It’s hard to believe there are no global aviation standards for pet safety on flights. That may change thanks to a country in Latin America taking up the cause.
The United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization is set to meet in just a matter of days for its triennial assembly, and Colombia is asking the U.N. aviation agency to address a proposal supported by more than a dozen countries in Latin America and Europe, according to Reuters.
What Colombia is proposing
Colombia wants the ICAO, which meets from Sept. 23 to Oct. 3, to establish rules for pets on aircrafts.
“Colombia is talking about this because in our country there were a few cases that adversely impacted the health of pets,” Mauricio Ramirez Koppel, an ICAO representative from Colombia, recently told Reuters. “And we found that there is no guide on the part of ICAO that establishes standards and rules for the adequate transport of pets and living beings.”
The ICAO’s mission
The United Nations agency helps 193 countries to cooperate and share their skies to their mutual benefit.
Since its establishment in 1944, ICAO’s support and coordination have “helped countries diplomatically and technically realize a uniquely rapid and dependable network of global air mobility, connecting families, cultures, and businesses all over the world, and promoting sustainable growth and socio-economic prosperity wherever aircraft fly.”
As Reuters notes, ICAO, which sets standards for seatbelts and runways, among other things, cannot impose rules on member states. However, countries that approve the agency’s standards and guidance usually abide by them.
Related: United Airlines CEO Sends Strong Message to Competitors Amid Expansion
The U.S. pets traveling rules right now
The U.S. State Department currently defers to airline companies by telling travelers to “determine an airline carrier’s pet policies on live animals as excess baggage, cargo, and in-cabin before booking your pet.”
Typically, like with United Airlines, dogs and cats traveling in cabins “must stay in their carrier with the door closed, and under your seat at all times.” Certified service animals assisting owners with a physical or psychiatric disability are permitted in the cabin at no additional charge. Emotional support animals no longer get the same entitlement.
Depending on the breed, pets can also be transported in the cargo, though that has resulted in some high-profile deaths in the U.S.
One of the most high-profile cases came in 2018, when a United Airlines flight attendant “insisted” that a passenger’s dog, a French bulldog named Kokito, be placed in the overhead bin. The dog did not receive any water during the three-and-a-half-hour flight. Upon landing, the dog was unresponsive.
United told ABC News it assumed responsibility for the dog’s death. Soon, legislation was enacted to bar pets from being placed in overhead bins.
‘A new breed of travel’
With owners treating dogs more and more like their own children these days, a new airline is offering luxury and comfort to owners and their pooches.
BARK Air is billed as “the only dog-first travel service, built entirely around your dog’s comfort in the air and on the ground.” The dog-friendly airline company offers concierge services, including the handling of all documentation for domestic and international flights.
The service will run you a pretty penny. A one-way direct flight from Los Angeles to New York City costs nearly $6,725. That price is for one human and one dog. Some flights, however, have a waiting list.
