With the holidays closing in on us, flying to visit the
folks back home is common place but comes with a dilemma: leave your pet at a
boarding place, with a pet sitter, or take them with you on the plane. I, Carly, don’t really see where the dilemma
is as I believe in the NDLB (No Dog Left Behind) rule of paw so boarding or
left to the whims of a pet sitter is pretty much out of the question.
I’m talking about in-cabin flying
for pets only because no self-respecting upper crust pup would fly cargo. Coach
is acceptable because coach and first class pretty much arrives at your
destination at the same time. But fly C.A.R.G.O.? Oh PAWLEEZE! Let’s not forget what happened to that C.A.T.
that flew cargo during Snakes on a Plane.
(Don’t think I’m not without compassion
for those pony sized pups that won’t fit on
the seat of a plane let alone under
it leaving cargo the only option but they can probably send any snakes
scurrying into the far end of the hold. If they are furry it might help offset
the potential for near freezing temperatures in the cargo hold if flying in the
northern regions during the winter months but fur – real or faux – is no
guaranteed protection against the non climate control cargo hold and as such
must to taken into consideration before flying with your pet during the holidays.)
This might be a good time to note
that I, Carly, believe if God had meant for me to fly He’d given me wings (with
incredible plumes of brilliantly colored feathers I might add) but seeing the
only other choice is to be left behind in some dog boarding place, sans my
beloved human, addressing pet flying is necessary this time of the year.
Flying outside the United States will come with yet a different set of rules to consider: that of the destination country, but for flying within the United States in-cabin flying rules depend on the airline. Contact the airline you intend to fly on for a detailed list of its regulations for flying in-cabin with a pet. Don’t rely on what you heard from a friend or a list you got three years ago as rules most likely change as frequently as an air marshal’s socks.
Of course you supervised your
human’s packing of your travel wear and know that each day’s outfit and
coordinating upper crust pup accessories are in order as well as your travel
size containers of your best pet grooming products, perfume, and favorite
stuffed toy and blanket. Aside from that very important travel readiness there
are some equally important things to consider. Speaking of travel wear every
outfit and collar should have your name and your human’s contact information
sewn in securely as a safety precaution lest you get separated from your human.
TIP: You should have eaten lightly about
two to four hours prior to flying as eating too close to flying could cause a
tummy upset. The airline provides a barf bag but probably not in your size.
Your human should know exactly what can be brought on the plane such as dog
snacks and your personal bottle of Badoit.
Because each airline’s rules vary I’ve chosen
Delta for a list of common rules for in-cabin flying with pets which may or may
not apply to other airline companies. All the rules and regulations are of no
matter if you are of a certain breed, upper crust pup or not. Delta does not
accept snub nose or pug nose breeds of pets as checked baggage. So if you’re a
Pekinese, Pug, Lhasa Apso, Shar Pei, Shih Tzu, or one of their other twenty
breeds listed on their website as of this
writing you will not be flying in-cabin.
This is not canine profiling, it’s
for your pet’s own safety.
For additional pet safety Delta airlines also has seasonal restrictions as well. Its winter embargo is no pet flying on flights operated between Sun Valley, ID, Twin Falls, ID, or Jackson Hole, WY between November 1 and March 31st, nor will they allow pets to fly during any extreme weather. So that ski trip to Sun Valley just might have to be changed. Besides dogs look silly in snow boots so have your human tell her ski-bum parents they’ll have to come visit her for the holidays because she isn’t traveling without her furriest best friend. They’ll probably send her a gift card to Target as her holiday gift but she'll think it's worth it to spend the holidays with you.
Kennel restrictions. I laugh. How convenient Delta just happens to “sell” “approved” kennels for pets to fly on their airlines. Whatever. However degrading it is to be put in a tiny kennel think of the alternative: (spending the holidays without your beloved human by your side). So think of it as a cozy little den to take a nap in and the real bonus is you are not within reach of a curious furless little creature that may not be current on its vaccines, aka: the human toddler!! If push comes to shove, just be so adorable that the airline personnel will be begging your human to take you out of your cave so they can pet you. If your kennel just happens to be as cute as you the flight attendants will be sure to take notice and want to see what adorableness may be tucked away inside. Petflys has some attention getting airline travel approved carriers.
For additional pet safety Delta airlines also has seasonal restrictions as well. Its winter embargo is no pet flying on flights operated between Sun Valley, ID, Twin Falls, ID, or Jackson Hole, WY between November 1 and March 31st, nor will they allow pets to fly during any extreme weather. So that ski trip to Sun Valley just might have to be changed. Besides dogs look silly in snow boots so have your human tell her ski-bum parents they’ll have to come visit her for the holidays because she isn’t traveling without her furriest best friend. They’ll probably send her a gift card to Target as her holiday gift but she'll think it's worth it to spend the holidays with you.
Kennel restrictions. I laugh. How convenient Delta just happens to “sell” “approved” kennels for pets to fly on their airlines. Whatever. However degrading it is to be put in a tiny kennel think of the alternative: (spending the holidays without your beloved human by your side). So think of it as a cozy little den to take a nap in and the real bonus is you are not within reach of a curious furless little creature that may not be current on its vaccines, aka: the human toddler!! If push comes to shove, just be so adorable that the airline personnel will be begging your human to take you out of your cave so they can pet you. If your kennel just happens to be as cute as you the flight attendants will be sure to take notice and want to see what adorableness may be tucked away inside. Petflys has some attention getting airline travel approved carriers.
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| The Butterfly from Petflys |
Last, but not least, well nearly the least is their pesky “health requirement” As though your human would take you out with the sniffles. Yeah, Yeah, that requires a trip to the vet so he/she can reiterate what your human already knows you’re all fine and dandy for traveling. This little “must-do” must be done within a ten day time period prior to your trip. Sigh. A nice little physical never hurt anyone let alone an upper crust pup so suck it up as again, there is only the alternative. These are just some of Delta’s requirements, which could change tomorrow so please have your human contact them or whatever airline you plan to travel on for a current list of ad nauseam rules of flying in-cabin with pets.
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| Fit for First Class: Outfit From Little Dog Fashion |
Happy Travels!
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http://dreamingofapinkchristmas.blogspot.com/
http://holidaysafetytipsforpets.blogspot.com/
Note: I chose Delta because
1.) it’s an airline that flies in and out of my home airport, and 2.) does it really
matter? It’s for example purposes only
:-)
