Qantas ban put in place after a spike in pet deaths in the last month. Photo / 123RF
In response to recent incidents, Qantas announced on Friday that it will place a temporary ban on new freight bookings for snub-nosed dogs. The ban is expected to remain in place while the airline reviews it equipment and procedures around animal transportation, developed with the RSPCA.
Qantas Freight's Chief Customer Officer Nick McGlynn said the airline wanted to balance the ability for owners to travel with their pets while ensuring animal welfare.
"We already have special procedures in place for these vulnerable breeds and the simple thing for us would have been to introduce a blanket ban," he said.
"We know many owners love to take their pets with them when they travel, so we're designing a way to help reduce the risks that are inherent with these particular breeds."
The airline already has a policy of limiting flights for snub-nosed breeds for health and safety reasons. Brachycephalic (or snub-nosed) breeds are far more susceptible to heat exhaustion and breathing abnormalities, which can be exacerbated by travelling if certain precautions aren't taken.
For that reason, the airline limits flights for boxers, pugs and bulldogs to five hours, and requires owners to sign a waiver for one of these breeds to be flown any further.
More than 40,000 pets are flown across Qantas' domestic network every year, including some 2,000 snub nosed dogs.
The ban comes after a woman blamed Qantas for the death of her boxer, Duke, last month.
Kay Newman claimed her beloved pet died after being left for more than an hour in extreme heat on the tarmac at Sydney Airport on December 19.
As she waited to board her flight at the gate, she became distressed to see through the window that Duke had been left to wait on the tarmac under the baking sun.
If you know me personally or just follow me on social media, you will know Duke and how much he means to me. On Thursday 19 December 2019, during or prior to a Qantas flight from Sydney to Brisbane, my beautiful boy died. December 19 was a hot day. The forecast for the day was 34C but it reached 39C (102.2F), probably a lot hotter out on the airport tarmac. Duke and I were flying with Qantas from Sydney to Brisbane. I was worried about the heat but was told by Qantas freight staff that Duke would only be kept on the tarmac for a few minutes, and that he would be kept under cover until they were ready to put him on the plane. All animals are meant to be boarded last (last on first off). Nevertheless, I requested and was given permission to wait with Duke in the air-conditioned office until the last possible minute before he was placed in his crate for the flight. The staff at the freight office were great and when the time came to put Duke into the crate, they patiently waited while I did everything I could to ensure he would be kept cool. I used two bottles of ice water to soak Duke down as well as a towel for him to lay on, and filled up the water bowl. I kept the third bottle completely frozen and placed that in the crate with him. That should have been enough to keep him cool for the time it would take to load him onto the plane. When travelling (by plane) with Duke, I always stand at the window near the boarding gates and watch him get loaded onto the plane before I board. When I arrived at the boarding gates, I could see Duke's crate already on the tarmac. I’m not sure how long he’d already been there but as I watched, five, ten, fifteen minutes passed, and he was still out there, in the crate, in that heat. I alerted Qantas staff of my concerns over Duke being out in the heat, but I was assured that he was fine and would be loaded shortly. I kept waiting at the window as passengers started to board. I became extremely distressed and started to cry as I once again told Qantas staff of my concerns about Duke being out in the heat all this time and explained that Boxers don't tolerate heat very well. I was told that I needed to board as I was the last passenger and that Duke would now be loaded and that the cargo hold is air conditioned so he will be fine. As I entered the plain the flight attendant saw that I was crying and asked if I was ok. I was so upset that she notified the captain. He apparently phoned down to the ground crew to check on Duke. A message came back saying he was fine. But he wasn’t fine. When I landed in Brisbane, I went to the freight office to collect Duke. When I arrived I was asked if I was Kay Newman, when I said yes I was asked to come through to the back of the office, that’s not normal and I knew in my heart something was wrong, I started screaming what’s wrong, what’s happened!! Then I heard the words I never wanted to hear, “We have some bad news, I’m sorry but your dog didn’t survive the flight and has passed away”. I was beside myself, all I could do was scream no, no, no. I demanded to see Duke because I didn’t want to believe what was happening. Duke was still in the crate