Hundreds of potential visitors could shun Mexico after the country’s aviation authority suddenly decided to apply a previously unenforced regulation banning pets from accompanying their owners in the cabins of international flights.
The move by the Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil (DGAC) – Mexico’s equivalent of the FAA – has horrified some expatriate owners of small dogs and cats, a few of whom have cancelled flights to and from Mexico because of the new ruling.
Web boards are overflowing with comments from upset animal owners who say they would rather not travel to Mexico than put their pets in the cargo hold of a plane.
“It’s heartbreaking. I had planned to retire in Mexico in the coming years. This is a true game changer,” posted one blogger on the informative Jaltemba Bay Life Blog.
There is no doubting the legality of the no-pet rule. A DGAC “mandatory circular” (circular obligatoria CO AV-07.8/07 R1) that “establishes security regulations for civil aviation” states that “live animals in the passenger cabin must not be permitted except in the case of guide dogs or other ‘service animals’ accompanying disabled persons.”
One of the most recent versions of this document was published on June 1, 2007 but appears only to have been enforced for domestic flights and not for international airlines, which have always permitted passengers to take their small dogs and cats as carry-on on flights between Mexico and the United States and Canada.
However, CO AV-07.8/07 R1 was revised on May 10, 2012. Since then, airlines, including United, Delta, Alaska and American, say they have been contacted by Mexican authorities and told to comply with the no-pets-in-the-cabin rule.
“UA was ordered to implement immediately by DGAC,” said Mary Ryan of Corporate Communications at United Airlines. “The regulation was put into effect immediately after UA International and Regulatory Affairs and Counsel reviewed the recently enforced DGAC directive.”
Representatives of United/Continental, Delta, American, U.S. Airways and Alaska in Guadalajara all confirmed to this newspaper that passengers could no longer take their dogs or cats in the cabins on flights north.
This newspaper has been unable to ascertain with certainty as to what prompted the DGAC to make the sudden policy change.
Despite promises from the DGAC to talk to the Reporter this week, no communication had been received at press time.
However, Joel Antonio Arrioja Perez, head of Plant and Animal Health Inspection at the Ports and Airports Authority, told Allyson Williams of Jaltemba Bay Life Blog that the decision was taken “to improve health and safety” but did not elaborate further.
The new ruling seems to have taken the Mexican travel industry by complete surprise.
The Benito Juarez Mexico City Airport website has still not updated its “frequently asked question” on transporting pets.
The page notes that “pets may not be carried in cabins on domestic flights in Mexico but dogs and cats are permitted on international fights, subject to individual airlines’ policies.”
However, Angel Alberto Quezada of the Viajes Ajijic travel agency says there hasn’t been a single cancelation because of the new ruling. “Only about one percent of people in the (Lakeside) area travel with their pets, so I think the effect will be negligible.”
Some airline passengers who have been informed they can no longer take their pets as carry-on are facing difficult choices.
“People are being stranded in Mexico, not able to return home with their small dogs or cats,” said Kolleen Cole “The ‘climatized’ hold in cargo is only 50-60 degrees, so that is not a safe or humane option.”
According to the DGAC, “animals must be transported in cages or appropriate containers, which, in turn, must be placed in pressurized and air-conditioned compartments.”
The DGAC notes that if the aircraft is “not equipped with pressurized and air-conditioned cargo holds, animals may be transported in a cabin next to the passenger cabin but separated by a bulkhead.”
Ryan said all United aircraft used for shipping animals in and out of Mexico “meet our product specifications for PetSafe.”
PetSafe’s worldwide program, says Ryan, “allows us to preplan all animal shipments, utilizing dedicated PetSafe ramp agents in our hubs, air-conditioned vans for transfers at our hubs, pet hotels in Houston and Newark and more than 10,000 of our employees who have taken special USDA approved live animal training.” See www.united.com for more details.
The only exception to the no-pets-in-cabins rule is for guide dogs or other “service animals” accompanying disabled persons. Notes the DGAC circular: “The guide dog or seeing-eye dog must have been trained and the disabled person must have been instructed in dog handling and care.”
Quezada suggested that lakesiders wishing to take their small pets as carry-on ask for letters from their health specialists detailing why they must travel with the animals. Although the DGAC circular is vague on this issue, airlines may accept emotional support animals on board with letters from a mental health professional. It is important to check first with the airline, however.