No more dogs on board BA flights
Avid travellers who own dogs and like to holiday with their canine companions may be displeased with the news that British Airways has temporarily suspended its service carrying dogs
The service has been suspended after BA discovered that a dog was transported in a travel crate that didn’t meet the required criteria. Fortunately, the dog wasn’t injured during the flight, despite travelling in an unsuitable crate.
While BA investigates the incident, no dogs will be permitted to fly. “We take the responsibility of transporting and caring for animals travelling with us extremely seriously,” the airline said in a statement. “We have temporarily suspended bookings pending our investigation.”
Travelling dog owners can rest assured that the suspension has been put in place to protect the welfare of their pets. It is a particularly necessary measure given recent tragic cases of dogs dying during flights ─ in September 2019 a dog allegedly overheated in the cargo hold on a KLM flight, leading to its death, while in March, a five-month-old dog died during a flight from Amsterdam to Los Angeles.
BA said that the travel standards for all pets are set by IATA’s Live Animal Regulations, including crate sizes based on the size of an animal. As animal lovers ourselves, we at ITIJ are glad that BA is taking the responsibility for ensuring the welfare of dogs seriously.