Debate over air travel rules is nothing new: hefty luggage fees and extra charges brought on by airlines in the last couple of years have made passengers especially wary of flying. Recently, though, stemming from a
New York Times conversation about the high cost of bringing pets onboard comes this debate: should pets even be allowed on planes at all?
The New York Times article, titled Pets Onboard: Growls and Purrs, summarizes responses from more than a hundred readers with diametrically opposite opinions. Pet owners commented on their strong belief in their right to bring cats and dogs onboard without assuming the cost of hundreds of dollars in fees, while non-pet owners complained of their right to a comfortable flight without worries of allergies and unruly pets.
Click here to read the article and some of the reader comments.Do you think pets should be allowed on airplanes? Have you ever had a bad travel experience because someone brought their pet onboard?
Comments (23)
No, some people do have serious allergies.
They usually are in crates, but once i was on a plane with a woman who was blind and had a seeing eye dog, there were virtually no problems on the flight what so ever.
as long as the pet is well behaved (and i mean EXTREMELY well behaved) i don't see a problem. i understand some people have allergies, but it'd be no different if someone with a working dog (seeing-eye, hearing-ear, anxiety-reduction) was on that flight. their dog must be allowed on the plane.
my first dog (bless her soul) was *never* well behaved enough for me to even consider public transit, let alone an airplane. but my current dog, she's the most well behaved 56-lb dog around. she'd be completely problem free on a flight.
Aren't they kept with the luggage, or in a different department anyway?
I prefer to be sitting next to someone with a pet rather than a very annoying kid. Allergies could be an issue for some people though.
I took my cat on a plane one time in her carrier (she's really old, and I was afraid she would die in the bottom part by herself. silly, i know. but i love my cat.), she slept the whole time, no one seemed bothered by it. She is a non-allergic cat, and I knew she wouldn't act up.
I think they should have rules that the cat be non-allergic and kept in their cage the whole time.
I wouldn't mind but I know a lot of people have allergies. They could always switch seats to the opposite end of the plane if it's that big of a problem. Like someone else said I'd rather sit next to someone with an animal then have to listen to a screaming child.
My brother and I were coming home from Arizona a few years ago...a 4.5 hour flight to Philly...and the ENTIRE ride this kid was sitting behind us kicking my brother's seat and screaming. I thought my bro was gonna kill him. I think pets would be easier to handle.
i don't think anything with fur should. i have a turtle, and if i'm going on vacation, i swear to god he has to come on the plane with me. he's thumb-sized and if he gets squashed somewhere in the cargo, i'm gonna sue.
allowed "on" planes as in the actual seats? no, cause some pets might pee and poo and im sure other passengers wouldnt like that not to mention allergies but pets should be allowed to travel just as much as people. besides theres pet airways nowadays and i heard its fully booked. its good to be a pet these days :)
No. Some people have allergies, others have fears, and then there's people like me that just can't stand them, heh >.<
I was on a 2 hour flight with a purse dog that some lady had brought and it yipped and yapped the whole flight but was not really any more annoying than the children who scream or the old guy who coughs non-stop. Too bad planes don't come with our own individual little pods we can close ourselves up in. It would really be nice if we could create an annoying passenger list and make those folks fly on special planes just for annoying passengers....
"Do you think pets should be allowed on airplanes?" Hell no. Same thing with young children and infants in libraries. At the same time that they don't benefit, their prescence isn't even neutral. All they do when they leave the house at all, whether it be the library or a freakin' amusement park, is scream. I hate it. This is a goddamn library. I know it's not a guarantee with someone's pet, but you never know, plus the allergy issue, so no.
they should be allowed on planes, but they should be required to stay in their carrier and people with pets need to be seated away from people with pet allergies.
No
@xsteph_ox@xanga - Some pet owners will check their pets like they check their luggage, but many think its cruel to do this and prefer to have their pets with them onboard.
Never.
I love animals but there are too many inconsiderate people to allow that sort of complication added. Plus, the allergies would be awful and lawsuits would be all over the place if, for example, someone's cat scratched someone who is severely allergic. Keep them in crates in the back of the plane unless it is a service dog. And even then I hope airlines are careful who they seat around that area. Even if the dog is perfectly behaved its, the allergens could stimulate an allergy or asthma attack.
Nope. Though I think they do make allergenic carrier bags.. but I have to deal with babies crying and shit enough, having dogs yapping would be the worst... that and this would have to be open to all pets, I can see airlines getting sued by snake owners.
I have a hedgehog and its illegal in like 20 states, so there'd be major problems.
no. even though i really love playing with animals. but imagine if the animals start making so much noise, the allergies, running around and owners chasing after them... chaos man!
imagine if one of the animals happen to get into the pilot's cabin and the pilot got freaked out and accidentally presses onto something, you never know what might happen next.
Yes. I don't trust somebody else handling my dog. I wouldn't want some of those inconciderate jerks handling my dog. Sorry. I think passengers should have the choice of pet and non-pet flights. For allergies, etc. I just don't think other people treat animals with the same care..I can't trust a stranger to take care of my dog. The last thing I'd want is to land and find out they let him escape 100s of miles away or killed him out of pure incompetence. He's like a family member..And should be treated like one.
I'm in the middle with this one. There are some people who'd bring a dog on there that wouldn't stop yapping, or who would bite the passenger beside it, etc. In other words: Really crappy dogs. Same goes for cats. So unless they have an extra room to shove the animals that misbehave in...
At the same time, that's the one reason I don't want to fly to my future destination. I'm bringing my animals, and, well, I'm not letting them out of my sight; they're my babies.
No! As much as i would love my dog (who never barks ((literally never)) and is so well behaved that she would sleep the entire flight) I don't think it would be appropriate for passengers to have "Carry on Pets".
Like everyone is saying - allegies. And what about the animal needing to pee/poo? And the barking and meowing, and the general who-ha of having an energetic animal in a crowded place. What about the smell! gosh the more I think about it the less it seems appealing.
However I do not agree with the manner in which they are transported on planes - in the luggage compartment. They should have a small area in which pets are placed in cages with special water and food compartments that you can add at your own leisure. This way - although it owuld be noisy - they are being treated well.
But otherwise, no, I don't think its a good idea.
Yes, as long as the pet is small and well-behaved I don't see a problem with it. The pet should have a carrier to sleep under the seat or something, though.
However, because some people do have serious pet allergies I think there should be separate flights for "Pet Friendly" flights or "No Pets Allowed" flights.
Here is a great chance to drive a large number of visitors to your blogs and websites for free.
Submit your websites, blogs, videos to http://www.zillionsb.com and get 1000s of targeted visitors everyday for free. It also helps your websites/blogs gain valuable backlinks.
Let the other bloggers cast their votes to push your posts up for a greater visibility. Enjoy a free, huge traffic to your sites.
Thanks
Sara
http://www.zillionsb.com