Pet Treatment on Planes
Q: How are pets carried below deck treated? Is it true that they are kept in unheated, unpressurized sections of the plane?
At 35,000 feet the outside air temperature is about 55 degrees below zero, and there is not enough oxygen to breathe. Even worse than economy class. Transporting animals in these conditions would not please most customers, especially those who actually like their pets. So yes, the lower holds are fully pressurized and heated.
Controlling the exact temperature in these compartments is not always easy, depending on the airplane type and especially during hot weather. The holds can heat up substantially during ground operations. For this reason some airlines embargo the carriage of pets during the summer months, but in general the temperature range is well within their comfort zone.
This article is part of a collection that originally appeared on Salon.com. Patrick Smith, 38, is an erstwhile airline pilot, retired punk rocker and air travel columnist. His book, Ask the Pilot (Riverhead) was voted “Best Travel Book of 2004″ by Amazon.com. Patrick has traveled to more than 55 countries and always asks for a window seat. He lives near Boston.
Some pages you might find helpful:
- 747 Fly a Loop
- Adjusting Weight on Planes
- Air Force One and Markings of a Jet
- Airline Announcements
- Airline Gags
- Airline Registrations
- Airplane Crash on “Lost”
- Airplane Engines Running at a Terminal
- Airplane Fuel Different From Other Fuel
- Airplane Noise Maneuvers
- Airplane Structure
- Arctic Flights
- Art and the Airplane
- Cleared to Land
- Cool Mapping Systems and 3-Engine Planes
- Destinations for First Timers
- Dinging on Flights
- Do crews eat the same terrible food as the rest of us?
- Exhaust
- Expensive Jet Fuel
- Flight Cancellation Due to Weather
- Flight Logbooks
- Flying Without a Tail
- Fuel Flying Cross USA
- Heavy Airplanes
- Heavy Fliers and Fuel Consumption
- How are pilots evaluated for promotions and raises?
- How Do Engines Start?
- How Does a Jet Engine Work?
- In-Town Airports
- Items Taken at Airports
- Landing at the Wrong Airport
- Left and Right Runways
- Life and Times of Patrick Smith
- Life as a Pilot
- Listening to Pilot Communication
- Noise of Boeing vs. Airbus
- Nonstop to India from the United States
- Office Paper and Other Misfortunes
- Onboard Music Offerings
- Open Window Shade on Landing
- Overpaid Pilots?
- Pet Treatment on Planes
- Pilot Identification
- Pilot Pay and Seniority
- Pink Liquid De-Icing Planes
- Plane Taking Off in Opposite Direction of Destination
- Religion in the Skies
- Rudder Deflection
- Shutting Down an Engine Mid-Flight
- Shutting Down One Engine After Landing
- Slanting Planes
- Southern, Northern Flights and Safety Standards
- Tape on Airplanes
- Top Views from an Airplane
- Unusual Airplanes
- Weight of Planes
- Westbound Red Eye Flights
- What are some ways in which passengers can make the crew’s job easier?
- What are those numbers and letters for on the back of every plane’s fuselage?
- What do the Pilots do?
- What to do with Crews?
- Which airports do pilots dislike most, and which do they enjoy?
- Why Delays After Emergency Landings?
- Why Not Cancel an Empty Flight?
