The airlines will charge you for a pet ticket. It used to be $80 to $100 one way, but I'm sure it has gone up by now.
You must make your reservations either in person or by telephone. This is because you must request accommodations to bring your dog aboard the plane, and they restrict the number of pets per flight. You can't do this by reserving your tickets online.
Just because you've made your reservation for Spammy, I've learned from personal experience that you should call back at least twice, just to make sure you really have the reservation for Spammy. When I made my reservation, I thought it was all set. Then when I called back to confirm, there was no record of me bringing a dog aboard. After I slammed my head into my computer, I again made the reservation for the dog. I was lucky that the number of pets for that flight hadn't been reached yet.
Ask what the dimensions of the carrier should be, and then don't believe them. I had two different reservations people on two different occasions several days apart tell me the same exact dimensions, but being a "belt and suspenders" type person, I called a third time and learned the information they told me was incorrect, and there was much less space for the carrier than I'd been told. This was a huge problem since I was going to be traveling with a larger Yorkie too.
Spammy must stay in his carrier throughout the flight, and his carrier must remain under the seat in front of you. Do not get a bulkhead seat because there will be no seats in front of you for Sammy's carrier to go under. I've been advised not to get an aisle seat because the electronics/mechanics for the seats are there, which reduces the amount of space for Spammy's carrier, but a friend flew with her dog and had an aisle seat with no trouble.
Spammy must be cleared for travel by a vet, and you must have this in writing in case someone demands to see it. The info, on a vet's stationery, should contain his age, weight, that he has no communicable diseases and is in good health for travel, and should affirm that Sammy is up-to-date on all required innoculations. That means in addition to meeting the requirements of your home state, he would also have to meet the requirements of the state you're visiting. So if you state requires an rabies shot every three years, and Arizona requires on every year, he must meet Arizona's requirements and have had a shot within the last year. Conceivably, if someone were to ask for this info when you land, and you do not have it or it does not meet the state requirements, they could either put him in quarantine or you would not be allowed to stay and would have to return home with him. They don't always ask for this info, but if they encounter someone who goes by the book, you want to be prepared.
Get Spammy used to being squished in a carrier before your trip. You can't just spring this on him the day of the flight because he will already be stressed by new environment and the noise and vibrations during the flight.
Line the bottom of the carrier with several layers of incontinence pads, then put the soft lining on top of that. If you can get him to pee on command, it will make clean-up easier. If he gets nervous and has a bm or worse yet diarrhea, again it will help with clean-up. Also bring a supply of baby wipes, and don't forget water for him.
The height American Airlines finally told me was nine inches high. The dog must be able to stand up and turn around. That makes no sense. All but the tiniest dogs are more than nine inches high. Ultimately a friend flew with the dog I was going to fly with, and she had a soft-sided carrier that fit under the seat in front of her with no trouble. The dog could not stand up or turn around, but he was able to lie comfortably. Unfortunately for her and him, he was stressed to the max and cried throughout the entire flight despite the tranquilizer the vet had provided. It didn't help when she got his hair caught in the zipper after she'd opened it to give him water and some comfort. He was crying, she was crying, and a stewardess took him in the bag and managed to get his hair out of the zipper. TG it wasn't me because I'd have had a meltdown.
Good luck, and let us know how it goes. |