Airlines Now Ban Pets in Cabins on Mexico Flights
The sky over Mexico just got a lot less dog-friendly.
Pet parents who used to bring their dogs on flights to and from Mexico must now check them in as cargo per flight regulations by the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC) Mexico.
Most major U.S. airlines – including Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier and United – began enforcing the no-pets-in-cabin rule this month.
Translated into English, section 2.1.2 of the DGAC Mexico aviation policy states, “The combination of passengers and live animals in the passenger cabin must not be permitted except in the case of guide dogs or other ‘service animals’ accompanying disabled persons.”
The no-pets-in-cabin rule isn’t new; it dates back as far as 1950, when, according to the Washington Post, animals were required to be transported as cargo on Mexico flights. In 2004 the policy was revised to allow seeing-eye dogs in the main cabin.
In March, DGAC Mexico sent United Airlines a letter reminding them of the rule. United began enforcing it last month, and other U.S. airlines soon followed suit.
Many travelers are crying foul, saying it’s just a way for airlines to increase profits since it costs more for their customers to transport pets as cargo. When United Airlines invoked the rule, aviation lawyer Arthur Wolk told the Washington Post the airline was using it as an excuse. “It’s a new revenue stream,” he said.
Wolk said that for flights originating in the United States, the airlines are governed by Federal Aviation Administration rules – not DGAC Mexico policies.
Via email, Joel Antonio Arrioja Pérez, the head of Mexico’s Department of Plant and Animal Health Inspection Operations, told Allyson Williams of JaltembaBayLife.com, a community website for Rincon de Guayabitos, La Penita and Los Ayala, Mexico, that the no-pets-in-cabin rule was put into place “for the improvement of the conditions of safety for users.”
According to a comment by Chica01Florida on TripAdvisor.com, the Mexico Tourism Board has received plenty of complaints about the new rule, and is working with the DGAC to overturn it.
PHOTO: Sarah_Ackerman
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Laura Goldman
Laura Goldman is senior social media writer for i Love Dogs, Inc. She does love dogs. And elephants and turtles. Along with writing about the loves of her life, Laura likes to play with her two pound pups and tell anyone who’ll listen just how awesome Pit Bulls are.
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