The other side of this coin is the number of times a passenger has entrusted their pet's well-being to the airline, and later discovered that was a really, real

The other side of this coin is the number of times a passenger has entrusted their pet's well-being to the airline, and later discovered that was a really, really bad idea. This works out to about 0.5 deaths per 10000, but United apparently breaks guitars and kills or injures pets much more often than other carriers. That may be related to their willingness to actually attempt to transport species and breeds at higher risk from conditions experienced during air travel, like pugs. I am not surprised that people will do anything to keep their valuables--living or not--out of United's cargo holds. I am a bit surprised that their genius solutions still involve flying United. My terrapin is never flying. I get nervous enough about putting my clothing in checked baggage. And also, she's easier to keep fed than a cat. But cats poop in their litter box instead of their water dish, so there's that.