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Aegean Airlines faces second case of missing cats during flights

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Aegean Airlines faces second case of missing cats during flights
Policy
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Dimitris Gerogiannis, CEO | Aegean Airlines

Three cats rescued by a couple from Crete went missing after an Aegean Airlines flight to Paris, as reported by The Guardian. The incident occurred when the animals were not unloaded in Paris and remained in the aircraft’s hold as the plane continued on to Thessaloniki. The airline did not provide an explanation or apology to the couple for the incident.

This is the second time in two years that cats have gone missing during transport with Aegean Airlines. In March 2024, a kitten named Rodri escaped from his carrier during a stopover in Athens on a flight from Chania Airport in Crete to Munich. According to Greek Reporter, airport staff discovered that the pet carrier was damaged and the kitten could not be found.

Vet Bethany Mulcahy-Stephenson and her husband Adam had arranged for their three rescued cats to travel from Crete to Paris, where they planned to collect them. While traveling to Calais, they were informed that Aegean Airlines had lost track of the kittens. Although the cats arrived in Paris, they were not unloaded and instead stayed on board as the aircraft departed for Thessaloniki. The couple expressed concern about their pets' safety due to being left without food or water.

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Initially, Aegean Airlines said it would take two days for the cats to return on another flight but later rerouted them through Athens with a handler accompanying them in the cabin. Mulcahy-Stephenson told The Guardian: “I was shining the torch in there to count them all 10 times. I was so relieved to see them and have them in the car, safe. When they arrived, they were absolutely traumatised, they wouldn’t eat, we had them in the emergency vet.”

According to Mulcahy-Stephenson and her husband, Aegean Airlines did not apologize or offer an explanation for why their pets were left behind. The airline stated that at no point were the animals missed or forgotten and explained that operational reasons led to their delayed unloading. In its statement, Aegean Airlines said that “the kittens remained under crew care throughout” and received food and water before being reunited with their owners later that evening.

Aegean Airlines allows passengers to bring cats and dogs into its cabins under specific conditions: each traveler may bring one pet (or two of the same species if familiar with each other), provided their combined weight including carrier does not exceed 17.6 pounds (8 kg). Pets must be clean, healthy, non-aggressive, unsedated, well-behaved, and booked ahead of time either online or via call center since space is limited per flight.

Pet travel policies vary between airlines; some only permit pets in cargo holds rather than cabins.

Aegean Airlines is Greece's national airline and operates as a full-service carrier founded in 1999. It is part of Star Alliance and led by CEO Dimitrios Gerogiannis.

Organizations Included in this History
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