Delta announces new pet travel restrictions

US-based carrier Delta has announced new regulations for passengers travelling with pets.

Travel Insurance News - 05/07/2012

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US-based carrier Delta has announced new regulations for passengers travelling with pets.

Officials from the carrier said that the new details are now available to all customers looking to travel with pets and that those that are affected via bookings are being contacted to arrange alternative travel.

Experts say the new regulations include a number of small changes and make travelling with a pet more complicated than ever. For example, pets can no longer be carried either onboard or as cargo on any Boeing 767 aircraft. This is a result of changes to the cabin design of the aircraft model, in which the company has reduced cargo hold space in order to provide long-haul crewmembers with rest accommodation.

Among additional changes, animals will no longer be allowed on flights as checked luggage between 15 May and 15 September, or anytime when the temperature on the ground is above 85F (29.4C) or below 10F (-12C).

The move comes amid rising controversy as a result of a number of highly publicised pet deaths on airline flights in recent years. Last year saw the airline ban short-nosed dog breeds such as bulldogs and pugs in checked baggage because such breeds are much likelier to suffer life-threatening breathing problems under cabin pressure.

Delta spokesman Anthony Black said that the changes come in the effort of safety, which he said remains the carrier’s number one priority for both passengers and animals.

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