What Does AVIH Mean?

Traveling with pets can be stressful, especially when you need to transport them by air. There are various regulations and procedures in place to ensure the safety and well-being of animals in transit. One term that often comes up in this context is AVIH

September 2024 Airline Pet Travel Report

This month we had three incidents involving dogs: two deaths on Alaska Airlines and one death on Hawaiian Airlines.

Alaska Airlines Flight 360 from Seattle, Washington to Tampa, Florida had a death of a Havanese dog. The dog was discovered deceased inside its kennel at the baggage area in Tampa. The cause of the death is unknown, and no corrective actions have been reported at this time…

August 2024 Airline Pet Travel Report

This month, we report one pet fatality involving a domestic cat.

Alaska Airlines Flight AS880 from Kona, Hawaii (KOA) to Seattle, Washington (SEA) tragically had an incident where a 7-year-old domestic cat was found deceased upon arrival. The ramp agent discovered the cat inside its kennel after opening the pit door for unloading. No additional information was provided.

We express ou…

July 2024 Airline Pet Travel Report

This month we had one death and one injury, both dogs.

Delta Airlines Flight 754 from Seattle, Washington to Atlanta, Georgia had an adult dog of unknown age traveling in Cargo where an agent noticed the dog bleeding from its mouth. The agent followed procedures and after a veterinarian examined the dog, it was determined that the dog sustained injuries to its lower jaw, presumably whil…

CDC announced final rule to its dog and cat importation regulation

On May 13, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued its final ruling associated with the importation of dogs into the United States to provide clarity and safeguards that address the public health risk of dog-maintained rabies virus variant (DMRVV).

This final rule addresses the importation of cats as part of overal…

Alaska Airlines Cargo Door Arrives Open While Transporting Pets

On March 8, 2024, Alaska Airlines Flight 1423 departed Los Cabos, Mexico and arrived in Portland, Oregon with its cargo door unsealed and cracked open.

The cargo hold was transporting passenger's pets, thankfully none of the animals were injured.

The Alaska Airlines maintenance team inspected the aircraft, replaced a spring in the door, tested it and reentered it into service. This…

Traveling with Pets on Airplanes: Is it Safe?

Traveling with your pet on an airplane can be a stressful experience for both the pet and the owner. Although air travel with pets is becoming increasingly popular, there are still risks involved. In 2021, over 256,000 pets were transported on airlines, with 7 deaths, 14 injuries, and 0 pets lost.

Although the risk of death or injury of a pet while traveling by air is relatively low, c…

Recognizing Pet Emergencies

Have you ever wondered how your veterinarian knows if your pet can wait to be seen or requires immediate care? In the veterinary world, a pet is evaluated by staff using triage. Triage means the nurse does a brief evaluation to assess if the pet requires immediate care or can wait to see the veterinarian after a wait.

New Rules to Expand Airline Animal Safety Reporting

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced new reporting requirements for U.S. based airlines. The new ruling expands the definition of animals to include all cats and dogs transported by the airline. The previous rules did not apply to breeders.

Reconfirming Flight Reservations for Pets

I'm a former travel agent, so I know the value of reconfirming reservations. For 8 years now, I've traveled with my 11 lbs. dog as an in-cabin pet between Central America, where I currently live, and the USA.

Emergency Vet Clinic Search

Do you know where the closest emergency veterinary hospital is? How fast could you find the information? What if you were on the road or traveling by airplane?

PetFlight has recently added an Emergency Veterinary Clinic Search to make it easy to find this information. This includes the information for almost 700 emergency vet clinics an…

Dogs On A Plane!

Dogs on a plane!
A wonderful picture taken by Roman Fleysher. Your dogs won't...