Is It Safe to Fly a Pet in Cargo? An Honest Look at the Numbers
Cargo travel has improved dramatically since 2010, but it is still not the right choice for every pet. Here is how to decide.
Putting a pet in the temperature-controlled cargo hold of a commercial aircraft is not the cruel ordeal that some online articles imply, but it is also not as low-stakes as putting a checked suitcase on the same flight. The honest answer is: cargo travel is safe for the vast majority of pets, dangerous for a small subset of breeds and individuals, and worth careful planning regardless.
The US Department of Transportation publishes monthly Air Travel Consumer Reports that include incident statistics for animals carried in cargo by reporting US carriers. In a typical year, US airlines transport roughly 500,000 pets in cargo and report about 10–25 animal deaths and a similar number of injuries. That works out to a fatality rate of roughly five per 100,000 animal-flights — comparable to or lower than the rate of veterinary anaesthesia complications during a routine surgery.
The risk is not evenly distributed. Snub-nosed (brachycephalic) dog and cat breeds — bulldogs, pugs, French bulldogs, Boston terriers, Persians, Himalayans — account for a disproportionate share of in-flight deaths because their compromised airways make them vulnerable to the temperature and pressure changes of altitude. Almost every major carrier (Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Canada) now refuses to carry these breeds in cargo year-round.
For non-brachycephalic pets, the highest-risk variables are extreme temperatures on the tarmac and inadequate kennel preparation. Most airlines apply summer and winter temperature embargoes when forecast temperatures at any airport on the routing exceed 85F (29.5C) or fall below 20F (-7C). Use a kennel that meets IATA Live Animals Regulations, secure all hardware with metal screws (not plastic clips), and attach absorbent bedding plus a frozen water dish that will thaw slowly during the flight.
If you have any choice, fly the most direct routing possible. Every connection means another loading and unloading cycle on the tarmac, and most cargo incidents happen on the ground rather than in the air. If your pet is older than 12 years, has a heart or respiratory condition, or has not flown before, talk to your veterinarian about whether cargo is the right choice or whether you should consider ground shipping with a USDA-accredited pet relocation service instead.