United implements ‘PetSafe’ policies

CHICAGO, Ill. – On Wednesday, United Airlines’ new pet travel policy went into effect.

Under the new policy, only cats and dogs will be accepted, and 21 dog breeds and four cat breeds will not be allowed to fly.

Pets will also be banned from flying when the ground temperature is below 45 degrees or above 85 degrees.

Four airports—Phoenix, Tucson, Palm Springs, and Las Vegas—are completely stopping pet travel in the summer months.

United put the new bans in place after a number of issues, including one in which a dog died after being placed in an overhead bin.

United Airlines published the following restrictions on their website:

Effective June 18, 2018, these improved PetSafe standards will be updated continually and include the following:

New PetSafe Embargoes	Effective June 18, 2018, United PetSafe will*:
Animals Accepted for PetSafe	Accept cats and dogs ONLY. NO other household pets or animals will be accepted as PetSafe
Reservation and Travel Resume	Allow reservations beginning June 18, 2018 for pets traveling on the same flight as their pet parent or guardian beginning July 9, 2018. Allow reservations beginning July 16, 2018 for pets traveling alone for travel beginning July 30, 2018.
Breeds	Not accept reservations for the following brachycephalic (or short- or snub-nosed) dogs and cats and strong-jawed dog breeds*, out of concern for higher adverse health risks:
	Dog Breeds Affenpinscher American Bully American Pit Bull Terrier/Pit Bull American Staffordshire Terrier/”Amstaff” Belgian Malinois Boston Terrier Boxer Brussels Griffon Bulldog American Bulldog English Bulldog French Bulldog Old English Bulldogges Shorty Bulldogs Spanish Alano/Spanish Bulldog/Alano Espanol Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Chow Chow English Toy Spaniel/Prince Charles Spaniel Japanese Chin/Japanese Spaniel Lhasa Apso Mastiff American Mastiff Boerboel/South African Mastiff Bullmastiff Ca de Bou/Mallorquin Mastiff Cane Corso/Italian Mastiff Dogo Argentino/Argentinian Mastiff Dogue de Bordeaux/French Mastiff English Mastiff Fila Brasileiro/Brazilian Mastiff/Cao de Fila Indian Mastiff/Alangu Kangal/Turkish Kangal Neapolitan Mastiff/Mastino Napoletano Pakastani Mastiff/Bully Kutta Pyrenean Mastiff Presa Canario/Perro de Presa Canario/Dogo Canario/Canary Mastiff Spanish Mastiff / Mastin Espanol Tibetan Mastiff Tosa/Tosa Ken/Tosa Inu/Japanese Mastiff/Japanese Tosa Pekingese Pug Dutch Pug Japanese Pug Shar-Pei/Chinese Shar-Pei Shih-Tzu Staffordshire Bull Terrier/”Staffys” Tibetan Spaniel Cat Breeds Burmese Exotic Shorthair Himalayan Persian * Including mixed breeds
Weather Restrictions	Monitor weather and assess the station capability of handling during extreme temperature or other operating conditions. United may decline acceptance or alter the routing if temperatures are outside of a safe range. No longer accept reservations to and from the following airports annually between May 1 and Sept. 30, due to high temperature restrictions Las Vegas (LAS) Palm Springs (PSP) Phoenix (PHX) Tucson (TUS)
Reservation Timeframe	Accept pre-reservations between 30 days in advance (maximum) and five (5) days (minimum) prior to travel for customers traveling with their pets and/or for pets traveling alone Require additional conditions for acceptance (see below) prior to reservation confirmation.
Additional conditions for acceptance	Require the customer to provide PetSafe with several pieces of information (e.g. documents, photos, crate information, etc.) before any reservation is confirmed. PetSafe Customer Service Center will be able to provide additional details of this requirement at the time of booking
Locations Served	Not accept any reservations to and from India and Australia at this time. To confirm service in other locations, please contact the PetSafe Customer Service Center.
Flight Segments (Connections)	Place limitations on the number of connecting cities in the routing. Please consult the PetSafe Customer Service Center for available routings.
International Routings	Require international routing to be arranged through an International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA) pet shipper only. A list of IPATA members near you can be found at https://www.ipata.org
Crates	Not accept crates taller than 30″, including the 700 series crates. No longer sell or provide crates at airport facilities. All cats and dogs traveling with a PetSafe reservation must have a compliant crate, which may be purchased via united.com/petmate in advance for acclimation and travel.

*Last updated May 1, 2018; please note embargoes and information will be updated as detailed requirements are rolled out and is subject to change at any time.