Don’t forget United has already said they’re 100% at fault.
Some of us don’t have a lot choice. I have a small airport here and sometimes that’s just the only plane to take. Having said that, I would never travel with a pet on United.
They did, but they were No. 3 in deaths last year… I think it was last year. Apologies only go so far… so after they keep killing bunnies and dogs… at some point an apology only gets them so far. What are they doing about it?
Oh, I’m not saying their admission means anything, just more in response to cicobuff’s statements.
I’m actually kind of surprise they did it that quickly. I mean I don’t know much about parrots but I’ve always heard birds can be scared to death. A lot of dogs handle stress okay, but they really don’t know what killed it at this point. I just cannot fathom how a human with a working brain would look at an overhead bin and think hey I should put something live in there.
Also I am glad the parrots made it. I’d be so stressed out traveling with a pet, worried the whole time too. THey panic in the car.
Fair point. I’ve always lived near enough to a major airport, so I sort of take that for granted, and forget that sometimes smaller airports have significantly less choice.
Thanks. Yeah, I was near tears when I had to leave them in the airport in Boston. I remember hurrying to pick them up at the other end in Seattle. Pets get delivered to the oversized / special luggage counter, and I remember as I walked through the airport looking for the counter, I could hear my conure Mickey chortling away from halfway down the terminal. Normally my birds clam right up when they’re stressed or nervous about something, but Mickey certainly seemed perfectly content. Pretty sure I shed some tears of joy when I picked them up. ;)
As a pet owner, I believe it is important for the pet to have visible contact with its owner, thus when I had my cat at the vet’s in its container, I’d make sure it was always turned so the cat could see me at all times. I would try to talk as much as possible as well, so he could hear my voice.
Stuffing that container into a closed, dark (basically isolated) overhead compartment would be totally out of the question, at least for me. Any pet would feel an extreme sense of abandonment in there, especially for any length of time. I’m envisioning a human placed in “isolation” in prison, for example. But even in that example, the human would have some kind of perspective about it, and know that his time there would be limited. An animal, on the other hand, would have absolutely no idea if it was ever getting out of there, or if it was just going to be abandoned there forever. I would think the animal’s stress level would be through the roof in that case, and that’s likely what killed it.
Yeah, could have been lack of air as well, however I don’t think those overhead compartments are air-tight, although it would have been extremely oppressive physically, and especially mentally and emotionally. Would anyone even think of sticking a baby up there? Because a baby’s reaction to that sudden containment and isolation would be similar, I would think.
@Hansey , may I share this post with a friend of mine who works for Alaska Airlines? I’d like to send it to her in a personal message, because she works for the airline in a kind of PR capacity, but I wanted to ask you first.
Thank you!
-xtien
Ha, I already sent her a link!
We have a friend who works for Alaska Airlines and it’s fascinating to listen to her talk about the extra effort they put into standing apart from the usual travel hell most other airlines put their customers through. It’s especially fascinating since it’s partly a direct result of the crash of Flight 261 off the coast of Los Angeles in 2000. After the crash, Alaska apparently had a corporate come-to-Jesus moment and it’s informed how they treat customers since then.
-Tom
Just want to add that I love flying Alaska too. If they had fewer connections to some of my destinations I’d use them more often. I’ve been on flights when there were issues, and they handled it well. The people at their gate don’t seem annoyed that people wan to talk to them once in awhile, oh and the beer and wine probably calm a few other passengers down so that’s always appreciated.
Yeah, sure, feel free. Though it sounds like Tom already shared it, hehe. But yeah, I don’t mind at all.
Thank you Hansey. I’m glad he shared it with her, and I appreciate you responding.
-xtien
Must be a fun week in the PR department.
On the plus side, United is in the headlines again and they’re not showing a bloodied passenger being yanked off the plane anymore.Based on the people in charge over there and their latest bonus problem, those guys probably think this is an improvement!
From the end of that article:
“Some 24 pets died while flying with US carriers last year, 18 of them with United, according to the Department of Transportation.”
Holy shit United, WTF?!
Hey, nobody is giving United credit for the dozens of pets they manage to NOT kill in transit. Double standard much?!
Another issue is pressure change. A dog can’t pop its ears. The pain can be intense.
Big thread and of course it was United.
Not as bad as beating the shit out of you or killing your pet at least.
Hey people:
KEEP YOUR FUCKING SHOES ON WHEN SITTING ON A PLANE
That looks uncomfortable enough with one foot up, I can’t imagine what it would look like with two feet up. Forgot privilege—why would anyone want to stick their feet up like that?
People take their shoes off when they enter a house, in some situations. Why not in an airplane?