here i am again, i know from this board that a lot of travellers have to wait for their luggage because it's lost while they used air france. <BR><BR>but the most horrible story i've ever read was the one from gerda friedl, an austrian breeder for briard dogs. (see the original story in german on her website) maybe you can run it with a translatior: <BR><BR>http://www.briard-ltd.com/pages/horror.htm <BR><BR>please read this, it's really terrible and i will never ever use again air france and will tell this to everyone with and without dogs. thanks to the canadian gov. they took air france to court, because of cruelty against animals. i own a parson russell terrier and if i think they could do something like that to my dog, i guess i would kill them.<BR><BR>still very under shock!<BR><BR>christina

Christina: Can you translate for us?<BR>Sorry but I couldn't read it. The pictures are not good and would like to know what happened.<BR>

Micia, The Babelfish Web site will translate Web pages:<BR><BR>http://world.altavista.com/

Poor treatment of pets in an industry wide problem. A few years ago I transported two cats to France where I was living. From research I learned that every major US and European carrier had had problems with transporting pets (i.e. ten dogs died on one BA jet in the US when it was delayed on a hot summer day.) At the time Air France was recommended for transporting cats because AF fed them if the flight was delayed and AF was known to be considerate. We flew United and while the flight was uneventful for the cats, there was so much confusion and inconsistency from reservations and the check-in clerks that it prompted me to write a letter of complaint. <BR> <BR>I know this isn’t a relevant topic to most of you, but I just wanted the poster to know that it is not just one airline, it's all of them. <BR>

I've always flown Air France because they (and Delta) allow pets in-cabin. Continental will not, even on an Air France plane. Unfortunately Briards are not of carry-on size. <BR><BR>If I'm not mistaken, something like this happened with an American airline also. <BR><BR>I'm glad to read (at least I think I read -- which is why I call it "Babblefish") that the dog is doing fine.<BR>

A few years back our family was returning to Dallas from Albany, NY. When I checked in our beagle the clerk was busy talking to her co-worker and put a baggage tag for DTW instead of DFW on the carrier. Luckily I caught the mistake or Kringle might have spent some time in Detroit!

I haven't gone and translated the article yet, but I will. I did transport both my cat and dog with Air France last year when I moved to France from the US. As nervous as I was, and as traumatic for them as I am sure it was, it all worked out fine. In fact, I had read many postive things about Air France and pets before i went. When I checked them in a SFO, I asked the desk person to keep them facing each other so they could see each other. I realize I have no idea whether this really happened or not, but she did relay the message to the worker who took them away. The only confusion was retrieving them at CDG, no one seemed to be able to tell me exactly where i should pick them up. Flying them was my most stressful part of the entire move, and I wouldnt have done it if it wasn't an overseas move. Like I said, I didn't read the article yet, but I have read many other horror stories, and there's always a risk when transporting pets with any airline, but hopeful we don't take too many un-necessary risks with them.

hello!<BR><BR>i will aks ms. friedl if she still does have somwhere the text with the whole story telled. to make it short (but i will work on it to get the hole story): she checked her dogs in vienna to montreal, via paris. with air france. her briard and a puppy briard. she asked many many times if the dogs are o.k. if they are on board. at cdg she asked again and they told her everything is o.k. her dogs are on board, they told her that they checked it. arriving in montreal some ground staff asked her if she's ms. friedl and saying yes, they told her, that her dogs arent on board but they should be in paris! she was naturally very upset and tried to call air france that they feed her dogs and let them at least once out. they hang up the phone several times and told her she's a pain. they promissed her, that the next day the dogs will arrive. her friend in canada, a vet. from herself, a vet. from the state of cananda waited for the dogs and what they found was this terrible thing. yazoo her elder dog almost died. fortunately she's well now. strangly the puppy was clean, feed, and had fresh water in her box. so someone must have let her out. ms. friedl was invited with her own dog to go to candadian and us shows, the puppy flew with her, because she braught it to his new owner. however, i try to get the whole story from her.<BR><BR>i know only 2 earlines which are very good with pets: swissair and lauda air. <BR><BR>tanti saluti<BR><BR>christina

