United had more pet deaths in 2016 than any other major US airline (UAL)

Business Insider/ Skye Gould

More people are looking into the actions of United Airlines after a video went viral showing a passenger being forcibly removed from a plane.

On Monday, people began posting on Twitter that United has the worst track record when transporting pets compared to other major airlines, referring to 2016 data provided by the Department of Transportation.

By sheer number, United has had more “pet incidences,” which refers to injuries, deaths, and losses, than any other major airline. There have been 4 injuries and 9 deaths. Delta, which ranks second for pet incidences, is responsible for 5 deaths and 5 injuries.

United recently came under fire for how it handles pets in transit. In February, A Michigan resident said the airline was responsible for the death of her golden retriever, Fox News reported.

However, United has transported more pets (109,149) compared to Delta (81,070). When you break it down by percentage, United’s track record for pet incidences is a mere .02%, while Delta’s is .01%. When you put it in that context, airlines have a fairly similar, and low, percentage of pet incidences.

“We have some of the best facilities for taking care of customer pets,” a United spokesperson told Business Insider. “We keep customers informed and consider pets customers as well because we understand pets are part of our customers’ family.”