When United Airlines accepted full responsibility for the death of a dog on one of its flights earlier this year, it prompted a major review of the US carrier’s policies for transporting animals. The company said this week it is working with the country’s oldest national humane animal organization, American Humane, to improve the well-being of pets that fly with the airline, and will resume transporting them as cargo from July 9—but it has also decided to ban 25 pet breeds from its aircraft.
The Chicago-based airline said the 21 dog and four cat breeds are being banned because they are prone to physical problems from heat or other travel stress. The four cat breeds prevented from flying with the airline are Burmese, exotic shorthair, Himalayan, and Persian. The dog breeds include some of the most popular ones in the US, including Boston terriers, bulldogs, boxers, and mastiffs. Short-nosed dogs from the brachycephalic breeds, such as small Pekingese and pug dogs, are also banned.
Many of these breeds are already barred from traveling cargo on several other airlines, or are restricted from travel at warmer times of the year, but a few carriers are more welcoming.
While the complete list is available on United’s website, here is how the 21 breeds rank in popularity in the US, according to American Kennel Club (AKC) data. A total of 190 breeds were ranked in 2017.
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