Deadly Skies

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f you're planning on traveling with a pet anytime soon, it's important to know all of the facts surrounding how to fly and which airline is the safest. And that airline may not be Delta, according to an Air Travel Consumer report released by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

According to the report, of the 35 pets that died last year while flying, 19 of those pets were on Delta flights—up from 16 deaths in 2010. The second "most deadly airline" was American, with 5 deaths.

Interestingly, though, the way the data is presented seems a bit slanted. A spokesman for Delta explained that the numbers reported fail to mention that Delta may have had the most deaths, but it could be because Delta flies the most pets of all the airlines and that the number of pets who were injured or died on Delta flights was less than 0.2 percent of all the animals carried.

According to the report, of the 35 pets last year that died while flying, 19 of those pets were on Delta flights.

Last year, the airline stopped accepting flat-faced/snub-nosed cats and dogs like Persian cats and pugs, in an effort to prevent in-flight death. Previously, French, American, and English bulldogs had also been banned from flying Delta since those breeds are more susceptible to respiratory issues.

Another reason for the increase in deaths for Delta could be that some other airlines have stopped flying pets in the cargo area, making Delta the only option for larger cats and dogs (ones that won't fit underneath the seat). The shift in numbers of pets handled overall is an easy explanation for why Delta might have reported more deaths, so it's not necessarily something pet owners need to immediately worry about. When flying with a pet, though, it's important to understand the risks and weigh whether it's really necessary to bring your pet on vacation with you (moving is obviously a different story).

[Source: Gawker]