When Your Baggage Has a Pulse: Traveling with Your Pet

Updated July 2004 -- Pets don't like to fly. They don't like to be crammed into tiny kennels; they don't like the changes in air pressure, smell, and air quality that take place on a plane; and they certainly don't like to be tossed into a miserable, dark cargo hold. Many veterinarians advise that, especially on short trips, you should leave your pet home with a pet-sitter or a veterinarian's boarding service.

But if you insist upon taking a furry friend on board, the safest way is to bring your pet as a carry-on item in a suitable carrier. Common pets (see below for types and airlines) are allowed on flights within the United States, provided that you make an advance reservation for them. Be sure to ask the deadline when you book. In order to qualify for the cabin, animals must be at least 8 weeks old, fully weaned, under 20 pounds, and healthy. The airline will usually ask you to furnish a clean bill of health from a veterinarian, prepared within 10 days of your departure. On some airlines, you may be asked to present certification that your pet has been vaccinated against rabies, especially for dogs.

Larger pets must be checked as baggage or travel as cargo. Pets checked as baggage received the same treatment as any other bag -- placed on the trolley, handled by the usual baggage handlers, and put in compartments with other bags. Airlines will assure you that these baggage compartments are pressurized and heated, but if the airline screws up you can't sue them; your pet qualifies only as damaged baggage.

Using an airline's cargo service is more expensive, but generally provides a plusher experience for the pet. The cargo area is legally required to be pressurized and heated, and the pets are last on and first off the plane, so they spend less time on the tarmac then pets checked as baggage.

In all cases, reserve space for your pet well in advance. Airlines all have restrictions on the total number of pets they can take in a cabin or as checked luggage, and it's first come, first serve.

If you're trying to take a pet outside the 48 continental U.S. states, you'll probably run into some complex restrictions. Hawaii demands that mainland pets be quarantined; the UK wants your pet to be implanted with a microchip and get various blood tests six months before you travel. For full details on the UK's requirements, see www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/q&a/usacanadaqa.htm. For Hawaii, see www.hawaiiag.org/hdoa/ai_aqs_info.htm. Ask your airline before you buy your ticket if you're thinking of bringing a pet abroad. The following chart is a quick summary of what airlines will and won't allow. For more information, you can click the name of any airline that's highlighted.

Pets in the Cabin

A pet weighing under 15 or 20 pounds (depending on the airline) can ride in a carrier under the seat in front of you. Buy your carrier at a pet-supply store. You can also rent carriers from Continental for $45 each, or from JetBlue for a mere $25. The pet must remain under the seat at all times and never let out of the carrier mid-flight. (If this idea breaks your heart, leave your pet at home.)

You can even cram two puppies or kittens into one kennel, provided they're under 6 months old and the same kind of animal.

While soft carriers will usually fit under the seat more easily, the American Humane Society recommends hard-sided kennels for safety, as they offer your animal greater protection. The ASPCA recommends that you line the bottom of the crate with shredded paper or towels to absorb accidents.

Passengers with disabilities have the right to bring service animals (such as Seeing Eye dogs) on board on their standard leash or harness, provided they do not block aisles and emergency exits or otherwise hinder the safe and efficient passage of other travelers.

Pets will count as your one carry-on item (except on Alaska, Continental and Northwest), and you must reserve a spot for your animal when you book your own flight. Along with your reservation comes the right to take precedence over allergic seatmates -- nobody can force you to move your pet.

Pets as Checked Baggage or Cargo

Pets traveling as cargo typically get better treatment by more skilled employees than pets traveling as checked baggage. Of course, you'll pay for that privilege: it can cost twice as much to send your pet as cargo than it does to check your pet as baggage. And you may have to drop your pet off and pick it up at an air cargo counter that's in a different terminal than the passenger ticket counter.

If you're moving house, if you have a fragile or valuable pet, or if you're trying to transport a group of animals, don't go directly to an airline. Instead, use a professional pet shipper, trusted by the airlines to get animals from Point A to Point B. Pet shippers are expensive, but they're the most trustworthy way to get your animal to its destination -- think of them as 'pet business class.' Reliable pet shippers can be found though the Independent Pet and Animal Transportation Association International (IPATA) (tel. 903/769-2267; www.ipata.com).

