Airlines Balk At Reporting Animal Deaths, Injuries

Ed. wonders whether air travel is down because flyers fear terrorist attacks or because people are totally fed up with the arrogance and abuse of the airlines.

Reuters writes that many major air carriers are threatening to stop transporting pets if the U.S. government forces them to disclose the number of animals they lose and how many die or are injured on the carriers' planes.

The reporting rule was proposed by the Federal Aviation Administration -- there's a hoot -- and passed by Congress last year.

"The biggest airlines, through their lobbying group, the Air Transport Association, say the rule would be logistically difficult and cost prohibitive. Delta Air Lines said the inspections could cost more than $1 million annually," according to the Reuters story.

However, estimates claim that at least 5,000 animals die on airplanes each year.

Ed. finds it even more absurd that the FAA, which for years had fought efforts to properly train and professionalize airport security checkpoint guards, should demand higher scrutiny for animals.