United leads in pet deaths, but airline flew dogs others would not

It was a horrific incident that grabbed headlines and incited the ire of dog lovers around the world. A 10-month-old French bulldog died on a United Airlines flight after his carrier was placed inside a cabin overhead compartment at the direction of a flight attendant.

And in the aftermath, animal advocates and concerned lawmakers glommed on to a shocking piece of data.

Of the 506,994 animals that flew on U.S. commercial air carriers last year, 24 of those animals died in transit. And 18 of those deaths — 75 percent — occurred on United Airlines.

United transports more animals in the U.S. than any other airline: Last year, the airline transported about 27 percent of all animals flown as air cargo. Even so, people saw these disproportionately high numbers from 2017 as evidence that United has a history of mistreating animals.

And United’s steep numbers aren’t new. United also reported the highest numbers of animal deaths in 2015 and 2016, especially when compared with other major U.S. carriers such as Delta and American. (Some airlines do not transport animals.)

But it turns out that United’s sky-high numbers of pet deaths may be more complicated.

While United does carry a disproportionate number of the animals who die on planes, the airline says the disparity results from one simple variable: United accepts higher-risk dog breeds that other major U.S. carriers do not allow.

These types of dogs are known as brachycephalic, or “shortnosed” or “snub-nosed,” breeds. Their airways are more compact, which tends to lead to respiratory issues. The short-nosed breeds include bulldogs, boxers, pugs, Boston Terriers, Pekingese, mastiffs, Shih tzus and others.

For years, carriers like American and Delta have refused to ship these types of dogs, arguing that the risk of death or injury (and liability to the airline) was too high.

Up until last month, United continued to accept “snubnosed” breeds for cargo shipments.