New AlaskaAirlines Pet Policy: Cats & Dogs in Cabin to HI for $100 (Honolulu: credit card, transfer)
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Americans are turning into freaks over dogs (mostly). They're not children, no one loves them but you, leave them home.
My experience is that people love my dogs. When we walk into Waikiki I have people chase us down so they can pet my dogs. Before my JRT passed a year ago it seemed like every Japanese tourist had to show me their cell phone picture of their Jack!
Dogs are part of society. Some parts of society I don't care for so much but practice mutual respect and tolerence. I don't foist my pets on anyone. Most people are more tolerable if they have a dog in my opinion. You should get a dog.
Looks like I got Dthraco and openD confused, sorry about that. Dthraco had the overblown (you say sarcastic) cat poo example, and then acted like it was a done deal: "The policy is flawed and will fail." Then Dthraco lashed out at the person supporting Alaska's new policy. In my mind, I equated that with actually wishing the new policy would fail (as openD did). But in fact, Dthraco did not actually "encourage complaining to the carriers," as I implied in post #62 and again in #66, that was my mistake.
But Dthraco, for someone who "sympathizes with the idea," you're sure trying to tear it down and prove it can't work instead of maybe finding constructive ways to make it work. When we flew ATA (and we had 2 cats on that flight), the flight attendants knew where we were, picked up the cats before landing, and then gave them to the "quarantine" officer waiting outside when they opened the door. Didn't seem to complicated. I agree that on a difficult flight or an uncooperative passenger, this does add to the difficulties. But that would be true of anything, such as a drunk passenger, and anyways, those incident rates are minimal (both disruptive pet and drunk passenger).
openD wrote: "Unfortunately there's no guarantee that there will only be one, nor that they will be far away. I learned that the hard way, on a very long trip. Once was more than enough."
It seems like Alaska's policy is only one in-cabin pet per flight, and I assume it's something they can program in their computer. That seems like a good guarantee. If people are smuggling animals on-board, how does this new policy change that? As for being far away, yes, it does seem like a minor burden on you to mention your situation to the check-in or gate agent, so that you can be reseated IF there is a pet on your flight and IF you happen to be seated near it. But don't you have to do this on every other mainland flight you fly? Also, by very long, do you mean 5-6 hours to Hawaii (because that's one of Alaska's longest flights) or 10 hours or more to Europe/Asia (because Alaska's pet policy to Hawaii is not relevant on those). In any case, if you were risking an allergic reaction, wouldn't the flight attendants re-seat you, even under way, to avoid a medical emergency?
But it still seems that allowing in-cabin animals and making provisions for allergic people to be reseated at the other end of the cabin is safe for everyone. So I don't think you can attack this policy on those grounds.
openD wrote: "Unfortunately there's no guarantee that there will only be one, nor that they will be far away. I learned that the hard way, on a very long trip. Once was more than enough."
It seems like Alaska's policy is only one in-cabin pet per flight, and I assume it's something they can program in their computer.
In fact Alaska's policy allows 1 in First Class, 5 in Cabin. And they allow a passenger to bring two pet carriers on if they purchase a ticket for an additional seat (but the pet carrier still goes under the seat.).
Quote:
Originally Posted by KauaiHiker
As for being far away, yes, it does seem like a minor burden on you to mention your situation to the check-in or gate agent, so that you can be reseated IF there is a pet on your flight and IF you happen to be seated near it.
And
In any case, if you were risking an allergic reaction, wouldn't the flight attendants re-seat you, even under way, to avoid a medical emergency?
I find it interesting that your assumption is that I am the one who should be re-seated. Personally, I buy my ticket well in advance so that I can choose the seat I want. Why should I have to give up my chosen seat because someone else is causing a problem? That's the typical pet-owner sense of entitlement I see everywhere... thinking they should be able to do whatever they want and everyone else can just adjust. Sorry, but if your pet is causing me a problem in a public space, I think YOU are the one who needs to do something to resolve the issue.
And to repeat my central complaint, you can't bring Fluffy into a grocery store or a restaurant because of health concerns... how is that different from having one in the closed space of an airplane where people are eating? Fluffy CAN fly in cargo, I can't.
And you can't bring Fluffy onto a train or a bus or light rail or any other common carrier... so why should planes be different? If anything, the air circulation is worse on a plane and the health and aesthetic issues are magnified. Ahhhhh, but the cash-strapped airlines have discovered they can squeeze another $100 out of a seat if they allow a carryon pet to be stashed under the seat, so they allow it.
At least they do for now. Given pet-owners' propensity to cheat on the rules (more of that "entitlement" I see), and Hawai'i's strict anti-rabies stance, I predict it will not be long before this ill-considered new policy is rolled back. And I will do my best to convince Alaska to do that, as quickly as possible.
Why should I have to give up my chosen seat because someone else is causing a problem?
You don't. Pets in the cabin is an additional cartage by airline tarrifs, so ythey can ask you to reseat and you can refuse. that means that the passeneger with the pet is to be reseated or if not possible, they can be deplaned for passage on another flight. All you have to do is politely stand firm. Now, if they offer you a first class ticket, reseat! Most passenegers don;t understand the above concept so they don;t know that its the person with the pet that has to accomodate the needs of the passenegers without pets.
You don't. Pets in the cabin is an additional cartage by airline tarrifs, so ythey can ask you to reseat and you can refuse. that means that the passeneger with the pet is to be reseated or if not possible, they can be deplaned for passage on another flight. All you have to do is politely stand firm. Now, if they offer you a first class ticket, reseat! Most passenegers don;t understand the above concept so they don;t know that its the person with the pet that has to accomodate the needs of the passenegers without pets.
Jaenenoa,
Just curious, why is it so important to you to have your dogs at the wedding? I love my dog and since I know that flying would cause a great deal of stress on him, there is no way I would take him with me unless I was making a permanent move.
My exact question.
It's quite selfish to put the dogs through any trip, in cabin or cargo, to "attend a wedding"...
I flew my dogs only because I had to move them with me. It's stressful for the dogs. Like they are going to mope and sulk because they didn't get to go to the wedding.
Here's an idea for Jaenenoa: Photoshop them into your wedding pictures. Nobody will evern know the difference.
Well, we are talking 3 months, so there is a bit more to understand the reason.
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