5 Essential Tips for Flying With Pets
When it comes to traveling with pets, images of tangled leashes and sharpened claws may come to mind—but it doesn’t have to be that way. Stress-free pet travel is possible, with some advance preparation and these tips.
Double and triple-check the airline’s policies before booking
For this article’s sake, we are discussing pets able to fly in aircraft cabins. Most U.S. airlines have dedicated websites for their pet travel policies: Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, American Airlines, United, Delta Air Lines, Southwest. Regardless, your pet will have to be ready with a note from the vet stating that it’s healthy for travel, and be comfortably secured in a carrier of a size within your airline’s regulations. Pets allowed in the cabin which are not emotional support or seeing-eye animals must fit in their carrier, underneath the seat in front of you. Airlines usually also have pet size and weight limits in addition to their carrier restrictions, which is why double and triple-checking before booking is best, and so is reading pet travel specialty sites like DogJaunt.
Know the fees and book early
Traveling with a pet means calling the airline to book your flight, which is best done earlier rather than later because airlines limit the number of pets onboard each plane. Have the details of your desired flight to request, and be ready with a second choice, especially when flying around holidays when more travelers are also flying with Fido and Frisky.
Once your flights are chosen, you’ll be asked to pay the additional pet travel fee, which ranges from $75 to $125. This is levied for each way of travel, so a round-trip flight means paying it twice. Only JetBlue rewards you for choosing to fly with them (with your pet), crediting your TrueBlue loyalty account with 300 points for each flight with Fido.
Booking early also means you’ll have plenty of time to schedule a vet appointment for a check-up and the necessary paperwork, and to do research on what pet-friendly hotels you may need to book to complete your travel plans.
Consider upgrading
Since your pet will be sharing your legroom, an upgrade could make for a more relaxing and comfortable flight the both of you. Opting to book an extra legroom seat is an easy and affordable way to go about this, and JetBlue’s “Even More Space” seats, with 38 inches of legroom, are a popular option thanks to a typically-under $100 fee.
On the higher end, American Airlines recently introduced the first-of-their-kind “pet cabins”. Travelers who book in First Class on American’s Airbus A321 premium transcontinental routes (between New York-JFK and LAX or SFO) and reserve for their pet may place the carrier in its own nook, which doesn’t encroach on legroom and provides the pet a quiet and safe space to enjoy the flight.
Strategize
An excellent tip comes to Condé Nast Traveler from Belen Estacio, travel marketing consultant and cat owner, who has flown with her kitty on both domestic and international flights: “The night before any trip, I make sure that my cat, Kokokeka, doesn’t hide in one of her top secret nooks by covering the entry with an obstacle – such as a chair, or pillow – so that I can easily find her when it’s time to put her in the cat carrier. She tends to really hide right after my luggage is all packed. I’ve almost missed flights because of her.”
Arrive to the airport early (but not too early)
The convenience of flying with your pet means forgoing some other conveniences, like mobile boarding passes and expedited security. Pets need to be checked in with a counter agent at the airport, weighed, and their carrier measured for size. Some airlines also require the pet fee to be paid not over the phone during booking, but at the airport during check-in.
The next challenge is going through security. Estacio explains:
“Pets do not pass through the x-ray scanner. I take off my shoes, take out the cat from the cat carrier, and carry her in my arms through the metal detector. After the cat carrier (sans feline) goes through the X-ray machine, Koko goes back in.”
Once airside, find a quiet spot to sit with your pet to wait for your flight. Allow your pet to be able to look at your face for reassurance. They’ll have to stay inside their carrier, with one exception: pet relief areas. Chicago O’Hare Airport, for example, offers a large room with a small patch of grass and a fire hydrant. San Francisco Airport’s pet relief areas are outdoors, available 24 hours a day, wheelchair accessible, and fully landscaped. The “Wooftop” terrace and garden at Terminal 5 at New York’s JFK is not only the newest, but the snazziest of the airport pet relief areas and even boasts a view of the historic TWA terminal next door.
Read Original Story at Conde Nast Traveler.