Miraculously, no human on board Japanese Airlines flight JAL-516 died from the recent crash. Videos of the rolling inferno circulated online, the plane completely engulfed in flames. Everyone on board escaped. The cabin crew did an outstanding job and people did just as well to follow directions to safety. This impressive escape is one for history books. Unfortunately, another plane involved in the collision suffered casualties while working to save earthquake victims. No news agency has given account of animal survival or casualties on board.
Seeing the plane burning should raise an ethical question. What if there were live animals on board this flight? Generally, animals are placed in the luggage area. In such a situation, cabin crew would not reach the animals in time to free them from the plane. There is no technology to release this area in case of emergency. Pets traveling on flights are usually held in a temperature- and pressure-controlled cargo hold section. There is no easy access to the cabin. But, most importantly, it must be asserted that, legally speaking, pets are considered cargo and not life. The same rules apply to a dog that apply to luggage on a flight. The exception to this rule is service animals who are treated as an extension of the person they are aiding. To this end, even pets in the cabin who may be in carry-ons could be asked to be left behind in case of an emergency. The pet and carry-on are still considered baggage that, for example, can harm the evacuation process for human passengers who are the security priority.
Certainly, animals left in cargo will very likely die in the case of any serious emergency, such as the fiery plane in Tokyo. Animals kept in the cabin will die too if cabin crew decides that attending to animals would risk human life. Is there a safer way for animals to fly? Can we ever extend to animals the same safety regulations afforded to human passengers?
The issue here begins with speciesism. We assume we are superior beings on the planet. Even lovingly and ever compassionately, we still mostly believe we are somehow of more value than any other species. We have for centuries given ourselves the right to exploit and enslave animals. This is one of many human delusions embedded now in our common logic. It is very difficult to argue against the hierarchical life value of species. To suggest an egalitarian value across all life may not simply be too ambitious but will probably end the argument without any further consideration. But to make sense of this concept, we should really analyze it under a different light that does not trigger our already cemented delusion of superiority.
For the last few centuries, we had accepted racism and slavery as norms in Western societies and empires. The USA was built on exploitation, slavery, and social and legal inequality. Let us assume we have maintained this mentality of 18th- and 19th-century America. White people board a plane and sit in their assigned seats, fastening their seatbelts. Richer white people do the same in roomier seats while sipping a glass of fresh orange juice or champagne. Black people line up at the rear of the plane to sit on belt loaders, waiting to be placed among luggage. This is exactly how we would travel under this presumed mentality; this being generous, as the likely outcome would be that black people would not be permitted to fly by free will. And these would not be black passengers traveling for tourism. They would belong to white slaveowners who take them on trips as luggage so they may serve them throughout the trip.
Fast forward to today. We now give equal rights to the black and white passengers. The only restriction to a plane seat is the purchasing power, and of course national passport strength, but we are assuming all are American citizens by document if not by social equality. Now let us extend this argument to dogs. We have evolved from earlier days of not affording pets any rights. Today, unfortunately, animals still have absolutely no rights in USA. Each pet is legally considered the property of the registered human owner. There are laws to support animal welfare, but none to provide rights to any animal considered a pet.
Let us pretend that animals do indeed have some minimal rights, such as the right to life and security. Affording them such rights means we now have to reconsider some of the animal-related archaic clauses of the aviation industry. We would at least have to address the notion that in case of emergency, an animal on board has rights to evacuation or some safety protocol. The actual legal changes made would be something for animal rights activists and advocates to lobby and the aviation industry and government to design and enforce. But change begins with public demand, opinion, and outcry. If we do not point this out and raise awareness of the situation, we cannot develop advocacy for a cause. It is not for the public to be concerned with the actual modification and implementation of regulations because there are professionals trained and assigned to do exactly this. But it is nevertheless the public’s responsibility to think to the safety of all the lives on this planet and to demand through protest and appeal improvement to judicial and moral shortcomings. If we are going to wear the cape and pretend we are the superhero messiahs of the planet, then we might as well take on the challenges that such stewardship mandates. Here we can raise awareness to this problem by discussing the rights of animals on flights and ask the aviation industry for an ethical revision.
We can consider certain reforms to introduce animal rights.
Legal reforms:
- Reclassify animals as passengers with certain rights. We may not be able to grant animals rights equal to humans, but we could certainly consider rights that obligate a standard of pet safety.
- Mandate pet evacuation protocols. We could dedicate escape routes for animals and train cabin crew to deal efficiently with animal evacuation.
- Hold airlines criminally accountable for animal injury and death to the same laws we do for human casualties. This would incentivize airlines to be more attentive to animal passengers.
- Enforce globally standardized animal transportation laws. Universal standards will ensure that animals are safely transported throughout the world.
- Improve transportation conditions. Mandate adequate conditions for animals in all plane areas.
- Prioritize vulnerable animals. This would follow the same example as prioritizing the children, the disabled, elderly, and others requiring assistance in case of an emergency. Certain animals are more vulnerable than others and should receive immediate or prioritized treatment.
- Introduce animal welfare inspection protocols. Involve third-party regulators to ensure that airlines are maintaining responsible animal safety standards.
Technological reforms:
- Mandate standardized smart pet carriers. These would include sensors to track vitals in case of emergency. Cabin crew can be alerted to urgent animal needs.
- Microchip all animals with GPS. This will allow the quick location and identification of animals in case of getting lost after a chaotic emergency evacuation procedure.
- Introduce animal evacuation systems. Just as we have come a long way to protect human lives in case of flight emergencies, we should transfer some of this technology to animal wellbeing. Animals could benefit from slides designed to expedite animal carrier evacuation.
- Simulation training for airline crew. Animal safety and evacuation can be added to the list of safety training exercises to make staff more experienced in case of real emergencies.
- Include animal emergency kits. Alongside kits for humans we can place animal emergency kits to be used as necessary. These kits could prove life-saving to animals.
- AI safety and evacuation planning. While people may be panicked and unable to perform efficiently for proper evacuation, AI will be able to assess the situation quickly and correctly to ensure that as many passengers, including pets, are attended to for safe evacuation.
Public reforms:
- Raise public awareness. Educate the public on and off flights about animal passenger safety and encourage actions supporting a safer journey for all.
- Invest in animal safety research. At industry and government levels, we should fund research to create innovative solutions to animal travel safety.
- Right to refuse boarding. Grant fully refundable trip costs if passengers deem the airplane safety standards unacceptable for animal travelers. No animal life or safety should be risked due to financial limitations.
All of these ideas for a safer travel experience may not be endorsed by the aviation industry. But at the very least, we should begin to strategize and reclassify animals as life, not cargo. The best sustainable implementation would be to minimize flying other than for necessities. Until a time when we can return to flying using renewable energy such as solar powered aircrafts, it would be safest to eliminate tourism travels, for all life on this planet.
