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Some airlines allow pets in the cabin, but Christopher Ambler wants to know what the options are for a traveler who has allergies.
Overhead Bin recently answered a reader’s question about taking pets on planes, but Christopher Ambler of Seattle sent in a flip-side question: What if you’re allergic to cats?
“If I have an allergy attack, it manifests as asthma that could not only cause a trip to the hospital, at best, but also typically means I will be recovering for days after receiving treatment,” wrote Ambler.
He tries to call ahead to see if there might be cats in the cabin, but “I’m often told that I have no recourse. They have said that I should ask for a seat change, but with re-circulated air, no seat is safe. Travel insurance also doesn’t cover this, as it’s a foreseeable circumstance.”
Rebooking on another flight sometimes solves the conflict, but then he’s often hit with an airline’s change fee, Ambler said.
Ambler is not alone. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), about 10 percent of people with allergies are allergic to pets.
“It can be tough,” said Todd Rambasek, an AAAI fellow and a doctor with E.N.T. & Allergy Health Services in Cleveland, Ohio. “You can try avoidance measures and ask to be moved to another part of the plane. But even if there’s no pet in the cabin or near where you’re seated, remember that a lot of people carry pet dander on their clothes.”
Rambasek said asthma sufferers on airplanes might consider pre-medicating or wearing a face mask, such as those worn by some travelers during flu season.
Ambler has his own suggestion: During the booking process, he’d like airlines to alert a passenger if a pet is already booked on the flight. “If so, I would gladly say, ‘Hey, they booked first, I’ll take a different flight.’ But if someone with a pet allergy books first, pets should be disallowed on that flight. First to book should win,” said Ambler.
Overhead Bin ran that idea past a few airlines. American Airlines told us such a plan would be too complex, too time-consuming and too unreliable to administer.
“Just as with our policy for peanut allergies, we simply cannot assure customers that our aircraft are free of allergens, even if there is no pet onboard,” said American Airlines spokesperson Andrea Huguely. “We cannot guarantee our flights to be allergy-free, and customers should consult their physician as to the best way to medically deal with that issue.” (American does not serve peanuts, but allows up to seven booked pets per flight.)
But here’s another strategy that may help. Many pet-friendly organizations list airline pet-policies on their websites. Studying those will tell you how much each airline charges for an in-cabin pet (some airline pet fares can top $100 each way) and how many pets each airline allows in the cabin. Frontier Airlines, for example, allows up to 10 pets aboard each flight.
Travelers seeking to avoid flying with other people’s pets might choose an airline that either limits the number of pets in the cabin or charges a high fee for passengers to bring their pets along.
Have a travel-related question you’d like answered? Overhead Bin will track it down. Send us your question.
More on Overhead Bin
- Q&A: Dealing with loud talkers on airplanes
- Q&A: When your child flies alone
- Q&A: How to avoid an airport security pat-down
Find more by Harriet Baskas on StuckatTheAirport.com and follow her on Twitter.
Leave a Comment:
so, 3% of the population is allergic to peanuts, and presto! NO more peanuts on airplanes, but 10% of the populations is allergic to cats, and TOO BAD! You get no recourse.
This makes no sense whatsoever. It was a stupid idea to begin with, but the airlines only see $$
Just an FYI... It says pets, not cats.
Pets can include things like birds... Birds are not allowed on flights. Also, most people with an allergy to animals, are mildly allergic. It is more common to have a severe reaction to peanuts, than a severe reaction to an animal.
There is no way to get away from pet dander. If someone has a dog or two, you know their clothes will have allergens on them. And there is not a stinking thing you can co about that. See your doctor about getting medications before the flight. Is thinking ahead all that difficult? I suppose for some it is.
The world should not have to change because you have some allergy.
Should Houston International Airport have to clear out all of the ragweed before I get there? No. What a self centered, narcissistic idea. I will make the little effort it takes to think ahead and be ready for an attack.
It is sorta like getting ready for a zombie attack. Just be prepared. How simple is that?
Exactly! I am allergic to perfume scents. Should I expect no one to wear cologne or perfume when I fly or even go to a restaurant. Also, regarding peanut allergies an airline may not serve them but that does not stop people from bringing them on the flight and eating them. We have become a nation of wimps.
Katie, the world is what it is. Each of us have to do the best we can to live our lives in it. My misery, or happiness for that matter, is not some someone's responsibility.
