[rachael7]

Hi everyone. I am planning to take Lola with me to Atlanta for Christmas. I have already reserved her spot on the plane (apparently Delta will only allow 2 pets on per flight, so you have to reserve a spot in advance) and bought an airline approved small Bali2 carrier.

Has anyone else flown with their chi that can give me some advice on what to expect? Or suggestions or tips to make the trip easier on her/me/the other people on the flight? Thanks!

 

[Ms_P]

Ohio to Atlanta should be a fairly short flight.
Just make sure you get her used to being in the bag before you go.
There shouldn't be any problems. When I flew home with Koke all she did was sleep. I doubt you will have any problems.

 

[KB]

Anxious to hear how it goes, may you have a smooth flight!

 

[stelun]

Can't give u any advices....sorry!

Are you allowed keeping the dog with you at your seat?

 

[Auggies Mom]

Auggie has flown twice with no problems. definitely try to get her used to the bag. I put a small toy and a chewstick in for Auggie but he really sleeps almost the whole trip. I would try to keep her from napping too much before the flight. I put Auggies carrier under the seat facing me and put an blanket over the other sides. Good luck. :lol:

 

[rachael7]

Stelun- She will be under the seat in front of me, I felt that the $75 expense each way was worth it to be able to keep an eye on her and know that she was safe. Otherwise I would just worry like crazy the whole flight and she would probably cry like crazy as well.

Ms_P & Auggies Mom- It is a relief to know that both of your chis slept through their flights....I will play with her a lot before hand to get her tuckered out and hope that she will also sleep on the plane. The flight is about 2 hours and is a direct flight, so hopefully, it won't be too hard on her.

I have been working on getting her used to her carrier over the past few weeks, it as just recently that I was finally able to get the side zipped up with her in it. Today, she hopped in and I zipped her up and we walked around the apartment for awhile and I gave her some treats in her carrier. She seems to be getting more comfortable with it, so hopefully by the time December rolls around she will feel completely comfortable in the carrier.

I will post after christmas to give a run down on our travel experience. If anyone else has any tips for us...please feel free to chime in :hello2:

 

[JeepGirlTX]

Daisy has flown with me a couple of times. The first time I drugged her because I thought it would be easier on her. I totally don't recommend it. The other times I didn't drug her and she was fine the whole flight. She mostly slept... or just sat there quietly staring at my feet. Either way, she was no trouble at all. The most stressful part is going through security because you have to take her out of bag so they can x-ray it and walk her through the human metal detector. Daisy freaked a bit because she didn't know what was going on and there were tons of people around yelling, "LOOK AT THE PUPPY!"

I usually fly American. They don't require a health certificate, but some airlines do. You should check on that. I usually get one from my vet anyway just in case. (Daisy is on a health plan so I get them for free.) I also get a copy of her rabies vaccine certificate, just in case. They've never asked for any of these things, but I feel better having them with me. Also, I know American requires a rabies vaccine within a year of the flight. Some states only require them every 3 years, so if she hasn't had one this year, you should check on that too.

My only other advice is dress her in something warm. You know how chilly airplanes can get. Oh, and be sure to walk her at the last possible moment before you get on the plane. I will usually take away Daisy's food the night before and not give her breakfast, but for a two hour flight, you should be fine, I think.

As a side note, American charges $80 each way AND she counts as my carry-on. It makes me really mad that I have to pay extra AND can't bring a carry-on. I'm tempted to just sneak her on (no one has ever asked for documentation that I paid the pet fee or anything), but then I think, "What if I get caught?" When I moved to Dallas and brought my cat with me, the pet fee was only like $40. That was only 4 years ago. It seems like it gets more expensive every year

 

[Ms_P]

Well I'll share a secret with you about the fee.
My breeder told me not to pay it when I got my ticket. He said the people at security are not interested weather or not you paid for the dog to fly they just want to make sure you don't have anything dangerous with you and get you on your way so they can take care of the next person.
When I got on the plane with Koke no one asked for any proof I had paid the fee. All I had to show them was the boarding pass.
If you get caught all they will do is make you pay the fee. So it won't keep you from boarding as long as you can pay it right there.
The breeder told me his normal job requires him to fly alot and several times has met people that are purchasing 1 of their puppys in the airport when he lands. He said he has never paid the fee, and none of the airport people ever asked him for any proof that he had.

 

[Auggies Mom]

I have been told that about the fee too but was so worried about getting caught and missing the plane I am too chicken to try it. The first time I flew with Auggie was American and i thought 80 each way was bad. Last month I flew us air and it was 100 each way. What really gripes me is he is so quiet no one even knows I have a dog and his carrier is about half the size of most peoples carryons :x I did have to have a health certificate for Auggie but I don't know if that was because I was flying out of the continental US :roll:

 

[absolethe]

I flew Airtran, they don't require a health certificate and the fee is $50 per flight. They were all nice and pretty interested in Puck.

I don't know if I'd be brave enough to go without paying the fee, though I might try to sneak on 2 for the price of one...who would know?


Puck flew with me when he was only about 16 weeks old. We went home to Florida for Christmas--which is about the length of the flight from Ohio to Atlanta, as I've done the one from Florida to Akron, too. It's about twice the length of Atlanta to Florida. 45mins-1hr on the plane, I think.

Puck was very good (like he always is), but it seemed as if the take offs and landings made him uncomfortable (probably pressure, they make my ears pop too). He whined and howled a little bit. But I actually kept him up in my lap most of the time and opened the zipper on his cage enough to where he could get his nose out and I kept my hand in here with him through most of the flight.


What offends me about it. Is, why 2 pets max in the cabin? Why does it matter? Why do I have to pay extra to have a pet under my seat AS MY CARRY ON, when my 1 year old could sit in my lap for no extra fee, and ISN'T a carry on? It really makes me mad when I think about it. :angryfire:

 

[JeepGirlTX]

I'm afraid that if I don't pay the fee, they will already be past their allotted number of pets. American allows 2 in first class and 5 in coach, so I doubt that would happen, but I am normally traveling around the holidays and I just feel better knowing that there won't be any issues. Plus I couldn't claim, "Oh, I didn't know there was a pet fee" since I've flown with her before and paid it. Or what if the plane crashes and no one knows to look for her? Not that I think they would care about the well-being of my dog if the plane crashed

I'm too chicken. I justify the expense because it would cost more for me to board her if I left her here. (Though I did find a kennel that I like -- they only allow dogs under 30 lbs. When I went to check it out, it was all dachshunds and yorkies and poodles. They run around and play all day. They only put them in their pens at night.)

That's true about the kids sitting on your lap thing. I never thought of it that way. Daisy is quieter than a baby too. It's just another way for them to make money....