Please Stow Your Falcon Under Your Seat
My mom is flying Etihad Airways to come to the US, so I was on their website checking out baggage regulations. And I made a phenomenal discovery. It would seem that people flying Eithad are known to frequently travel with falcons. All airlines have pet-specific policies, but the Etihad Airways page on the subject has a bit too much information pertaining to falcons. In fact their Pets section starts with addressing the important falcon issue before moving on to other pets -
None of the other airline websites I checked seemed to be this obsessed with falcons. But wait. It gets better. Many airlines allow dogs or cats to be taken as cabin luggage, with certain restrictions. Of course, many airlines allow helper dogs for blind people. Not Etihad, though. They do not allow any animals in the cabin. Not even for blind/deaf people.
Did I say no animals are allowed in the cabin? I was wrong. There is an exception -
What could possibly motivate an airline to devise such an elaborate falcon policy? Why are falcons so special? Do people in the gulf have such a large number of falcons?
Falcons
To be accepted as checked baggage, charge for one falcon (which is considered 3 kilos) is 3 times the normal excess baggage rate of the journey.
None of the other airline websites I checked seemed to be this obsessed with falcons. But wait. It gets better. Many airlines allow dogs or cats to be taken as cabin luggage, with certain restrictions. Of course, many airlines allow helper dogs for blind people. Not Etihad, though. They do not allow any animals in the cabin. Not even for blind/deaf people.
Dogs to lead the blind and/or deaf
We do not accept dogs to lead the blind or deaf for transportation in the cabin. However,the animal may be accepted as checked baggage in the cargo hold without charge. Any other animals must travel as cargo and are not permitted within the aircraft cabin or checked baggage.
Did I say no animals are allowed in the cabin? I was wrong. There is an exception -
The carriage of animals in the cabin is restricted to falcons only and is permitted on all types of aircraft subject to the following conditions:
Diamond First Class/Pearl Business Class
• Up to 2 falcons per guest (per seat) are permitted. Charge for each falcon (which is considered 3 kilos) is 3 times the normal excess baggage rate of the journey.
• Up to 2 additional falcons can be carried when an extra seat is purchased within same class. No excess baggage charges for the additional falcons will apply
Coral Economy Class
• 1 falcon per guest (per seat) is permitted. Charge for one falcon (which is considered 3 kilos) is 3 times the normal excess baggage rate of the journey.
• 1 additional falcon can be carried when an extra seat is purchased within same class. No excess baggage charges for the additional falcon will apply.
What could possibly motivate an airline to devise such an elaborate falcon policy? Why are falcons so special? Do people in the gulf have such a large number of falcons?
