ShareThisBy BRENT JANG
Sparky and Fluffy can kiss goodbye to the creature comforts of flying in style inside Air Canada's cabins.
Starting Sept. 18, pets will be banished to the aircraft cargo belly of Canada's largest airline, in a move that has elicited howls of outrage from animal lovers and sighs of relief from allergy sufferers.
"Flying in general is already stressful for the pet," Calgary Humane Society spokeswoman Cheryl Wallach said.
"When the animal is in cargo, it can be more stressful, when you think about air-pressure changes. Ears popping can be uncomfortable, so the pet owner feels more confident if animals are with them, so they can give comfort."
Rival WestJet Airlines Ltd. said its cabins will remain a pet-friendly zone.
"WestJet does allow pets in the cabin. We will accept cats, dogs, birds and rabbits in the cabin," said WestJet spokeswoman Gillian Bentley. She noted that the carrier has a marketing campaign to stress its willingness to embrace pets on its domestic flights, as along as they are carried aboard in leak-proof kennels that fit under the seat.
Air Canada said its new rule reflects the need to balance the interests of its customers, and that guide dogs will still be allowed in the aircraft cabins.
The Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology was one of the groups that lobbied Air Canada to clamp down on pets in the cabin.
In the past six years, the Canadian Transportation Agency has received 19 complaints about "the presence of allergens in the context of air travel," the regulator said recently.
Both Air Canada and WestJet implement winter bans on transporting pets in the cargo compartment during the Christmas season. As well, neither carrier allows reptiles in the cabin, notably snakes and lizards.
In the fall of 2005, Air Canada announced that pets would be banned from its baggage compartments during peak travel times.
The Montreal-based carrier later reversed that decision, lifting its planned summer embargo.
