Campaign for change in airline rules for pet travel

A Bengalurean whose dog was denied boarding on an Air India flight at the last minute has started an online petition demanding pet-friendly rules for air travel.

Sachin Shenoy, his wife Uma and daughter Aaryaa had to cancel their 12-day vacation to Amritsar, Dharamshala and Dalhousie via New Delhi when their poodle Fluffy wasn’t allowed past the boarding gate at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on Saturday, even after it was issued a boarding pass and a ‘Fit to Fly’ certificate.

Responding to Sachin’s complaint on Twitter, Air India said “pet carriage is subject to the approval of the commander of the flight” and “the commander was not fully satisfied with the cage and muzzle of the pet”.

The Varthur resident has launched a petition after pet parents shared similar experiences once his tweet went viral.

“A woman shared that she is about to fly with her dog and when she called the airline’s customer care to ask about pet onboarding, she was told to leave the pet and go,” he claims. As for Sachin’s family, they were flying with Fluffy for the first time.

Addressed to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the ministry of civil aviation, the Change.org petition has clocked 1,290 signatures since it went live on Sunday night.

What they want

Sachin is demanding an advanced ticketing system for pets to avoid last-minute cancellations. “We are planning to fly to Dubai and Etihad Airways allows prior booking for pets,” he says.

He chose Air India, because Akasa Air, the only other Indian airline that allows pets in-flight, wasn’t flying to some of his destinations at the time of booking. “I spent Rs 4 lakh towards flight, hotel and other bookings. I may be able to recover Rs 2.5 lakh but the rest is gone,” says Sachin, who runs an executive search firm. His other demand is for veterinarians to be deployed at the airport to certify a pet fit for travel, and approve the cage and pet accessories.

If that is met, the flight commander should not be the final authority to allow or deny a pet’s onboarding, he adds.

Having worked with an airline on the HR side earlier, Sachin says he is aware that the commander can decline human entry as well, but the Saturday episode had gaps. He alleges, “The pilot never came to see the pet or the cage, so how could he decide?” He plans to seek the support of celebrities to gain traction for the petition.

'No guarantee on Fluffy’s entry'

Air India has offered to issue revalidated tickets to Sachin’s family but he has turned down the offer, an airline spokesperson told Metrolife. Sachin explains why: “They say they can’t guarantee Fluffy won’t be denied entry again.”

Indian airlines that allow pets

Air India permits two pets per flight but it is subject to availability of space on the day of travel. Prior booking is not allowed. Cabin carriage is permitted if the pet and the container don’t exceed 5 kg. Pets of larger size and weight are sent to the cargo hold. Likewise, Akasa Air permits two pets — an under-7 kg pet can travel in the cabin, and others in the cargo hold. SpiceJet allows transport of domesticated dogs and cats only in the cargo hold.