Passengers Must Ship Animals On Cargo Aircraft

Air Canada officials added some real teeth to its new No-Fly list Thursday -- and some fur and claws, too. Effective July 15, pets will not be allowed on its domestic passenger flights.

Pending approval from the Canadian Transportation Agency, pets won't be allowed on flights to the US or other international destinations, either, according to the Canadian Press.

But, all is not lost, pet lovers. Pets are welcome on the carrier's cargo division via its AC Live Product cargo service. According to Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick, the carrier needed the extra baggage space, and it's purely a matter of improving customer service.

"We've had record load factors for the past three years. That means our planes have been fuller than they've ever been. And this fact, combined with the new security requirements that limit gels and liquids people can take on a plane have meant we're carrying much more luggage than we have in the past," he said.

Air Canada's load factor has been running at more than 80 percent and, as they require extra room for ventilation, transporting animals puts limits on the amount of baggage the airline can carry, he said.

"So essentially it comes down to a question of carrying bags for the vast majority of our customers or carrying pets for a smaller number of our passengers," he said, but couldn't say how many of the 34 million passengers the airline serves each year will be affected, but estimated that number to be in the minority.

The new policy does not apply to service dogs, Fitzpatrick said. Those who have already bought or will buy tickets up until July 15 will be allowed to bring along their pets -- in the cargo hold.

On the other side of the traveling pet spectrum, Canada's budget airline, WestJet, accepts not only dogs and cats in their cabins, but rabbits and birds as well.

The pets-or-no-pets issue is popping up with other airlines as well. According to a British Airways spokesman, that carrier allows pets on passenger flights, but only in the cargo hold. Southwest Airlines doesn't allow pets on its aircraft at all. JetBlue allows cats and small dogs in their cabins.

"So this isn't unusual for the industry. In fact it's increasingly becoming the standard," said Fitzpatrick.

FMI: www.aircanada.com