and when I reached in and put my arms around him, I knew immediately why he died because the heat coming from the underside of his body, and the bottom of his crate was immense. My poor boy suffered a terrible death because he was left out on the tarmac by Qantas baggage handlers, in the searing heat whilst they loaded all the passenger’s luggage and post parcels. His death was 100% preventable. Qantas staff did not exercise their duty of care or use any common sense. Instead they treated Duke as though he was nothing but luggage and as a result he suffered an unimaginable death. Shame on you Qantas!! Why did your baggage handlers leave an innocent animal out in that terrible heat for such a long time? Why, when the flight was delayed, didn’t any of your staff think to move Duke back indoors to where he could be kept cool until it was time to board? Why were my concerns about Duke ignored on numerous occasions? And why was I told my dog was fine when he obviously wasn’t? At the very least you need to reassess your current guidelines in relation to the care of animals and make sure protocols are put in place to ensure this never happens again. This is not an isolated incident, there are others who have lost their beloved pets at the hands of Qantas and it needs to stop! It has been 3 weeks since the death of Duke and despite constant calls by me to Qantas I’m still waiting to receive details of the investigation into Duke’s death. First I was told the investigation is still in progress, then I was told someone would call me with details, next I was told I’d receive a letter by email with the investigation details, when that didn’t turn up I was told the investigation was with the claims department, and now I’ve been informed the email will be sent by the end of this week or early next week. Not good enough! I am posting this as a dedication to the life of Duke (Dukey Boy) and as a warning to those of you who may be travelling by plane with your pets in the future. I am blessed and so grateful to have been Duke's mum for the past six and half years. Duke was amazing. He was smart, funny, a little bit quirky, his favourite things were walks and swimming and of course his stuffed elephant (seen in this video) which he had his entire life, he was beautiful inside and out, he loved everyone he met and was loved by all who met him. Words can't describe how much I miss Duke or how devastated I and my family are over his death. He didn’t deserve to suffer the way he did. The Qantas staff who neglected to care for Duke on that day should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. Rest in peace my beautiful Dukey Boy xx.
Posted by Kay Newman on Thursday, January 9, 2020
Despite Qantas staff assuring her Duke was fine as she boarded her flight, Ms Newman received the heartbreaking news on landing in Brisbane – Duke hadn't survived the flight.
"I was beside myself. All I could do was scream 'No, no, no," she said.
Ms Newman's heartbreaking post on Facebook garnered over 600,000 views, as she detailed what happened to her poor dog.
Another Qantas passenger was left heartbroken when he arrived at Melbourne airport last week, only to be told his beloved bulldog, Frank, had died mid-flight.
"I dropped to the floor, they had to carry me out of the airport," passenger Anthony Balletta told news.com.au.
A Qantas spokesman told news.com.au a review of the incident had found Frank had not been mishandled.
"We can understand for Mr Balletta and his family that what's occurred is very distressing," the spokesman said.
"An investigation found there were no issues on-board the aircraft or during the journey with all procedures followed."
BREEDS AT RISK
Snub-nosed dogs are dogs with shorter snouts, and include:
• Bulldogs
• French Bulldogs
• Pugs
• Shih Tzu
• Pekingese
• Boston Terrier
• Japanese Chin
• some Mastiffs
• Griffon Bruxellios
These breeds do not breathe as efficiently as dogs with longer snouts do, and take longer to cool off when they are overheated. Therefore, the changes in temperature and air quality in planes can make them especially vulnerable to stress and overheating.
AIRLINE FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS
Since breed restrictions can change abruptly and are different for every airline, passengers are encouraged to check with their airline for the latest information when travelling with pets.
Some airlines do not allow flying for snub-nosed breeds at any time, including:
• United Airlines
• American Airlines
• Delta
• Alaska Air
• Swiss Air
The international airlines with seasonal restrictions include Emirates Air – they will accept pugs and most other snub-nosed breeds only in the winter months, from October 1st through April 30th. However, it is ultimately up to the airline's discretion on a case-by-case basis. Lufthansa, Etihad, Gulf Air, and Copa also fly snub-nosed breeds in the winter months or under certain temperature conditions only.
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