Whether your pet is baggage or cargo, your pet will ride in a compartment in the belly of the plane. You should use a USDA-approved, hard-sided kennel in this case. The crate should be large enough that your pet can stand, sit, and change position comfortably. You can purchase these from many pet-supply stores and sometimes from the airline itself.

Baggage compartments are climate-controlled, but airlines don't want to take their chances in extreme weather -- and neither should you. American and Delta don't accept pets as checked baggage between May 15 and September 15, and no airline will (or should) take your pet as checked baggage on days where the mercury tops 85°F. The problem isn't the temperature inside the plane -- it's the temperature outside while your pet is being loaded and unloaded.

Continental still accepts pets as cargo during extreme temperature situations, because it uses air-conditioned vans to bring the pets to the plane.

If it's below 45°F on the ground (50°F for Northwest and US Airways flights), you'll have to get a certificate from your veterinarian certifying that the poor thing won't freeze to death while it sits on the tarmac waiting to be loaded on the plane.

Short-nosed dogs and cats breeds require special care. Flatter facial structures mean these breeds take shorter breaths, and often have difficulty breathing in the lower pressures common at high altitudes. American, Northwest and US Airways ban them from any flight where the temperature will exceed 75°F, and Delta bans them when temperatures are over 70°F.

The ASPCA recommends that you write the words LIVE ANIMAL in letters at least 1 inch high, on top of the crate and on at least one side of the enclosure. Show the upright side of the kennel with prominent arrow indicators.

You should also write the name, address, and telephone number of the your pet's destination on the crate -- even if you're on board the same flight. This information should be easy to read and secured on top of the carrier. Your pet should also be wearing identification tags on a collar. Cat collars should be elastic.

The ASPCA also recommends that checked pet crates be rigged with separate compartments for food and water. Some airlines require this. Some airlines also require that airline personnel have access to these compartments without having to open the kennel where the pet is stowed. The ASPCA recommends that you freeze the pet's water so that it doesn't splash out during loading but will melt by the time your pet is thirsty.

For trips that last longer than 12 hours, you should attach a plastic bag with dry food on top of the carrier with feeding instructions for airline staff.

The ASPCA also suggests that you acquaint your pet with the crate the day before the trip. You may want to place food and water inside, for instance, so your pet gets used to eating in there.

Be sure that the crate is securely closed, but do not lock it. Airline staff should to be able to open the crate in case of an emergency.

In the unlikely event that your pet is lost -- a rare misfortune, but one that does occur from time to time -- airlines will usually remunerate you according to the same rates used for lost luggage compensation. This may be a problem; you'll have to show the financial value of your pet.

Airlines, the ASPCA, pet shippers, and veterinarians all warn against tranquilizing pets in flight, especially if the animal is traveling as baggage or cargo. Dogs in particular control their body temperature by panting, not sweating. When tranquilized, dogs may be unable to pant, which leaves them no defense against temperature irregularities in the cargo hold, which obviously is not monitored like the airplane cabin on the same flight.

Ah-choo! What if You're Allergic?

If you've ever thought that airlines treat you worse than a dog, well, you're right, in a way. While passengers with peanut allergies are attended to meticulously, no such accommodation is made for passengers allergic to someone's precious little furball.

Alas, you can't get a pet kicked out of the cabin, even if you're gasping in asthmatic horror from the treacherous dander. The best you can ask for is to be moved to another seat, or put on another flight, which airlines will do (especially if they see you suffering; nobody wants a lawsuit). Be sniffly, be pathetic, and play upon flight attendants' or gate agents' sympathies.

If you're severely allergic to dogs or cats, tell the airline at the time you reserve your flight, and check again at the airport to make sure nobody's bringing one into the cabin. Bring your medication and inhaler, just in case.

Your other alternative: fly Southwest or Frontier, neither of which allow animals (other than service animals) in their cabins.

Have you flown with a pet? Who did you fly with and how much did it cost? We'd love to read about your experiences on our Air Travel Message Boards today.