Two years ago, a dog named Boris made headlines in the New York
papers for nearly two months. Boris had arrived at La Guardia on a
Delta Airlines flight during which his cage had been damaged,
allowing Boris to bolt off the plane, down the runway and out onto
the Grand Central Parkway. The missing mutt eventually was reunited
with his owner, who, though happy to have her dog back, was plenty
peeved at Delta.
Now it looks as if Boris' travails may make things just a little
safer for other flying critters. Next week, two New Jersey pols,
Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Bob Menendez, will introduce the
Safe Air Travel for Animals Act in Congress. The bill, if passed,
would require airlines to establish animal-travel guidelines as
well as upping airlines' liability caps for lost or harmed
pets.
My guess is that this will make the airlines barking mad.
Complaints are up, passengers want rights, now animals are getting
into the act? We'd better watch our step. They may just decide to
raise fares on us. Oh, wait. They've already done that three times
this year. What's next?