Flying on a airplane
 

I'm going to see my sister in March and taking Cocoa with me. It will be my first time flying with a dog. We're flying on Delta. Has anyone flown with their dogs? Any tips?

It's not something that I would do, because I don't think that Bella would be able to handle it without a lot of stress and sedation. We board her with our vet instead. That said, here is a link to Delta Airline's rules: https://www.delta.com/content/www/en...l-options.html

Edit: I assume that you want to take your dog on the plane with you in a carrier.

My biggest tip is make sure you don't put them in cargo. You also might want to get a sedative for just incase but make sure you try it before hand to know how it works.

Yes. I already have the carrier. She actually likes the carrier. I already have her reservations along with my ticket. My main thing really is that she don't eat dog food. I cook for her. How do I do this going on a plane?

How long is the flight?

2.5 hrs to Minneapolis and then a 5 hr layover and then 2 hrs to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The airport in Minneapolis has a room I can take her in to do her business.

The lay over might be your biggest issue. What do you homecook for her? She won’t eat any dry or canned dog food?

Be sure the pup is comfortable spending a lot,of time in the carrier. For that long a lay over you might want to consider a stroller also.
That is. Along trip for a fist time so a lot of it will depend on your pups xomfort with the strange sounds of the plane and the confinement on the plane.

You might want to consider renting a room at a hotel at the airport for the 5 hour layover so the pup can run around a bit.

Good luck!

She eats scrambled eggs.for.breakfast, baby carrots and Apple's for snacks and chicken or turkey with either sweet potatoes or rice with peas and carrots for supper. The vet says she's doing great and it's helping her allergies. She won't touch dry dog food and the only wet food she likes is nature's recipe but not sure if I can carry that on a plane or across the border.

I would look into freeze dried foods. Like Stella & Chewy's.

Also, check out Dog Jaunt » Traveling with a small dog - lots of great travel info!

Is that balanced? When homecooking, it needs to to be properly balanced or they could become deficient in certain vitamins etc.

I’ve flown with both Yorkie’s I’ve owned . Each personality was different but with Emma I didn’t feed her before we flew . Mcdonalds happy meal apples and gave a 1/2 baby Benadryl before take off so she was a bit tired for the flight .

Most airports have a pet relief , walk area so you should be okay letting your pup out the carrier for a bit .

You might want to look into what the rules with foods and stuff are. Maybe even look for if there is a pet store near the airport.

If benadryl had never been used I would try it before hand because it can cause a different reaction in different dogs but it is very safe.

Considering my username is airplane, I have to comment on this thread. It was years ago when I flew with Bijou. All I can think of for a tip is try to arrange for Cocoa to be with you in the cabin area, and it seems you’ve already done that so that’s good. I recall years ago of there being cases of dogs dying because the cargo area wasn’t heated. I’ve been on planes where someone had their dog in a carrier, and even with that the flight attendants would go around asking everybody about allergies and if someone said yes then they’d make the passenger allow their dog to be placed in the cargo area. I hope that doesn’t happen to you. Even with Delta’s policies, I think ultimately it’s up to the captain. As long as no passengers make any complaints, I’m sure it’ll be fine.

That seems kinda crappy since you pay an arm and a leg to get them to be in the carrier on the plane. Just makes me happy I don’t fly.

My daughter is a commercial pilot and works for Delta. That being said, you will need to check the carrier size for the specific flights you will be on, as the different planes have different seat settings and the space under the seats can vary. Also, there are limits to the number of pets allowed in the cabin per flight. You probably won't run into this as a problem, as you have planned ahead and are already on the list.

Inside the continental US there are 'Pet Relief' areas in major airports on the clean side of the security area. The law recently changed. That's just for potty space, not for walks or feeding. You will need to carry your pet's snacks/meals with you and keep them under the limits for liquids/food to be carried on. Checked baggage does not have those limits. I recommend putting meals in Ziploc and putting the Ziploc bags inside a second one inside your checked bag.

Double check about health restrictions. You may need to have documents from your vet about the health of your dog based on a visit within a certain number of days of your flight. This can make a difference because you are crossing an international border.

