As I never had children, our little dog (terrier mix 15 lbs)travels to work with me everyday and travels with us on vacations. Since your new policy took effective, we will no longer travel with Air Canada, previously our airline of choice. It would be inhumane to place my dog in the baggage carrier. I hope Joanne Silver that initiated the no pets in the cabin policy to which you agreed has a child sitting behind her on every flight she takes with AC and the child continually kicks the back of her chair and cries for the entire flight. Maybe she'll complain about that and you can have all the pets and children fly in the baggage compartment. I have allergies to trees, but that doesn't mean we should eliminate trees from our environment. I am very angry about this new policy and the fact that you allow this one woman to drive your business decisions and consequently I will never fly with Air Canada again, with or without my dog. Coincidentally, I am a Canadian citizen living and working in the US.

This policy will encourage me to fly Air Canada. Leslee, that kid sitting behind your seat might be annoying but certainly not damaging to your health. When a person who has severe allergies is confined to a small space next to an animal, it can be agonizing. You may be allergic to trees - then don't go outside. There is a place for pets and that is in the cargo hold. Pets are not children.

Air Canada is wrong.

An in depth study of “In-flight medical care aboard selected US airlines in 1996 and 1997” concluded that of 1132 medical incidents. Of these 1132 only 27 (2.3%) were due to some form of allergic reaction. In fact a total of only 145 were diverted 7.8% (considered serious enough for the diversion) The bulk of these were for Cardiac reasons. There was no mention of whether any of the allergic reactions was severe enough for the flights to be diverted, nor was there mention of which type of allergic reaction. There is a table showing one instance of use of a topical antihistamine and one instance of a Vasodilator.

Thus the cause of the allergic reaction on the small number of in-flight cases was not mentioned. However checking statistics on the general public outside of airlines, causes of severe allergic reactions enough to cause death in the United States are as follows:

Penicillin 400 deaths per year
Food allergy 150 deaths per year
Insect sting 40 deaths per year
Latex allergy 3 deaths per year

An extensive search could not reveal in the general population any allergic reaction to pets that caused death.

Similar studies in Great Britain indicate similar low percentage of any allergic reactions on flights.

One must conclude that any serious allergic reaction on a flight is more than extremely unlikely to be caused by a pet, and far more likely to be caused by touching a tray, an armrest, or other item that has been touched by someone else; for example someone that has eaten or touched peanuts or similar allergenic substance.

Ventilation system in an airplane

Studies have been made of the possibility of a virus spreading in an airplane. These documents show that airflow in an airplane comes from multiple overhead supply outlets along the length of the aircraft and ventilates directly downwards through multiple floor grilles in the floor. Half of the cabin air is re-circulated passing through High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters and a half of the air is fresh.

Even according to Air Canada’s website:

“There is a total air change (filtered recirculated plus outside air) every 2 - 3 minutes or 20 to 30 exchanges per hour. This is far more than for any home or office building and easily maintains cabin contaminants to low levels.”

A pet enclosed in an approved pet carrier placed below a seat (of necessity close to the outward bound air grilles in the floor) is extremely unlikely to convey pet dander against the airflow should dander even escape their pet carrier. The HEPA filters are designed to even remove bacteria (they are used in pharmaceutical production). Bacteria are many times more microscopic than pet dander.

Furthermore an FAA publication indicates as follows: “You will, however, still be exposed to animal dander on every flight even without any animals in the passenger cabin. This is because most animal allergens are carried into the cabin on the clothes of other passengers.

“More than 70 percent of U.S. households have a dog or cat” :American college of asthma allergy and immunology.

One must conclude that animals in a carrier, stowed below the seat, near the outbound air grill will cause far less animal dander problems than the 70% of the other pet owning passengers.

Animal smell and noise

Apart from the fact that the animals are kept on the floor level close to the outward bound air grills and subsequent filtration, sources of smells on an airplane will come from multiple other areas. For example infants, and other passengers. A normal human being passes between one half a liters and 1 L of gas per day. Admittedly a pet also passes gas, but a 20 pound pet (my pet is five pounds) will pass only a 10th of a 200 pound man. Excessive use of perfumes, underuse of deodorants and other smells need to be handled by the air filtration system.

A pet confined in a normal carrier is extremely unlikely to defecate, unlike human infants or other incontinent humans.

Air Canada has policies regarding passengers and excessive noise. The same policies would apply to pets. Frankly of the thousands of flights I have taken, I cannot recall being annoyed by any pets making noise. However I can recall excessive noise by people after too much partying, and I’m constantly in fear of being placed beside or near an infant or small child that continues to cry, not withstanding that I use noise cancelling earphones to try and deaden the deafening roar from the aircraft.

Typically a small pet in his travel bag is quite comfortable and rarely makes any noise.

Other airlines

Air Canada and two other North American airlines do not allow pets in the cabin.

Two wrongs do not necessarily make it right.

However twenty-six other North American airlines do allow pets in the cabin.

Air Canada Operating revenues 2007 $ 10,164,000,000 (10 Billion) without Jazz
Jazz $ 2,513,000,000 Operating revenues (2.5 Billion)
West Jet Operating revenues $ 2,151,457,000 (2 billion)

So effectively air Canada monopolises flights originating within Canada.