Flying with a small dog?

Question

I have never traveled with my dog but in mid November of this year I am flying from Hawaii (Oahu) to Illinois. I have tried to look some information up online but to be honest...it kind of confused me. She is onlye about 13-14 pounds and I know the flight will be over 10 hours long. Any suggestions on what airlines I can use and what the best ones are for pets? How long does it take to get the animal checked in as baggage? Any information or personal experiance would be great! Thanks!!!

Answer 1

I know this isn't the same as Hawaii (Oahu) to Illinois, but while in Spain at Christmas, there were 3 (small) dogs on our flight.

All in pet carriers & then on the knee's of their owners.

I imagine they'd have something to calm them, but if we hadn't seen them, we'd never have known they were on our flight.

Answer 2

carry on only!!!!!! never check a pet- THEY AREN'T LUGGAGE!

    Alaska Airlines: 2 deaths, 3 injuries, 1 loss

    American Airlines: 6 deaths

    Comair: 1 injury

    Continental Airlines: 8 deaths, 8 injuries

    Delta: 2 deaths, 2 losses

    Frontier: 1 injury

    Hawaiian: 3 injuries

    Horizon: 2 deaths, 1 injury

    Midwest: 1 death

    Northwest: 2 injuries, 2 losses

    Pinnacle: 2 injuries

    Shuttle America (United Express): 1 death

    SkyWest: 1 death

    United Airlines: 4 deaths

    US Airways: 1 death, 1 injury, 1 loss

    Total: 28 deaths, 22 injuries, 6 losses = 56 incidents

    * Continental Airlines accounted for more than one-quarter of the deaths (eight out of 24) and a little more than one-third of the injuries (eight out of 22).

    * American Airlines had six deaths, the next-greatest number of deaths after Continental.

    * About 70 percent of the incidents involved dogs, who are commonly forced to travel in cargo rather than in the cabin.

Note:

Answer 3

i am flying with my 13 pound cat in october on a 10 hour flight. he is coming with me on board and will be folded up in a tiny bag to sit under the chair and will defintely be sedated.

i dont know whether or not hawaii is considered a domestic flight or not, you'll need to check that out - but for my flight i have to get my cat a rabies less than a year and more than a month before my flight. 7 days before my flight, i have to take him to an internationaly certified vet to get a final health check up and an international health certificate. i than have to get that stamped by the nearest USDA office before the flight.

those are the things to do in an internationaly flight. again, check about hawaii becasue its so far and the flora/fuana that are endemic to a tropical region are going to be completely different from here.

call the airline you chose and check with them the size of the bag you are allowed to bring. i think delta and continental are a bit bigger. usually its up to 20 pounds. i woulnd't get your animal check at baggage if you can avoid it, esp. since she is small enough to come on board with you.

just make sure to call the airline and your local department of agriculture to get the correct paperwork. you dont want to be stuck leaving her behind at teh airport

Answer 4

When I've been on flights I've seen quite a few small dogs with their owners. They've usually just been put in there kennels underneath the seat or in front of the passenger. Personally, I don't have experience with this myself, but I'd recommend not checking them in as luggage. Since she's a small dog, you might as well use it to your advantage.

As for the barking. If you go and talk to your vet, they will probably give her a sedative, which will just make her tired so she doesn't bark. Just make sure that the vet isn't giving her too much, as high amounts of sedatives are very dangerous to pets. They can even cause death if given too much. Not too worry though, it's very rare for that to happen. Just make sure you're going to a vet that knows what happens to a dog's body when up at high altitudes.

Good luck, and hope all goes well with the move!