Delta Cargo launches partnership with pet safety start-up CarePod

Atlanta-based Delta Cargo has entered a long-term partnership with pet transportation tech start-up CarePod. The “pod” product, designed to safely transport live animals in the bellies of aircraft, uses internet of things (IoT) technology to offer customers real time updates on the status of their pets and their GPS-location.

Delta said it plans to utilize its temperature-controlled holding areas and overnight kenneling services “at numerous locations,” adding that its Cargo Control Center in Atlanta, which opened last year, gives the airline constant visibility into all shipments, including pets.

The industry is paying greater attention to the safety of live-animal cargo after last year – a bad year for air traveling pets – when the Transportation Department tallied 24 fatalities, 15 injuries and one pet that was “lost.”

In a move to improve standards for transporting animals as cargo, in April, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) launched a new certification program called CEIV-Live Animals that provides an industry standard for the safe handling of animals transported in the cargo hold of aircraft.

Delta Cargo also said it will launch a “new pet transportation strategy” in conjunction with its partnership with CarePod.

“Our innovative use of technology and breakthrough engineering solutions are matched by our passion for pet safety, comfort and security,” said Jenny Pan, Founder and CEO of CarePod. “Our goal is to transform the future of pet travel, and to be able to work with Delta in delivering a better experience for its customers is an exciting step.”