DID YOU KNOW...
that although most airlines allow dogs, cats and birds to travel with their families in the cabin of an aircraft, that only two airlines (Continental and Delta) allow rabbits to travel in the cabin?
This is not only unfair--it's dangerous. Rabbits are even less able to thermoregulate than many other animals, and can rapidly overheat or suffer from hypothermia when exposed to the elements (as on a tarmac, waiting between flights, or in a cargo hold that accidentally loses pressurization and/or climate control). And travelling in a noisy cargo hold is terrifying for a rabbit!
Here are some of the "reasons" that airlines don't allow rabbits in the passenger cabin:
- They can bite. (And dogs, cats and birds can't?)
- They are chewers and will chew out of their kennel. (Yeah, right.)
- After they chew out of the kennel they will chew navigational equipment (We suspect that these people have been watching too many reruns of "Night of the Lepus").
- People are "afraid of unconventional animals. You know, like snakes." (Rabbits are like snakes?)
- The federal government doesn't allow it. ( So Delta and Continental are in violation of federal law? We don't think so....)
If you feel that this arbitrary airline policy is antiquated and in desperate need of change, please join the rest of us in expressing your hope that the airlines which now don't allow rabbits in the passenger cabin will change their minds very soon!
Here are the addresses of some
No-Rabbit Airline Carriers
And here's a
Sample Letter.
Please feel free to use it,
modify it, or create one of your own, but PLEASE WRITE!
The good news:
Delta and Continental accept in-cabin rabbits. Delta may charge small fee, and on Continental a rabbit in a carrier counts as a carryon bag. Reservations are a must, as the number of in-cabin pets is usually quite limited.
Remember that the pet carrier must fit under the seat in front of you. Line the carrier with an absorbent towel on a thin layer of organic litter. It's important to bring food and a ziplock bag of bunny's favorite juicy vegetables to prevent dehydration (flight attendants are usually pleased to bring your bunny a cup of water once you're in the air).
Note that if the flight connects to a "puddle jumper" (prop plane) flight, the rabbit must travel in the cargo hold on the prop flight. No pets of any kind are allowed in the cabin on prop jet flights.
Health certificates vary by carrier and state/destination...check before you go.