An airport worker has shared the heartbreaking reality animals experience when they’re put in the pet cargo on a plane. While owners and flight crew do their up-most to ease your pet ahead of their flight, nobody can prevent them from the fear they might feel inside.
In response to the Reddit thread, ‘People who work for airlines, what are secrets passengers don’t know?’, the worker shared what they’ve seen when putting animals into the pet cargo. They claimed: “If you checked your dog there’s about a 30 per cent chance it’s terrified before it even gets on the plane, who knows how scared it gets during the actual flight.
“Bag room agents will usually try to comfort a scared animal, but all we can really do is talk to it, so if you write your pet’s name on their carrier it usually helps a lot.”
However, she says the exact opposite is true for cats – adding: “I’ve never seen a cat who was scared in the bag room, cats don’t give a f***.”
Speaking from their own experience, one user added: “Had to fly an owl once. They had to drug the s**t out of it first. It was sad.”
Another user added: “I flew with my African grey parrot once, but it came with me in cabin. He was calm as f***, even ate some apple and chatted up a passenger that sat next to us, the little f*****.”
A third user said: “When I move I usually end up having to fly, and I check my cats as cargo.
“This way I can put them in those XXL crates designed for Great Danes and they can have room to walk around, lay down and have a litter box.
“One of my cats does very well, he just sleeps the entire way. The other one will hunker down in the litter box (farthest point away from the door) and not move until we have reached our destination, meaning our new home.
“He really is a big ole wussy. He stays completely silent too, I’m guessing so as not to attract attention to himself.
“The entire ride to the airport he will caterwaul so loudly it hurts, but the second we walk through the doors… crickets.”
One more user added: “I have two cats who are brothers. they are polar opposites when I take them in the car.
“One bawls so louds you’d think someone was trying to rip his tail off. The other, looks out the window, and is cool as a cucumber.
“I would put the second on a flight. I think it would kill the first, so I wouldn’t ever subject him to that.”
According to PetAirUK, the cargo holds of commercial airlines that transports pets are specifically designed to keep them safe and comfortable. They explain: “These areas are pressurised and temperature-controlled, much like the cabin where passengers sit. Airlines ensure that the conditions in the cargo hold remain stable, with heating or cooling as needed, to provide a suitable environment for pets, regardless of the weather outside.”
They explained that pets are handled with care, as airlines have strict protocols in place. Pets are also usually loaded last and removed first, which minimises their time in the hold.