No more live pets stored in overhead compartments, warns Donovan

U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) seeks justice for Kokito, a French bulldog that died on March 12 after a United Airlines flight attendant inadvertently stowed him in an overhead bin on a flight from Houston to New York.

Rep. Donovan on March 15 introduced the bipartisan Planes Ensuring Total Safety (PETS) Act, H.R. 5315, with U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) signing on as the original cosponsor. H.R. 5315 would require the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to draft regulations prohibiting the storage of live animals in the overhead compartments of airplanes, according to the congressional record summary, and set non-compliance fines for airlines.

“It should be plain common sense that a live animal doesn’t belong in a cramped, dark and poorly ventilated overhead compartment,” Rep. Donovan said. “Unfortunately, United Airlines doesn’t seem to get that, so I introduced legislation to ban the practice.”

Companion legislation, the Welfare Of Our Furry Friends (WOOFF) Act, S. 2556, also was introduced on March 15 by U.S. Sens. John Kennedy (R-LA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). Sen. Kennedy agreed with Donovan and said pets are regrettably “at the mercy of human beings showing some common sense.”

According to The New York Times, a United Airlines spokeswoman said last week that existing company policy does prohibit live animals traveling in-cabin from being kept in overhead compartments. However, to prevent future incidents like this recent one involving Kokito – in which the flight attendant said she didn’t hear the owner tell her that the dog was in the carrier before placing it in the overhead bin – the airline next month will start issuing brightly colored bag tags to flyers bringing pets on board, she said.

“Pets are members of the family,” said Sen. Kennedy. “I’d rather make it the law that animals aren’t to be treated like an old piece of luggage.”

“It is astonishing that we have to pass a law to stop this from happening,” added Congressman Cohen.

“Hopefully this stops other dogs from meeting the same fate as Kokito,” Rep. Donovan said about proposing H.R. 5315, which is now under consideration by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. S. 2556 has been referred to the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.