Cat escapes crate and gets lost at airport while waiting for WestJet flight

Jul 6 2022, 6:23 pm

A Metro Vancouver woman who was trying to adopt a rescue cat is looking for help after the feline went missing from the luggage holding area at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

The cat was supposed to fly from Toronto to Vancouver with WestJet on June 30, but it never made it on the plane because it escaped its carrier, its prospective owner PK Francis shared on Facebook.

“There’s no clear information on the security footage as to where he escaped. But it was in transit from the cargo warehouse to the plane,” she wrote.

Workers apparently realized the cat was missing when the empty carrier reached the plane.

She’s worried the cat is roaming somewhere in the airport field, and that it might be caught by one of the airport’s hawks or eagles that keep runways clear for planes.

“I’ve been on call with them multiple times yesterday and there’s no update really aside from they’re all looking for him. I can’t sleep or rest,” she wrote July 2.

Daily Hive has reached out to Francis for an interview.

WestJet Media Relations Advisor Madison Kruger apologized for what happened to the cat and said the staff is still searching for it.

“WestJet takes the transportation of animals very seriously and we recognize that in this case we did not meet the standards that we strive to deliver,” she said. “Our WestJet team at Pearson International Airport is all-hands-on-deck, working diligently to locate the cat, and will continue to update Francis as they learn more.”

Rachel Bertone, senior advisor of comunications and media relations with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, said responsibility for bagging handling (including loading and removing crated animals from aircraft) lies with airline staff and their contracted grounds companies.

Canadian airlines have been making headlines recently for poor service amid rebounding traveller volumes as pandemic restrictions lift. Many staff in the industry were laid off during the pandemic, and although companies are making strides to rehire employees things aren’t running very smoothly yet.

Travellers have been separated from their bags for weeks, and some flight attendants say do-it-yourself GPS trackers are the only surefire way to keep track of bags.

Air Canada also reportedly offered some passengersĀ $2,400 to give up their seats on overbooked flights, and both Air Canada and WestJet recently announced they’re cancelling summer flights because they’re stretched too thin.

Even when flights do go ahead, delays are getting more common. According to tracking tool FlightAware, Canada surpassed most other countries in the world when it came to flight delays last weekend.

Megan DevlinMegan Devlin

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