One cat died, while another went missing onboard US flights in June, according to the US Department of Transportations monthly air consumer travel report released this week.
On June 24, two cats escaped their kennel and ran away prior to the departure of a Delta Airlines flight from Albany, NY to Atlanta.
According to Deltas incident report on the matter the ramp agent was picking up the kennel and the top half of the kennel separated from the lower half and the cats escaped.
One cat was eventually caught, but the other, a Calico domestic, was struck and killed on the ramp by a tug traveling a concourse. The name or sex of the cat was not revealed in Deltas incident report.
The incident was blamed on poor kennel design. Insufficient locking mechanisms on the kennel caused the two kennel portions to separate, according to Delta.
The other incident also occurred on June 24, when a gray and white cat male named Chili was being prepared for travel on a Shuttle America flight from Rochester, NY to Washington, DC.
According to the incident report, Chili was checked in for the flight in a plastic approved kennel at the ticket counter in Rochester. But after being taken to the aircraft on a baggage cart, the cat escaped the kennel.
Chili was seen running across the ramp, but could not be located. During the investigation, it was noted that the top door of the kennel was forced open from the inside.
From January through June, there were a total of nine animal fatalities, six injuries and four lost animals during air transportation, according to Department of Transportation statistics. Figures for July have not yet been released.
Posted: August 05, 2006, 5 a.m. EST