Military Families' Ire Helps Change Airline Pet Policy | Home Post

FILED UNDER: Japan, Life in the Military, Spouses & Families, airline pet fees, Continental Airlines, Houston Chronicle, Japan, Military Families, military pets, overseas travel, PetSafe, South Korea, United Airlines

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Dog on an airplane

The outrage of military families stationed overseas over a new pet fee policy by United Airlines has helped bring about a change in that policy. The Houston Chronicle reports United is giving military families a way to bypass the fee.

First, a little background: United Airlines currently charges a flat rate of about $280 to ship pets overseas. But United plans on changing its pet policy as of March 3rd because of its merger with Continental. That change would bump the cost of shipping pets to the U.S. from overseas to between $1,440 to $3,869, according to the Stars and Stripes.

Military families, stationed in places like South Korea and Japan, became fearful they would not be able to afford to ship their beloved pets back to the United States when they moved back home. Anthony Millsap started an online petition to protest the pet fee increase. More than 2,400 signatures have already been gathered.

And it worked! Today United Airlines released a statement to the Houston Chronicle saying military families could avoid the new fee:

?We evaluated our policies and developed a special process for military families traveling on Permanent Change of Station (PCS) or Orders only. This process allows them to transport their four-legged family members using the PetSafe product without the need for a third-party freight?forwarder.?

Source: http://homepost.kpbs.org/2012/02/military-families-ire-helps-change-airline-pet-policy/

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