>From:    "Mrs. Duck" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Airlines, radio
  [and]
>>From:    JENNIFER SALLAND <[log in to unmask]>
>>Subject: Ferret-friendly airlines
>But...another subscriber to the FML recently had an experience with
>them where they would not allow her to take the ferret into the cabin on
>Delta even after she was at the airport checking in, and they had previously
>said no problem.  Perhaps she will be kind enough to post her experience.
 
I posted a while back about a flight I'd booked with Delta for the fuzzies
and myself.  Whether this is the post Mrs Duck is referring to or not, I
don't know.
 
BUT we had a horrendous time.  The problem arose though because the plane
doing the flight wasn't actually a Delta carrier, but a code share, Business
Express, (I think that's who the code share was).  Delta at that stage were
quite prepared to allow me to take the ferrets on board.  Business Express
however didn't want to fly them and then said ok, but wouldn't allow them in
the cabin and then refused to allow us on 3 flights - over two days out of
ONE airport - due to temperature and their hold wasn't temperature
controlled.
 
So, the moral of the story is to check if the flight is a code share and
then check with the code share partner.  I had done this prior to the flight
and they'd agreed to fly them - hence their uncertainty at the start when
they tried to refuse us passage.
 
I eventually flew Air Canada who do allow ferrets in the cabin.  And then
SAA (who don't be do any internal US routes that I know of) who would only
put the ferrets in the hold, on the same flight as me.  This was a 14 hour
flight.  No I had no choice - I couldn't leave them behind, they're too
precious.  They handled the flight 200% better than I did - I was a nervous
wreck, worrying for 14 hours about their safety.  They had a good long
snooze!!  The cargo section was heated and the temperature is constantly
monitored and SAA fly animals on virtually all their flights.
 
Best of luck to those who fly with their fuzzles.  Its no picnic!  (For the
human slave that is)
 
Hugs to all the fuzzles.
Tanya
[Posted in FML issue 1862]