Pets travelling by air belong in the cargo hold, not the cabin, where their dander could irritate passengers' allergies, states an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal released Tuesday.

Three top doctors — deputy editor Matthew B. Stanbrook, editor-in-chief Paul C. Hébert, and Thomas Kovesi, a pediatrician at the University of Ottawa — put their names to the editorial that chastised airlines for putting the preferences of pet owners above the well-being of passengers.

The editorial makes the point that allergic reactions are an avoidable health risk, and that in rare situations, some reactions can be anaphylactic, a serious matter when the passenger is isolated from access to emergency medical care.

"People with allergies should be able to fly without placing their health at risk and must not be prevented from travelling for fear of being confined close to a pet."

The editorial's authors pointed to a recent decision by the Canadian Transportation Agency, which ruled that people with allergies to nuts should be considered to have a disability under the Canada Transportation Act and must therefore be accommodated.

They noted the CTA is now reviewing passenger complaints about pets on airplanes and determining whether those with allergies to pets should also be considered as having a disability.

I am a frequent flyer - the number of times that I have been on a plane with a dog or cat in the cabin is rare. Only the tiniest of dogs or Service Dogs get into the cabin anyway.

So the chances of you being irritated by dander is slight anyway. If you could die of cat dander, then all contact with all cat owners is a risk and you should never use public transport. No one has ever died of dog hair.

Who are these "experts" who claim that there are real risks of severe reaction and even death from having a Yorkie or a cat in a plane cabin?

I live in very close quarters with a cat and 2 dogs. I am sure that my clothing is covered in dander. Will I be banned next?

Time to give all this hysteria a rest.