Just an update: Cocoa and I flew to Canada March 22, 2018 and she did great. No one even knew I had a dog on the plane. She was so quiet. I was so proud of her. We flew home March 31st and the same thing...good as gold. In Minneapolis on the way back, the security people told me that since she was so well behaved, I didn't have to keep her in the carrier at the airport. The people at Burger King even made her chicken nuggets before lunch time. It was a great trip.

I was told in Nashville, TN at the airport that United is no longer accepting pets due to what happened. We flew Delta.

Glad everything went well and kudos to Burger King!

Awesome!! :thumbup:

Hi arcountrygirl75,

I'm glad your Delta flight(s) worked out so well.

Linked Peoplepets article dated March 14, 2018, United Airlines Plans to Change Pet Policy ... talks about its planned pet policies following the death of a beloved French bulldog forced to fly in an overhead compartment. Quoting a United spokesperson, article says

“To prevent this from happening again, by April we will issue bright colored bag tags to customers traveling with in-cabin pets. This visual tag will further help our flight attendants identify pets in-cabin...”

Has anyone flown United to know if the "bright colored" baggage tags are being issued?

I don't think a bright colored tag would have prevented the Frenchie from dying. The flight attendant knew it was a dog.

Suspect the new tags are meant to both identify the nature of the carrier and serve as additional caution.

CNBC article, "United Airlines: Owner of dog .... told flight attendant," reports the pup's mama told the attendant about the dog. United Airlines claims "the flight attendant ... did not hear or understand the woman."

Glad things worked out for you on Delta. Think that would be my "go to" airline after the good experience you had.

Hadn’t heard that. I wonder if she is just claiming that to not look bad. Who knows. It’s so important for owners to speak up for there pets.

United Airlines / Dogs in Cargo Hold
 

Gizmodo, "United Airlines to Resume Putting Cats and Dogs in Cargo Holds This July"; 2 May 2018.

Various details of the new policy in the article. Also refers to "new partnership with American Humane to ensure that fewer pets die on its flights. The animal welfare organization first made its reputation in the middle of the 20th century when it advocated for the proper treatment of animals on film sets."

I noticed on Facebook that one airline is banning certain breeds.

Read the article...and felt my heart sink reading about the Frenchie again. :( He was only 10 months old. It's too tragic. Poor baby...

Yes, American Airlines has a policy that brachycephalic, or short nosed, animals can not be transported as cargo. They do not limit them if they are flying in-cabin.

They are also banning breeds with what they consider strong jaws.

Yikes! I didn't see that on the AA website. It only listed the short nosed breeds of dog and cat.

I’m not sure which one it was honestly. I read it but I don’t fly so I must have kept it in the temporary files of my brain lol.

I have traveled on United twice with my girl since the heartbreaking death of the French bulldog. We fly across country most months to visit my husband (necessary inconvenience)

Changes since March - I can no longer check in online or curbside. I must go to special services ticket counter to check in for my flight and they now issue a boarding pass for my girl.

No bright colored tags...

I hope that helps.

Thank you.

One does wonder what became of the bright orange tags....

Tips for flying on airplanes with your dog
 

Bring something for your dog to do on the airplane, like chew on an antler or Kong w/ peanut butter. Make sure your dog carrier fits under the seat and complies with the airline policies. I always suggest getting a soft sided carrier so even if it's a little bigger, your dog gets more room and the bag can easily squish down. Dog carriers that look like purses and have extra areas for your stuff are great like the Alex dog carrier by Kwigy-Bo or the Marlee by Petote, the Porsha Dog Carrier by Hello Doggie (amazing newer carrier on the market) or even the Diamond Cut Carrier by JCLA (your dog can see and breathe out from everywhere within the bag but no one can see in, great for sneaking into restaurants while away on your travels!).

Couple other airline travel tips
 

Great tip! I love these bags!

I would like to offer a couple of other travel tips have help us have a more relaxed, less stressful travel day.

My little lady does not like the airport potty areas (she thinks they are gross and refuses to walk on them! LOL!) we typically have to deal with at least one layover so I have started putting on a cute cloth diaper with liner when changing planes. She uses her diaper if she needs to go between flights and as an added bonus looks pretty darn cute ;) easy clean up.

I feed a mostly raw diet. When traveling I like the dehydrated raw (it is an easy way for me to make sure my little one is getting enough hydration) I put a couple of meals in a small Tupperware add water before leaving for the airport, put Tupperware a 2 quart ziplock baggie then put the Tupperware in a insulated lunch bag. When going through security I always remove baggie with food from lunch bag and place both in its own bin. I have never had any trouble getting the food through the tsa checkpoint. That said I always carry dry food with me (!) just in case I have trouble with security or have travel delays - which unfortunately do happen.

I hope these tips help. If you have to fly with your baby I wish you a stress free and fun trip!

*not sure what happened to the the bright orange tags?!? Maybe they are on the way? I will update in June if we are issued one*

Sorry forgot to mention something of importance - I add a frozen gel ice pack to lunchbox to keep food fresh - this ice pack must be frozen solid when going through security if not, it could cause difficulties.

Also, when going through security be prepared to have your hands swabbed (not sure why) if the swab doesn’t come back ‘green’ all of your items will need to be swabbed and you will need to be patted down. This is very time consuming. I am sure others have mentioned this but when traveling with your little one give yourself a lot of extra time.

I always fly Delta.

Yep, Delta is our fav:D

Feeling nervous about our upcoming trip in July. My two will fly for the first time...
I'm worried for some reason the airline will not approve my carriers (I read that it depends on who is working at the check in desk) and if they do, then we can't fly out. Should I buy a backup bag and pack it just in case? We're going to attend a wedding and the last thing I need is to not be able to make it.

If there was a tag on the carrier when you bought it that said “airline approved” hang on to that.

My two bags are a few years old, I don't have the tags anymore. :(

If the bag is the flexible kind and there is only one dog in each bag you should be ok. They only time I have heard them complain was one time when they determined the dog was too big for the bag.

The bags are both flexible, have ventilation from the top, one end and a smaller ventilation from the other end. They can turn around in the bag, but can\'t exactly stand up in it. Is that okay? We\'re flying West Jet.