Airlines loosening the leash for traveling pets By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY Things are looking up for the jet-set pet. With summer's heat-related=20 embargo on checking pets as baggage finally over, animal lovers are=20 returning to the skies to find that airlines have simplified rates and=20 clarified rules that were put in place over the past two years. "They've=20 become much clearer about their policies," says Dawn Habgood of Pets on the= =20 Go, a consumer group that tracks pet-travel trends (www.petsonthego.com).=20 "People were getting confused." After the Sept. 11 attacks last year, the=20 Federal Aviation Administration instituted what many pet owners considered= =20 drastic restrictions on pet travel. Pets were banned from cabins, and only= =20 "known shippers" =97 individuals or companies that had a shipping history=20 with an airline =97 could continue transporting Fluffy and Fido in the cargo= =20 hold (charging as much as $2,600 per animal). There were also questions=20 about whether pet toys, considered a security threat after 9/11, would=20 still be allowed on planes and whether pets could be checked curbside. But airlines have since made their policies clearer on their Web sites.=20 Throwing a bone to frustrated pet owners, US Airways, United and Delta will= =20 allow toys in the cargo hold; Northwest, American and Continental will not.= =20 Even before the attacks, airline pet policies had been growing more complex= =20 and expensive. In April 2000, President Clinton signed the Safe Air Travel= =20 for Animals Act in response to complaints about heat-related animal deaths= =20 on planes. (The Air Transport Association says such deaths are extremely=20 rare, though it doesn't keep numbers.) The law prompted airlines to beef up= =20 service for pets traveling as checked baggage =97 improvements for which= they=20 charged more. Rates jumped from $50 to $75 overnight at several airlines.=20 Furthermore, many airlines have banned pets as checked baggage during the=20 summer, from June 15 to Sept. 15, when temperatures at airport tarmacs=20 soar. Others have stopped allowing passengers to check pets as baggage at= all. Instead, the airlines have set up elaborate transport programs in their=20 cargo divisions that offer extra pampering for pets =97 at far higher= prices.=20 Continental's PetSafe program, which was launched in June 2000, charges up= =20 to $329 one way, depending on pet size and weight, to ship animals in=20 cargo. Pet owners are promised an air-conditioned van ride to and from=20 planes on hot days and get a 24-hour "live animal" help desk=20 (800-575-3335). Northwest's 2-year-old Priority Pet Program offers similar= =20 services for $139 to $299 one-way, depending on animal size and weight.=20 Because of increased security measures since the attacks, pet-toting=20 travelers must allow extra time for check-in =97 at least 90 minutes,= Habgood=20 says. Moreover, some carriers have eliminated pet curbside check-in, and=20 warn that pet owners should expect a physical search of their pet carriers= =20 prior to departure. The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (ReadyMix) http://www.readymix.co.tt/ (ReadyMix Cement Ltd) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************