Allow additional time at the airport before you board. You will need to check in at the airport with your dog prior to going through security and going to the gate. You can not check in after security, at the gate.

Security isn't that bad. You will need to take your dog out of their carrier, put the carrier on the conveyor to be scanned and carry your dog through the metal detector as you go through it yourself. I recommend that you do not have your dog in a harness with a lot of metal bits. Velcro? Plastic? Not a problem. Metal? Not a good idea.

The cuteness of your dog is a mental factor in your favor. I kid you not. Adorable, tiny puppies get excellent treatment. Well behaved dogs get lots of leeway, too. It will not hurt to have treats that the security agents can feed to your dog to make the security agents feel like they are not just robots following protocol.

Carry extra poop bags. Get the disposable carrier liners for 'accidents' inside the carrier. Be kind to travelers seated near you and clean up as quickly as possible, to decrease the smell. Be prepared with pictures of your dog, looking adorable, on your phone or tablet.

Remember, there are many, many dog lovers that will be traveling at the same time. one of them might be seated right next to you and will aid you with your trip

I'm notgoing putting her in cargo. They either let her on board with me or we don't go.

:goodpost:

I have the medium delta Sherpa carrier. They said that would be fine. I won't get my seat until I get to the airport since I got the cheap flight. I was on the phone with delta when I booked it.

United Airlines was no problem, flew from Seattle to Charlotte layover in Chicago!
Had my 10 pound Yorkie under the front sear in a soft carrier. Let him walk on a leash in the Airport once I was near my Gate. This was the first trip with my rescue Yorkie I got 5 years ago he is 9 years old now. He didn’t have any mishaps and didn’t use the doggy Relief area he just didn’t have to go.
Just be calm yourself it will all work out.

We're flying delta. It's gonna be fine. I'm having faith.

I fly with Sadie twice a year on Southwest. They are very welcoming to her and I must say she is a saint. Some folks won't sit in my row if they know she's there, but she never makes a peep.
I do not feed her before the flight and take a pee pad, wet wipes, and a small plastic bag, but she has never needed them. The ladies in the bathroom are always good about my putting a pee pad down, but has never used it. She just loves up the ladies!

I swear, God gave me the best puppy in the world. :littleang

Interesting about asking every one about allergies. I am allergic to a couple perfumes but no one has every attempted to accommodate that for me on a plane. Sounds like they are just targeting dogs.

One time while flying (we fly a lot) the lady sitting next to me had just been given a bag of peanut and pretzel mix, and she leaned over and asked if my dog was hypoallegic. I laughed and said no, she loves pretzels:D

One good thing about Cocoa...She has the hair of a toy poodle. Luckily since I'm allergic to dogs.

Yorkies have hair like humans and poodles have fur. People are generally allergic to dander not the actual hair.

She has hair. It's curly hair.

Just saw on the new the other day that the airlines are getting really picky about pets on board. If it's a service animal, papers must be presented before booking the flight. If it's an emotional support pet, papers from a mental health facility or a psychiatric facility must be presented and verified.

There was an article specifically about Delta Airlines. Here is a link to the news article: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/tra...ervice-n841376

I can attest to this. I was wanting to fly with both Scottie and Casie on a short 2 hour trip to the prairies last summer. I had read that it's not a problem to bring your pup on board as long as you pay for your ticket. But, in the fine print, which I forgot to read, I had to call into their 1-800 number to let them know I want to travel with dogs. The flight I was on had a limit of two pets. Going to the destination, there were two pet spots available. But on the return flight, one spot was taken. The person on the phone politely said, well, you can only fly with one of them back. *gasp* I ended up leaving both of them at home with their grandma. :p

Anyway. Calling ahead of time is super important.

Funny the mentioning about allergies. On that flight coming back, there was actually a cat on board who took one of the pet spots. I was like what?! I'm allergic to cats... luckily, I didn't have an allergic reaction. I guess if I wasn't told, I wouldn't have known. But it's interesting. In a room (or if a room previously had a cat in it) my throat closes up and I can't breath. I was surprised that in the airplane cabin it was actually okay.

Love the pretzels comment! :D