I don't know what the deal is with the back half of this list; but, I remember reading an article about the number of dogs that die during transport and most of the breeds were those with the pushed in nose type of skull. The thinking seemed to be that they had breathing problems once they hit altitude.
There may also be a problem with biting, perhaps some of the people handling the crates had been biten by these dogs. Don't know; but, some dogs are more predisposed to dying in flight than others and it does seem to have a connection with the construction of their snouts which affect their breathing.
More than likely the airlines are wanting to get out of transporting dogs all-together. They start with the “dangerous breeds” because they can feign a safety issue that really doesn’t exist.
Many dogs die each year when flights get delayed and the dog crate is left on the tarmac with the other luggage in the summer heat. I know a lot of people that travel to dog shows so you hear these kinds of anecdotes every year.
With all the other delays associated with flying these days, dogs dying of heat prostration is probably getting to be a bigger problem for the airline industry.