I would NEVER book a flight with ANY airline that lets any animal on the same space as with humans! I have a family member that would go into arrest if she came anywhere near the confined space of an airplane. No matter how big the plane, people with server alleges take prescient over any animal and if not then that airline does not need my business or my families.
jogree, that was the perfect response. You and your family should not fly. There could easily be pet dander on the person sitting next to your allergic family member. How could you know??
It's everywhere, it's everywhere!!!!!
I'm not sure what "server alleges" are but people who know there are to be animals on the plane should book a different flight.
After all, 'knowing what will happen in the future' is the definition of "prescient".
A "server" allergy is when you have an allergy to a waiter or waitress. I understand they are just horrid. There are waitstaff everywhere, don't you know.
And, indeed, many people with allergies have divine omniscience, at least so I am told. So it would appear that they would know about the cats before they even booked the flight. Well, actually, they would have known about the cats since before they were born, I guess.
Even if your flight does not have pets because they have not been allowed because of allergies, how do you know the leg of the flight your plane was just on did not have pets? Like other said, dander is also on the clothes of those who have pets and that's what the allergen is. And what about international flights? Many times there is only one flight a day to a destination. As a military family, I would be offended if I were told 'sorry, we can't fly you home today because someone has an allergy. You can come back and try to get a flight tomorrow.' Military families get precious little leave time together and wasting it trying to get a flight back to the States or to your overseas duty station until you can find a flight with no one allergic is ludicrous. Not to mention that many flights are flying full now. You'd be lucky to find a seat.
I'm sorry, but if you have allergies and go out into the world, you need to find a coping mechanism that does not require the rest of the world to bend over backwards for you. My SIL carries an epi-pen because she has nut allergies that have become severe over the years and she never knows when she might run into hidden nuts. If your pet allergies are so severe as to cause anaphylactic shock, you need to serious reconsider using any sort of public transportation where you will be in close contact and enclosed with other people.
phoenix, what a refreshing comment. Thank you.
We have indeed become a nation of wimps.
I do rescue work and always live in a multi-cat household. If the amount of cat hair on my clothing is any indication, I must be covered with allergens. Oddly, I have never been approached by anyone claiming that I'm giving them an asthma attack. Could that be because they can't see the cat whose allergens I am disseminating everywhere I go?
I am heartily sick of all the weenies whining.
It really isn't the allergy situation that bothers me about cats...it's the fact that they are usually accompanied by an inconsiderate owner who thinks it's cute to have it on their lap and in my face. Keep it in the hold....or don't bring it. Those cute little carriers are not small and your fussing with it, in my face is sickening.....animals don't need to be near my food, my face or me....Feeding Fluffy nasty smelling food in flight is wrong.
I was on a trip and the passenger next to me (let's call her a "healthy" woman) had a cat in a carrier that looked like a purse. No sweat. The cat was quiet, didn't even know it was their. Then she decided it was lonely.... and fussed, poked, talked, fed, played with it for the next 2 hours. Elbows in my face, side, etc... She had this carrier on her lap... the cat peed out of fright when we hit turbulence and the plane smelled like a litter box.... I had to get a new suit for my meeting because the one I was wearing smelled so bad... the trip cost me a bundle and the new suit cost me more... but Fluffy was a happy kitty...stinky bastard... but happy....
How can a policy of checking to see if a pet is already registered before booking an allergic person be too cumbersome, when the airlines already have policies that limit the number of pets onboard? If they're already tracking the number of pets onboard, what is the cumbersome part?
Because some passengers will say ick will want another flight and then they have to rebook the ick sayer. If the airline has to rebook for tomorrow do they have to get the ick sayer a room for the night?
What a pain in the rear. If you have allergies, go to your doctor and take the necessary precautions.
Airlines are going out of their way to make the most people miserable as possible, so, just paying it forward:
From now on, every time I fly I will lay out my shirt on the bed overnight to make sure the cat has ample time to shed all over the back of it. Then I'll massage some peanut oil into my skin just before I leave for the airport.
Problem?
Very few airlines allow pets in the cabin as it is. Surely, allergy sufferers (of which I am one) can choose one of the many flights that do not permit pets in the cabin.
Its called being considerate to other, its not about YOU YOU YOU!!
Peanuts?? seriously?? If your allergic then you dont get peanuts, but if you have a cat in the area thats a problem, people who bring their pets on a plane should not be allowed to fly on a plane. remember people flying is a privledge its not a right. if the so called animal lover bring a pet on the planbe thats not in the cargo hold then shoot the person for bringing their animal on board.
if you want to bring your animal, then drive. why animal lover make it hard on other people, because they are selfish. just like a smoker, they dont care, its about ME ME ME!!
just because you paid your ticket doesnt mean the world evolves around YOU!