Gads! That is horrible.<BR>However, it is true what others are saying, I have heard many news stories about things that have happened to pets.<BR>I use to travel with a dog and cat.<BR>My cat was never a problem as he could go in the cabin with me and was so calm, also, after some years, I was able to leave him with friends.<BR>My dog was another story.<BR>I would worry non stop when I had to put him on an airplane.<BR>Since I had already heard such horrible stories before, I always checked every little particular that I could.<BR>First of all, Alitalia treated me and my dog better than any american airline.<BR>I always traveled with them upon learning this.<BR>I would also post on his cage a note saying "hi my name is....., I am friendly, please give me water, I get thirsty very easy, I will not bite, I like people, and please do not be afraid of me".<BR>He had a face that scared most people, so I felt this was a little precaution incase he were to be lost.<BR>I would also, go straight to my gate and watch from the windows to see him be put on the plane (very rarely I could not see, and I would insist that the gate person call down and confirm he was on board).<BR>Once on board the plane, I would tell the head hostess to be sure the pilot knew there was a pet below (so they would remember to turn on the heat).<BR>Upon arrival, I would stay at the window to see him taken off the plane.<BR>I only had one experience where I could not be sure he was on board a flight when they said last call. I told the gate person I did not see my dog be put on board, and did not want to get on till he did. A guy with Alitalia thought he would be furbo (sneaky) and pretend to call down and then tell me he was on board. I saw what he did, and told him no, I don't believe you, and then saw and heard on the radio that my dog was then found and being brought to the plane.<BR>The pilot heard what was going on, and waited with me.<BR>They were all very nice.<BR>I am just glad I don't have to do this anymore as it was to stressing.<BR>I really feel sorry for others that do travel with pets, and can only say, try to take every precaution you can.<BR>Bug the hell out of employees to be sure your pet is on board.<BR>Also, as someone mentioned above, always check the tags and be sure they are to the correct destination.

hello late at night (here at least). <BR><BR>i asked ms. friedl for the original version and here is the link: http://www.hund.ch/magazin/stories/yazoode.htm <BR><BR>it's still in german, with other photos. i let it translate with the babblefish. the thing is, that the whole sentence are mixd up, because the translation program doesn't put it in the right sence. if you want, i can do this "corrections" as good as i can and post it. is someone interested in it?<BR><BR>i know that cruelty against animals are "normal" and most people don't care if it doesn't hit themself. but i think, if travellers knows the different airlines and how they treat pets, it could help making desicions. you know, if i think (and really think and immagine) to fly with air france, and in the cargo is a dog in this conditions it would scare me. mostly because no one of the staff seems to be preocupied. <BR><BR>thank's again for your answers and listening.<BR><BR>christina

SORRY SORRY!!!!!! i found the same link in english! no translation nessecary. sorry to make it so confuse!!!!<BR><BR>tanti saluti<BR><BR>christina

Christina,<BR><BR>You might contact PETA to see if they or any other animals rights groups keep track of such information. PETA may also know of groups that lobby airlines for better treatment of pets while flying. <BR>

Please explain!

I love my animals, but what about those of us who spring for a first class airline ticket on Delta and end up with a dog under our seat from the row behind the entire trip! Animals do not belong in the cabin.

A lot of people depend on the airlines for their livlihood and they are already going through a very difficult period at the moment.<BR>I think it very unjust to condemn a company without hearing both sides of the story and, as others have already said, it should also be asked if there is a better alternative.

helen <BR><BR>maybe you should go and see the pictures of the kennelbox of this dog, there you see exactly the "other side = air france". and maybe you should take the time to read what happend, then you see the other side as well.<BR><BR>christina

yea cool.<BR><BR>with my "sorry posting" i forgott to put the english link, it was def. very late.<BR><BR>http://www.hund.ch/magazin/stories/yazoous.htm<BR><BR>now you can read the whole story, what happend, other pictures, what the canadian state made. even those people on this board who have to write only to tell others, that they are still in business.<BR><BR><BR>christina

PETA memebers we are also against using animals for your personal pleasure. Thus, it is a biggest cruelty to have them as your pets. <BR>One incident doesn't mean that any airlines should be pointed out. We use AF very often and never have any unpleasant experience and we use them again in December then February. All of us must be aware of information posted anywhere on internet. In our academic environment any information used by students from internet are treated as anecdotal evidence unless are backed up by scientific or proofed sources.

What is your mission Christina? If this happened it was in 1999. Should we stop flying Alitalia as well? There are many dissatisfied costumers of Alitalia.

hi i love animals too<BR><BR>you are right. but! i know gerda friedl and i was several times with her in e-mail contact. so i can't tell i found this somewhere on the net. i don't have a mission, read carefully and find out what's YOUR problem ccc. <BR><BR>the fact that air france not only have a huge tendency to forgett passengers luggage (that's nothing new) they treat their pet-passengers bad. and don't forgett: every human passanger with his/her pet, HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS IN MONEY. i'm the first telling you ccc, that you rather don't fly with alitalia. i had bad experiences and do avoid them as well. in europe are some real good airlines and they do treat every passenger well. the problem is, that they cost more.<BR><BR>but anyway. make yourself a picture and decide by your own. finnaly you are an adult and do have your own brain and my tipp is: use it.<BR><BR>tanti saluti a tutti<BR><BR>christina