...a pig's life
Friday October 27 9:26 PM ET
Pig Flies First Class Across U.S.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Yes, a pig really flew - first class.
It flew US Airways, and the company, embarrassed, says it's never
going to let it happen again.
On Oct. 17, the six-hour flight from Philadelphia to Seattle carried
201 passengers - 200 people and one hog, which sat on the floor in the first row of first class.
``We can confirm that the pig traveled, and we can confirm that it will never happen again,'' US
Airways spokesman David Castelveter said. ``Let me stress that. It will never happen again.''
Sources familiar with the incident told the Philadelphia Daily News in Friday's editions that the
hog's owners convinced the airline that the animal was a ``therapeutic companion pet,'' like a guide
dog for the blind.
The pig was traveling with two unidentified women who claimed they had a doctor's note that
allowed them to fly with the animal, according to an internal airline report. US Airways and
Federal Aviation Administration (news - web sites) rules allow passengers to fly with service
animals.
The animal became unruly as the plane taxied toward the Seattle terminal, the report said, running
through the jet, squealing and trying to get into the cockpit.
``Many people on board the aircraft were quite upset that there was a large uncontrollable pig on
board, especially those in the first-class cabin,'' the incident report stated.
The pig made it off the plane but continued squealing inside the Seattle airport.
FAA officials in Seattle said they were unfamiliar with the incident but promised to investigate.
=============
...a dog's life
Airlines give humans less room than dogs
Nick Paton Walsh
Sunday October 29, 2000
Dogs are given more leg room on
planes than humans. Strict guidelines
on canines travelling in the cargo hold
mean they must be able to turn round
in comfort - unlike their human
masters in economy class.
It means that dogs have to be held in
containers twice their width, enabling
them to stretch, turn round and ensure
their circulation does not suffer. By
contrast, the minimum amount of
space required for humans is 26in
between the back of the seat cushion
and the seat in front - and that is
before the person ahead reclines the
seat.
Tristan Bradfield, assistant manager at
the Animal Reception Centre at
Heathrow, who deals with the
containers on a daily basis, said:
'There is more room in a minimum
requirement box than in an
economy-class seat. For dogs to turn
round, the box must be twice the width
of the animal. It's like having
double-width seats.'
Horses also have an advantage over
humans in waiting time. Horses are not
supposed to be on board an aircraft
for more than 30 minutes before
take-off, and for 30 minutes after
landing.
Passenger comfort and well-being are
not at present regulated by the Civil
Aviation Authority, which only requires
26in between the back cushion of a
seat and the seat in front. Most
airlines have between 28in and 32in.
Bryn Aldridge, director of trading
standards at the Corporation of
London, who runs the centre at
Heathrow, said dogs are proportionally
better off than economy-class
passengers. 'There are rules set down
for animal transport, but there are
none for human beings,' he said.
'We are solely concerned with
ensuring that people can be
evacuated from air craft in the case of
an emergency,' said a Civil Aviation
Authority spokesman. 'We don't have
any expertise or evidence with which
to comment on these findings.'
The revelations come at the end of a
week in which economy-class travel
has been embroiled in controversy.
Critics claim that the cramped
conditions of airline seats can cause
health problems, such as clots in the
bloodstream.
A healthy 28-year-old Briton, Emma
Christoffersen, died earlier this month
from deep vein thrombosis or DVT, a
blood clot that starts in the legs and
works its way to the heart or lungs with
often fatal causes. Since the uproar
after her death, doctors have
dismissed the link between economy
travel seats and DVT. British Airways
says that, although long periods of
immobility can contribute to DVT, it is
not specific to the cabin environment.
Bob Tolliday spokesman for the
Consumers' Association said: 'It's
about time that comfort was
considered, particularly in long-haul
flights as there may be a health effect,
but it has not, until now, been
considered important.'
nick.walsh@observer.co.uk