What about those who travel with service animals? What's your solution there?
Well first of all i have yet to see a "SERVICE CAT". A dog isnt as bad as a cat. I underastand that dander can hang on cloth for a long time but usually it not the dander that bothers people. I for one can withstand people who has cats, i can sit and talk to them no problem but once in thier home with cats i start to get a running nose or get stuffed up. but once i leave the area, im okay. i dont think its dander its more like the smell of the cat, maybe its urine or the powder spray for ticks, i dont think its dander, a hair folicle of a cat wont affect someone who has allergy. but who know, everyone is different.
but trying to compare dogs to cats, umm please get off your high horse.
Haven't the airlines been carrying all kinds of animals for years? Why is this suddenly an issue?
i have no pet allergies, but i wouldn't take my cat with me on a plane...not just out of consideration for other passengers, but because he's just not much of a traveller. if i do go out of town, my parents come and stay with him. he looks forward to those visits.
I'm allergic to children. Can we pulllllleeeeez stop allowing them on airplanes?
I'm on the "if you have allergies, take precautions" boat. I travel with a service dog - she's Husky/German shepherd. I do my absolute best to get as much hair off of her as I can before we leave for the airport, but she sheds constantly. I have a legal right and a medical need to have her with me. She's too big to fit in a carrier/under the seat, and since she's a service dog she travels in the cabin with me. Tough toenails for the allergy sufferer who hasn't taken precautions while out in the real world.
you dont have the legal right. its a privilege, okay nobody has the legal right to anything get that straight.
you dont have the legal right to drive, you dont have the legal right to fly.
you have the privilege
She has the legal right to take the dog with her should she choose to fly. Driving isn't always an option. You can't drive everywhere. You also can't drive everywhere, in a decent amount of time.
The problem is people do not know there is a pet on the plane until they board. I am allergic to cats. I did not even know pets were allowed on planes until I boarded and saw the woman with the cat. How come they can't just put the cats in the luggage compartment -- like they do with dogs. Why do cats get special treatment. So, in the pet policy, can people buy a seat for their 70 pound dog instead of shoving it in a crate and putting it in with the luggage? I would much rather fly next to a dog than cat.
I see many people sticking up for the cats, but yet I constantly see stories and posts where people complain about people flying with children. Wow - people care more about hairy little pets than children. They are more understanding about a furry cat, than a one-year old traveling. I would rather travel next to a crying child than a cat. I can put earplugs in for the kid, but there is nothing I can do about the allergies.
Also, this story mentions to move seats or get another flight - that would be perfect - if the airlines would not punish people for their allergies. I would be happy to change seats or flights - if the airline would not penalize me and charge me $100 to make such a change.
I also like the whole peanut policy. Many Americans are allergic to gluten - ciliac disease - therefore the pretzels would be fatal to them. No biggie, the people can just skip the pretzels. My point is the airlines should not pick and choose which allergies they cater to. Just cater to no allergies, and leave the decisions up to the travelers. Offer peanuts, if the people are allergic, than they do not have to eat them. By the way people allergic to peanuts - next time you are on a flight, munching on your pretzels, you may want to read the warning on the packet that says "made with equipment that also processes peanuts."
FYI, peanut allergies are an issue because some people can die from breathing in air around the peanut. Its not always consuming the peanut that is the issue. If you need a gluten free diet, you cant eat it, but you will not go into anaphylactic shock because the person next to you decides to eat a pretzel.
"'But if someone with a pet allergy books first, pets should be disallowed on that flight. First to book should win,' said Ambler."
What a stupid idea. People who have no such allergies would say they did just to be spiteful. And I know people who hate cats that much to go to that kind of trouble.
I have a service cat. She helps me with stress reduction and relaxation after I have been around people too much. I don't travel much because it's hard to find places that allow me to stay with a cat. As for flying, it's not affordable anyway. I also know many people with service cats.
you have a mental problem, if you need a service cat, stress?? yeah, stress what a lie. seriously, if you need an animal to calm your stress you need help, but you dont want it from a human, thats the problem because you need an animal to relieve you of your stress. that a serious mental problem, just admit it.
being around people to much?? im sorry but look in the mirror, youre a human being. youre stuck being with people. so live with it, dont make it a problem for other people, also talking to your cat is another sign of a mental issue among cat owners you think the cat understand what you say??
its just the sounds and gestures you are making that it understand nothing more, get over yourself, and get medical attention, you the type of person that would save a cat from drown than a human being, something wrong with you.
being around people to much, geeeeesus.( rolls eyes )