Photo: airfranceklm.com
A dog owner who came to pick up her pet pooch from LAX after an 11-hour flight from Amsterdam was told she would find it at the warehouse, because it had died on the plane.
The dog, believed to have been a husky, made the transatlantic flight on board an Air France-KLM plane, in the cargo hold. The airline company confirms the death in a statement to People Magazine, insisting that all safety conditions had been met when the animal was put into the cargo hold, in a ventilated part of the cargo.
However, a member of the airline staff reveals for TMZ that this wasn’t the case. The dog was “incorrectly loaded in the cargo hold and lost oxygen” during the flight, the insider says under the cover of anonymity. Though that part of the cargo is ventilated, flight attendants don’t have access to it during the flight, so they only noticed the dog had died when the plane touched down and they went to remove the carrier.
Air France-KLM police says that only cats and dogs smaller than 18 pounds can be taken into the cabin, in the economy section. They must be in pet bags or kennels, which will be placed under the seat in front of the owner for the entire duration of the flight.
Bigger animals will be flown in the cargo hold. This is only the most recent case of an animal dying on board a plane, so PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is chiming in to argue that all airlines should allow pets to fly in the main cabin.
“Tragedies like this one are exactly why airlines must require that animals travel in the main cabin only,” the organization says in a statement. “PETA urges AirFrance-KLM to join airlines such as JetBlue and Southwest in prohibiting companion animals from being flown in the cargo hold, where they endure noise, extreme temperatures and sometimes inadequate pressurization, before yet another sensitive animal suffers and dies, terrified and alone.”
As of now, Air France-KLM has not responded to this. The company did say, though, that they have launched an investigation into the case and are waiting for necropsy results for the cause of death.
However, a member of the airline staff reveals for TMZ that this wasn’t the case. The dog was “incorrectly loaded in the cargo hold and lost oxygen” during the flight, the insider says under the cover of anonymity. Though that part of the cargo is ventilated, flight attendants don’t have access to it during the flight, so they only noticed the dog had died when the plane touched down and they went to remove the carrier.
Air France-KLM police says that only cats and dogs smaller than 18 pounds can be taken into the cabin, in the economy section. They must be in pet bags or kennels, which will be placed under the seat in front of the owner for the entire duration of the flight.
Bigger animals will be flown in the cargo hold. This is only the most recent case of an animal dying on board a plane, so PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is chiming in to argue that all airlines should allow pets to fly in the main cabin.
“Tragedies like this one are exactly why airlines must require that animals travel in the main cabin only,” the organization says in a statement. “PETA urges AirFrance-KLM to join airlines such as JetBlue and Southwest in prohibiting companion animals from being flown in the cargo hold, where they endure noise, extreme temperatures and sometimes inadequate pressurization, before yet another sensitive animal suffers and dies, terrified and alone.”
As of now, Air France-KLM has not responded to this. The company did say, though, that they have launched an investigation into the case and are waiting for necropsy results for the cause of death.
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