WHAT?????

I am going into shock. This evening, just one mere day after reserving, but not purchasing, my ticket back to Canada, I innocently stumbled across this article in the Globe & Mail. Unfortunately since my reservation was preliminary I hadn't yet mentioned Felix....

Air Canada puts pets on no-fly list

Canadian Press
June 21, 2007 at 6:43 PM EDT

TORONTO — There's bad news for Air Canada travellers who want to bring their cherished pets along with them on the plane for their summer vacation. The airline says today that as of July 15th, Bowser and Muffy won't be allowed on its domestic passenger flights. And pending approval from the Canadian Transportation Agency, pets won't be accepted for flights to the U.S. or other international destinations. Dogs, cats and other pets will have to be shipped on cargo planes.

Peter Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for Air Canada, says the airline is so full with bookings, it needs more room to carry baggage, so pets will have to go cargo. Last September 18th, there were howls of outrage from pet owners when Air Canada sent pets packing from the cabin to the cargo hold, but allergy sufferers were breathing sighs of relief.

Mr. Fitzpatrick says the new policy will not apply to guide dogs for the blind, and people who have already bought tickets will be allowed to bring along their pets. He says Air Canada can make the change to its domestic flights without the agency's approval, but needs approval from the agency to make the change for international flights.

Please recall that shock can be a life-threatening emergency. Happy Anniversary indeed.