Fluffy and Fido grounded as airline bans pets

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Sorry Fluffy. Tough luck, Fido. Air Canada will be banning all pets from its passenger planes from July 15 this year.

The airline decided to stop carrying cats and dogs in the cargo hold because of increasing load factors as well as tighter security measures that are leading people to check more bags, said airline spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick.

"Animals in the hold actually reduce the amount of space we have for luggage because you've got to leave an area for ventilation or oxygen and as well they require extra handling," he said.

The airline stopped carrying pets in the cabin last September because of concerns over passengers with allergies. People who want to transport their pets after July 15 can use planes operated by Air Canada's cargo operation.

Fitzpatrick said the decision was not directly linked to the case of a Canadian doctor whose dog died of carbon monoxide poisoning while in the hold of a flight in early 2004. The plane was operated by a now defunct Air Canada subsidiary.

The Canadian Transport Agency (CTA) ruled in 2006 that the airline was not liable for the death of animals in its care.