Say NO to Pets on Planes!

Support the campaign to make passenger cabins in planes pet-free

Canada's two major airlines – Air Canada and WestJet – have decided to allow pets in the passenger cabin of their airplanes.

This is bad news for both passengers and crew who have asthma and other respiratory conditions. Pets are wonderful friends and companions. But inside the small, confined space of an airplane passenger cabin, they can pose a serious threat to the health of vulnerable people.

The air inside airplane cabins is continuously re-circulated. This means that even a small amount of allergen- like the hair, saliva or dander of a pet- can spread quickly throughout the airplane cabin. The allergen in the air can reach every passenger on the plane, even people sitting far away from the pet.

For people with allergies who have asthma or COPD, pet allergens can trigger wheezing, coughing, and swelling in the airways – an asthma attack or a COPD flare-up.

These reactions can be serious and even life-threatening.

The Lung Association is asking Canadians to urge the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health to take action on pets in airplane cabins. Your message will be copied to the CEOs of Air Canada and WestJet. The health dangers can be simply avoided if all pets travel in the heated, pressurized luggage compartments of planes. This is already required for larger pets.

Service or guide dogs required by the disabled could be exempted and allowed to travel in airplanes. In these instances other passengers would be informed about the presence of an animal onboard and offered alternative flight options, if required for health reasons.

Support our campaign to make passenger cabins in airplanes pet-free:

It will only take a minute - and you will help thousands of air travelers and crew in Canada breathe easier.

Your voice will make a difference.

Learn more about COPD triggers

Learn more about asthma triggers

Having trouble signing onto the campaign? Get help