Gone : Fly the falcon-friendly skies of Etihad Airways

Friday, February 2, 2007

Fly the falcon-friendly skies of Etihad Airways

But "snub-nosed" dogs not welcome.

We are on our way from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi and because our flight was delayed, I was surfing the website of Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates national airlines, when I came across this information:

Can I travel with my pet on Etihad Airways?

...The following pets are accepted for travel, subject to the shipment meeting all necessary requirements.

• Birds
• Cats
• Dogs (excluding any snub-nosed types)
• Falcons (allowed inside the aircraft cabin on Etihad flights)

No "Snub-nosed types [of dogs]" allowed? What's the story behind that prohibition?

Still, glad to know I could travel with a falcon - and in the cabin.

About me

In fall 2007, I started working for the Kabul Center for Strategic Studies, a think tank founded by Afghans based in Kabul, Afghanistan, to build Afghan policy research expertise.

In 2006 Palgrave published a book I cowrote, "Jihad and International Security," with Jalil Roshandel.

Now I'm watching what I see to be the last gasp of a nonviable movement: militant, insurgent jihadism. This movement has killed many more Muslims than polytheists, infidels, or non-Muslims. It has also done more to damage the image of Islam than any other force in 1400 years of Islamic history.

"Prior to 9/11, who in the modern West ever worried about Islam? The jihadists have succeeded in casting suspicion on an entire religion, a substantial percentage of the world’s population, and centuries of Islamic history, in addition to all the widows and orphans they have created.

"It is unfortunate that Muslims who don’t terrorize people can’t command headlines. But that’s the way the media operates, if it bleeds it leads."

Me, Sharon Chadha, in an interview by Pooja at Instablogs.