Some owners know firsthand the anxiety of putting a pet on a plane. Alyson Chadwick, a PR professional from Washington DC, had to send her cat from Florida to DC through Atlanta on Delta but when delays threatened to prevent her pet from reaching her until to the next day, she feared the worst. After heated discussion, Delta had someone meet the cat at the gate and deliver him to DC, only six hours late. But this is not always the case as the infamous 2006 disappearance of Vivi, a prize-winning whippet who had just competed in the Westminster Dog Show illustrates. Vivi, who allegedly escaped from her cage while in the charge of Delta, was never found even though airport workers and volunteers searched for weeks.

We've all heard the horror stories. But how likely is it that something bad will happen to your pet? Incidents involving the loss, injury or death of animals on U.S. carriers are compiled by the Department of Transportation in a monthly Air Travel Consumer Report. A scan of 2009 monthly reports shows that U.S. carriers report about two deaths a month and a handful of lost animals, usually due to airline staff not following procedures for securing crates before loading them into baggage. However, about 2 million animals are flown each year by U.S. carriers, meaning the vast majority arrive with no problems. But there is no accounting for the stress of the ordeal, on both the owner and the pet, not to mention factors such as animals being left on hot runways or freezing warehouses while planes are loaded.