Carry-On Dogs? A New Allowance Enters the Airline Industry
If you have a small breed dog, you may have wished at some point
or another that you could just put your dog in one of your dog carriers and sneak them onto the plane under your arm. It is always so much
nicer to have them with you rather than mis them when you are away, and while it may seem a good idea at the time sneaking a dog on as carry on luggage is not the best idea. Somewhere along the way, your little guy is bound to scream out or bark at least once—landing you in the hot seat. That doesn’t sound like fun at all, but traveling with your dog as allowed carry on luggage certainly does, doesn’t it?
It’s Slowly Catching On…
While the idea of being able to take your dog in as carry on luggage is
not confined to only one airline, it certainly does not meet the
industry standards. These rules only allow people with small dog carriers and equally tiny dogs to ride on board. The airline industry has
responded to the increase in numbers of small dogs and toy breeds being taken in by people who like to travel with them, and responded to that with this new thing. Many times, no more than two dogs are allowed on the plane at once—one in the front, one in the rear.
If there is a person who swears by a bad enough allergy to not want to
travel with the pet or there is a person who is scared enough of the
pet not to board the plane, the traveler with the pet will normally be
scheduled another flight. While the health of human passengers always
takes precedent over the small dog allowance, most flyers are accommodated for their inconvenience.
Getting Airline Approved Carriers
It’s important to note that dogs must be in airline approved travel pet carriers in order to be allowed on the plane. The carrier is one of
the things that is assessed by the airline employee before the pet is allowed on board the plane, and if the carrier does not appear to be big enough for the pet or even seems to be too big, the pet will not be allowed to board.
In addition, there must be some means for absorption of any messes that the dog may make in their crate, and pet owners are expected to take care of any such incidents properly and as sanitarily as possible.
When looking for carriers that adhere to airline carry on standards,
it is best to buy the carrier from places that know what the airline
standards are. All pets in their carrier must be able to fit underneath
the front seat, although that will not be expected. That regulation is
the size by which the airlines go by in order to determine if the carrier
and dog combined are too big for a comfortable lap ride.
Pet Carriers on Wheels
When it comes to pets being able to ride in your lap, pet carriers on wheels usually do not work too well for such a need. While the end
result is completely up to the person who decides whether or not the pet is allowed to board. If the wheels can be taken off or discarded, most travel carriers that are appropriately sized for a dog can be taken on, although that is up to the airline itself. It is a good idea to leave wheeled pet carriers at home if hoping to travel with your small dog in your lap as opposed to underneath the cabin with the rest of the animals.
If you want to travel with your pet, there is nothing wrong with
that—at least in the eyes of some of the airlines. Of course, it is advised
that people who want to travel with pets make their reservation as far
in advance as possible as only so many pets are allowed per flight,
normally capped at one to two per plane. Passengers are only allowed to bring one pet aboard the flight with them, and they must have a ‘ticket’ of their own. In most cases, these pet boarding passes start at $100 or so and move up from there. In the end, being able to travel with your most loyal friend is well worth the price.
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July 30th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
I am a flight attendant of ten years with a major airline. You may NOT take your pet out of its carrier at any time; this is a federal regulation. After takeoff and before landing descent, you may pull the carrier (with the pet inside) out from under the seat in front of you and put the carrier (with the pet still in it) in your lap, but you may never take the pet out…not to sit in your lap, not to be tucked into the seatback pocket, not to sit on the empty seat next to you or be zipped into your jacket nor to sit at your feet nor to be walked or carried up and down the aisle nor to the lav. It is to remain in the carrier; my airline’s rule is, not even the head poking out of the carrier. I should also tell you that if you put the carrier, with pet inside, on your lap, I would hope that, should a meal be served or should your seatmates mention that they are allergic, you would, out of basic decency, replace the carrier/pet under the seat in front of you. Also, you cannot sit in an exit row nor in a bulkhead row when carrying a pet in a carrier. Only pets of a certain (small) size are eligible to come into the cabin and of course they cannot be smelly, messy, dangerous, etc., as outlined on the FAA and airline websites. You cannot really “sneak” your pet on (why would you be irresponsible enough to try this?) because it must come out of its carrier at security. There are (ever mounting) fees for carrying your pet on; one of the reasons why is the kind of incident recently reported, where a United flight had to be canceled because a passenger found ticks on board. Where do you think they came from? Your carrier must be approved for airline use (not just any purse ala Paris Hilton) and your pet must be able to stand up in it. Most folks put shredded newspaper or a diaper in it and restrict their pet’s intake before flight. There are also papers you need from your vet. In addition, if you are going to Hawaii or foreign countries there are additional rules. To say, as the writer does, that you will not be expected to keep your pet under the seat in front of you is just plain wrong.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:41 am
I didn’t know that there were some airlines that accepted pets in carriers where they would be able to sit with you. Because I go abroad quite often, this was one
June 29th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
I hope it catches on to all the main airlines, it would be so good to be a ble to take my dog with me wherever i go.
I supose there would have to be a restriction on size at some stage though, dont know how that would work.