Beginning July 1, 2009, Air Canada will allow dogs and cats in the cabin if your pet is kept in an approved carrier that's small enough to fit under the passenger seats. FYI, pets are only allowed on the plane for certain routes and there is a limit on the number of pets allowed on the same flight.
Some people have voiced serious concerns about allergies while others are excited to take their pets on vacation. What's your opinion?
More information is available on the Air Canada website.
Reply to this I am not sure what I think about that. Wouldnt animals stink sometimes?
Mel
Reply to this I suppose it would depend on the animal and the owner's grooming habits. I have a dog, a Dachshund (little wiener dog) and she doesn't smell. But I can't imagine taking her on the plane...like I'd have to give her sleeping pills or something or else she'll whimper the whole way because she'd hate being stuck in a kennel. That being said, I don't have plans to take her aboard any time soon.
Reply to this i think it was like 50 for domestic flights and 100 for international.
Reply to this But, what about if the animals have to go to the toilet? How would they do that on a flight?
Reply to this This will affect not only passengers on the flight, but other passengers in the departure areas - assuming the pets will be treated as hand luggage currently is.
I'm sceptical that all Air Canada passengers will be advised ahead on confirming their bookings that pets may be on those flights - too many times details dont get passed on by travel agents.
Wouldn't want to be trying to sleep on one of those flights......
Reply to this Wonder if they'll have to go through the x-ray machine....... ;-)
Reply to this It's a tricky issue though because pets are like the new kids. More and more people are opting to own pets instead of having kids and so while a dog may just be a dog, to some people their dog is their family. So where do we draw the line?
Recently I went to a supermarket in Toronto and I was carrying my dog in with me. My dog wasn't touching any of the food, she wasn't even on the ground, nor was she barking. She was just keeping me company. And then someone asked that I take my dog off the premises. I was pretty angry actually because firstly the person had a horrible attitude and secondly, my dog wasn't even doing anything to cause disturbance. In other words, a wailing baby, a kid running down aisles knocking down toilet paper, or a kid who has dirt all over his/her hands and is now touching the oranges I'm about to buy......they are far more disruptive than my dog. If kids are allowed to do that, why wasn't I allowed to carry my dog in?
But as for airlines allowing dogs and cats on board? I'm also kind of iffy about that. I would love to travel with my dog, but I don't think that being inside a kennel under a seat is exactly healthy. She would probably prefer to be at home...so the question really is, where do we draw the line?
Reply to this One problem I have with dogs in particular is that there is dog poo all over my neighbourhood because of them. We frequently have several pair of my daughters shoes in the garden awaiting having the dog poo cleaned off them.
There are rules that say dog owners should clean up the poo after their dog. Unfortunately, they so often dont that we have to watch where we walk all the time on the lawns beside the appartment blocks. But even if the owners did pick up the poo after the dogs, children play on that grass and I dont think it is clean enough if there was recently dog poo on it.
And then there are the dog owners who say their dog doesnt bite when it does. My boyfriend was walking past a dog on the foot path last week and the dog, which was on a leash being held by its owner bit my boyfriend. I never quite feel able to take the dog owners word for it, when they say their dog does not bite.
In other words, a wailing baby, a kid running down aisles knocking down toilet paper, or a kid who has dirt all over his/her hands and is now touching the oranges I'm about to buy......they are far more disruptive than my dog. If kids are allowed to do that, why wasn't I allowed to carry my dog in?
I dont think we should compare rules for dogs with rules for kids. The rights of human beings are always more important than the rights of animals and human beings always have more rights in our societies than animals do.
So where do we draw the line?
I dont know for sure, but I would be happy enough if it wasnt for the dog poo and the biting. I personally think cats make better city and suburb pets. I have never had any cat trouble in my neighbourhood. And maybe they would also be easier to travel with on planes.
Reply to this Not that I was traveling Air Canada so much before, but I'll definitely avoid them now. Air travel tends to be unpleasant enough without animals going to the bathroom wherever, or yelping because they don't want to be in a kennel, yelping because they're nervous in an unfamiliar situation and can't comprehend what is going on because they are not people, or just smelling bad. I'm not trying to be a priss here, but seriously...
As far as the comparison to kids thing, not really an apples-to-apples comparison. I realize there are many that want to consider their pets their "child", but it's just not - and it's unfortunate if this offends pet owners but I'm not looking to be convinced otherwise on this issue. Yes, children can be unruly, but can be disciplined more easily because they have more capacity to be reasoned with. Why is the parent letting their kid run around with grubby hands and taking out TP displays and touch the oranges? Furthermore, while kids are not immune to the going to the bathroom thing beyond a toilet, far less common. Finally, yes - Mell is correct. The rights of humans is supreme to animals.
There's my two bits...
Reply to this What about people with other pets? Are dogs and cats more valuable than say a pet snake or whatever... Why are dog and cat owners getting special treatment! I want to bring my pet horse on the plane too!
Seriously, I don't think I would travel on an airline that allows dogs and cats onboard... Sorry, too much that can go wrong. And I find it strange that we are nowadays not even allowed to take a nailclipper into the cabin due to 'terrorist' threaths, but dogs and cats are allowed... What about a pitbull? Can fit in a little compartment and be let out to terrorize other passengers during the flight... Now that would make a story!
Reply to this Seriously, I don't think I would travel on an airline that allows dogs and cats onboard...
If the airline is offering the least expensive tickets, then I will put up with the dogs and cats. Horses and snakes too, if it means I can make my travel money stretch further....:D
Thinking about all these animals on the transport is reminding me of travelling in some countries. :D
What about a pitbull?
I think menacing animals should certainly not be allowed on planes. Actually, all snakes may also fit into that cathegory.
Reply to this Human rights may be "supreme," but animal rights are definitely very very important as well. Why else was Obama so highly criticized by the PETA when he killed the fly? And international newspapers and media focused on the fly rather than the content of the meeting. But you know, I'm just playing devil's advocate here...
That being said, I'm actually not too fond of having pets on planes either. While I can say/feel that oh, my dog would be okay on a plane because she's so well trained and yada yada yada, but every other pet owner would probably feel that way...whether it be the truth or not. So the safe bet is really to not let pets on...because yes, once you let dogs and cats on, what about other domesticated animals? I do believe that does include horses....so in terms of "animal rights," it's not fair to treat cats and dogs differently than other animals.
Reply to this ...animal rights are definitely very very important as well.
Certainly! But when I think about the rights animals should have I think about things like 'cosmetics should not be tested on them'', 'we should not kill animals for unnecessary things such as mink coats'' etc. Allowing animals on planes in not something on my list of morals concerning animal rights.
.....so in terms of "animal rights," it's not fair to treat cats and dogs differently than other animals.
I dont think it is abusive to treat different species differently. They have different needs. I let the neighbours cat wander around my house if it comes in when the door is open, but I wouldnt let a horse or an elephant in. They just need more space. As well as that, I dont think they can be toilet trained like cats can.
Reply to this Have you guys heard about the new pets only airline? Doesn't apply here yet, only in select cities and not cheap...but i wonder if itll "take off" haha?
http://cli.gs/86gsXz
Reply to this 
