult.

Boraxo

My cat caught a virus in cargo but fortunately recovered quickly. The other one flew as carry-on under the seat and did fine until the last hour when the tranquilizers wore off and he became a bit vocal.
There are many stories of pets (usually dogs) that die when/after shipment in the cargo hold. Certain breeds are less suited for cargo, and certain time of year (i.e. summer) are worse than others for heat stroke and dehydration. People spend thousands on vet bills to keep their pet alive, it seems foolish not to spend $150-200 to bring them on the airplane, unless you have no other choice (i.e. too big).

Paplover

DL, and many airlines, ban snub nosed breeds (pugs, bulldogs, etc.) from the cargo hold. There are also many temperature based embargoes, both hot and cold, to reduce the potential for thermal stress on the pets. The common theme is that to reduce their liability companies introduce more restrictions.
It is far cheaper to take the animal in the cabin than ship as cargo but with the size restriction of fitting under a seat most dogs are to big to travel in the cabin except as service or emotional support animals.

USCTrojan83

No, I fly once a week if not more. I’ve seen untrained ESAs defecating on the floor, barking/lunging at children and have lost my floor space to numerous labs, pit bulls (now banned on DL I think) and even a Great Dane. I’m lucky that I’m usually in FC, but even so a giant dog laying there forcing me to contort myself in such a way so as not to accidentally kick it or put my feet on it, does not make for a comfortable flight. I can’t even imagine people in coach.

jdrtravel

Wow! I've never been so lucky!

CPMaverick

Yes, people complain about these petty things on FT, but I've never seen someone whine about PDB, name acknowledgement, linen service, etc in-person on a flight.

Personally I'm (mildly) allergic to many pets, so I prefer not to sit next to them. When it's a short flight I'll deal with it because I don't want to make a hassle. But the issue isn't a pet taking the place of a human, the issue is usually the pet IN ADDITION to the human, and it is annoying as heck to set next to someone fumbling with an animal.