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Guaranteed on Board program gives pet owners peace of mind
Passengers flying with their pets have always had a rough time navigating the tricky rules surrounding pet carriers. And many have been frustrated to find that carriers that they thought were approved for travel in the plane's cabin were deemed unsuitable by gate agents. When that happens, many pet owners find themselves out of luck - unable to board the plane, but not eligible for a refund on the flight.
To help, the Sherpa pet carrier company has teamed up with eight pet-friendly airlines to offer the "Guaranteed on Board" program, a sort of insurance policy for those traveling with their pets. The GOB website details the sizes and types of carriers allowed on each airline. Passengers who purchase an approved carrier can go online to register it (after making arrangements to bring the pet on board directly with the airline they are flying) print out the Guaranteed on Board certificate and bring it with them to the airport. If they are then refused boarding by an airline official due to the carrier, the program will reimburse them for the cost of the missed flight.
Airlines participating in the program include American, Midwest AirTran, Continental, Northwest, Delta, Southwest, and Alaska. American and Delta have even designed their own bags, which they sell on the Sherpa website. If your pet can't fly on its own airline, at least you can have some assurance that your carrier will be up to spec, or you'll get your money back for being bumped off a flight.
Filed under: North America, United States, Airlines, Transportation, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
lmbrownie Oct 26th 2009 11:30AM
This guaranteed on board (GOP) program by Sherpa carriers is a joke! The online forms are required to be filled out correctly and yet are designed so that that is impossible. For several airlines including Alaska the form automatically prints stating "no health certificate available". The form is written so that there is no option to change this, even if you do in fact have a health certificate at this time.
I have contacted the company on several occasions and have heard nothing back. I believe this is false advertising and they should take off the airlines that have incorrect forms posted. It is unclear if Sherpa is intentionally making the forms impossible to fill out or if this is a coding error. Either way stating the program is working fine and continuing to list all airlines as part of the GOB program is misleading. I am dissapointed and would not recommend someone buy the carrier due to the GOB promise.