The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
FLYING DOG CHARGES BEGIN TO BITE
Transport: Jump of £40 in tickets sparks owner’ s campaign
Shetland dog owners have criticised a move by airline Loganair to increase the cost of taking a pet on flights from £10 to £50 without warning.
Dog owner Kaylee Robertson said she was “disgusted and angered” at the price hike, which came into force this month.
Loganair managing director Jonathan Hinkles said the charge has been increased to reflect how the airline has shifted away from a “standby” animal policy to give people “guaranteed” travel for their pets.
But Miss Robertson, who owns seven dogs, has started a campaign with the online hashtag #islanddogsmatter in protest at the fee increase.
She told how her mother was told it would cost £100 instead of £20 to take her dog Fjana with her on a round trip to Inverness – something which she said she couldn’t justify.
Miss Robertson has contacted Shetland MSP Tavish Scott about the matter.
She said: “I have alerted fellow dog owners on social media to the problem and the reaction has been the same as mine.
“It’s one thing for the airline to constantly take advantage of people when it comes to price hikes on human fares, but I think the airline will learn that when it comes to people’s four-legged best friends, the public will bite back.”
Loganair can carry cats and dogs as “accompanied baggage”, with owners responsible
“The revised charge still represents a very favourable deal”
for putting the pet in an approved container for the hold at a cost of £10.
Mr Hinkles said Loganair’s new policy on taking dogs and cats on board still provides a “very favourable deal” compared to other operators.
He added: “The previous ‘standby’ policy had proven ineffective as it was impossible to reasonably deny carriage at the airport to an animal whose owner was booked on the same flight.
“We also saw several instances where other customers’ bags were offloaded to make space in aircraft holds for the animal to travel, incurring significant costs to reunite customers with delayed bags and compensate them for expenses incurred.
“We believe that the revised charge still represents a very favourable deal for animal travel when viewed against other airlines’ fees, and now provides customers with a far greater level of confidence than the previous standby policy.
“Carriage of accredited guide dogs in the aircraft cabin remains unchanged and free of charge.”
Miss Robertson said the issue of guaranteed travel has “never been a problem”, adding: “We have learned to first check with the airline that there is space available, book the flight then immediately phone back and book the dog on board.”
She argued that the higher prices of other airlines – with one on the mainland charging £270 – cannot be used as a comparison when in some cases “we have no other option but to fly and they are our only airline”.