airline tips
has anyone ever experienced bringing their oes on the plane (cargo or baggage) - if so, how much did they charge and which airline did you take? london will probably be around 40 - 50 lbs (if this help) any help will be greatly appreciated! thaaanks lore  |
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| Usually airlines charge by the kennel size. Almost every airline has their charges on their website, usually in the section marked pets.
When I was doing research on flying Toby in there were a few airlines that the breeder reccommended, we used Delta. They may loose luggage and have really rude servive people but they care for pets quite well. Our breeder uses them quite a bit and has been pleased with them. There were also some airlines that we were told to stay away from, namely American. I fly american all the time but apparently as good as they are with people they are terrible with pets. The way it was put to me is that they "hate dogs". All of these statements are opinion. Remember that the FAA is now listing which airlines have problems with animals and what those problems were. You should definitely reference that website as well. Many airlines also have weather restrictions that they list on their sites. The biggest thing that they all say when you speak to them is that just because you buy the space for your dog doesn't mean it's going to fly. Make sure that you check the weather at departure and arrival points both coming and going. I'd hate to see you fly him out there only to arrive back home and have them tell you they couldn't put him on the plane because it was too hot. (It has and does happen.) Then he would be left sitting at the airport. If you do fly him, freeze his water dish so that he has water throughout the flight, he can lick it as it thaws. And only use the small dish that comes with the kennel. |
| thank you sooo much for these helpful tips. |
| When I took our foster dog to Hawaii from Boston nearly 2 years ago, and checked him as baggage, the cost was $80 per flight section.
A layover for a connecting flight didn't incur extra charges, but since we stayed overnight (actually 2 days) in LA, we had to pay a total of $160. Their maximum weight, including the crate and bedding, is 100 pounds. They seemed to take care of Winston OK, though animals were last on and last off, so we had quite a wait collecting him in LA. Good luck! |
| My only dog flying experience was when we got Barney. He was in California and we live in Virginia, so we flew him out. We flew on American and had no problems.
Make sure you check the weather. LA won't be a problem any time of year, but New York can be. They don't allow pets to fly if the temp is less than freezing, I believe, but will accept a note from the vet saying it is okay for him to travel in temps down to 10 degrees (or something like that). Even though the cargo area is heated during flight, they have to sit on the runway, etc. sometimes for an extended period of time and w on't allow them if it is too cold. Check the weight restrictions. LA isn't a problem, but (from my experience--we flew San Diego to Richmond, VA) they only allow a certain weight (the airports themselves). Barney was 6 months at the time and weighed 50 pounds and his crate weighed 20 pounds and the limit was 70 pounds and the flight guy almost didn't let him come because he was between 70 and 71 pounds. That said, if he HAD been too heavy for San Diego, the next option would have been to drive up to LAX, which allows heavier dog cargo. So, check to see if your local airport can handle his weight. They only allow dogs on board that are small enough to fit in a crate, which can fit under the seat, so that would eliminate an OES. Our flight for Mr. Barney cost us I think about 100 something one way. It made a pit stop in Dallas, so I think they charge for each section of the flight. Also, we weren't flying with the dog, so I don't know what, if any, differences apply to a dog traveling with the owner on the plane, versus just being shipped... One more thing...Flying can be quite stressful to a dog, so even though 3 weeks seems like a long time, make sure your dog will handle it well. We went out to CA for 2 weeks this summer and were thinking about bringing Barney along, but decided that it would be too much stress on him for a relatively short period of time (and he doesn't get upset very easily..) |
| I thought i'd let you know - i spent 6 hours on the phone yesterday (via relay) calling various airlines about checking london on the plane..
this is what i found out starting oct 1st - american airlines, usairways and united are not allowing any dogs under cargo - only small dogs in the cabin.. only service dogs are allowed. they offically banned having animals under the plane.. delta and northwest is pretty much bankrupted so i didnt want to risk buying a ticket from them. I was impressed w/ contiential airlines over the phone - although i admit, I havent seen them in person.. but they were really helpful and explained that their airline is one of the 3 airlines that has special thermo thingy under the plane to keep the dogs warm during cold weather.. which is nicce because I'd be flying out of buffalo. I will be in california for 4 weeks, not 3 my bad. Im nervous about having london the plane.. im so used to carrying maddy (my siamese) in the cabin with me.. but never put an animal under the plane. i decided to buy my ticket thru contiential - i'll let you all know how that goes once I get to sunny california. I sure do miss home!!!!! im gonna get the most comfortable squishiest bed for london's crate:) |
| Yuki has been on a plane before. I actually think it cost $200. There was lots of pee involved, so I recommend a towel underneath or a puppy pad (unless your dog likes to chew them up). Otherwise, she did fine. |
4 weeks sounds much better to transport london than just 3 
I agree with Joah--bring towels for the pee--there will be pee! As far as I know, all commercial planes have heated cargo holds, but they can't turn the heat on when they are doing stuff on the runway (like loading cargo, etc) so that is why there is the rule for temperatures. Otherwise it would be negative a million degrees in there when the plane is at 30,000 feet! London will do fine--he'll probably be a little 'off' for the first day or so (maybe puppies get jet lag?) but he'll be fine. Mine flew from California to Virginia and it took him a few days to recover (but we were rescuing him so he was getting to know us and our house, as well as recovering from flight!). I hope you have a good trip...where's home? |
| Because I just booked a flight with my 3.5 month old sheepie, can you tell me how your flight arrangements went and do you have any new tips?
Thanks, Aurelie |
| london was really good on the plane -It's kind of complicated - there was a major misunderstanding at the airline. After two flight attendants refused to write to communicate with me, they told me to bring london the plane with me (in the cabin)..I was confused because I thought he had to be checked in the cargo but went along with it anyway because they were all rushed. London slept on the plane the whole 6 hrs (from newark to Los Angeles). I was surprised on how well behaved he was. he slept underneath me and there wasnt anyone sitting next to me so he had some extra room. Anyway when i arrived into LAX - i found out that the stewardess thought that London was a service dog - because I was deaf. pfft. but I shouldnt complain because he flew on the plane for free and less hassle.
but anyway he was good about it - i think it's because he's so used to car rides - maybe that helped? |
| You may have the world's 1st service OES! Yay! 1st class all the way! |
That's really funny! And so cool!!  |
| That's great that he got to ride with you And free too! Can't beat that! |
| Yeah, I'd definitely run with that! That "mistake" probably saved you a lot of headaches around the whole process! |
What a lucky mistake 
Glad to hear he was so well behaved too |
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