Flying with pets

I think a lot of folks are ignoring the purpose of the potential flight. I agree that if I were moving, etc., that a single flight for the pet is probably worth the risk.

But the OP is looking to go home "for a few days". That's putting the stress of a flight on the dog twice in less than a week. Is it worth that stress for such a short time? Is it worth giving up control over your dog to the airline for such a short time? Will the dog be better off staying behind for a such a short trip?

WOW! I sure would like to understand why the OP said this.

The OP didn't say this-I did!

Statistically speaking you are far more likely to get killed or injured in a vehicle than an airplane.

Statistically speaking there were more dogs killed in hot cars or in car accidents then during air travel. As well more dogs die due to disease contracted and injuries suffered at kennels then air travel! Something to think about.

Key word is were, been removed a number of years from the airline business. It is tough to read stats as an airline knows exactly how many animals travel on their planes, kennels and cars the statistics can be grossly over or underrated in a % of incidents recorded, not recorded and the actual number of pets in the car. I want to say JD Power provided the stats but again a number of years ago.

I have no idea what today brings, I would hope only better then it was and at the time it was statistically speaking almost perfect. 99.7% of issues were poor owner based, lying about the breed of dog, fudging health documents to get the mill puppy to the next owner, and non providing proper carriers. Yes you can say the airport and employee should know, but when something is put down as a lab but is a boxer lab mix and is done that way by the vet and owner to get it on the plane it can be hard to tell. Carriers were always checked but then we find a crack or wire tie caused a door on the inside to let go or the dog was in realty poor in health. Often times these types of owners make the largest noise even though the animal meant very little to them, the noise is about the profit to be had by the situation!

There are very sad and tragic cases, I would say in 7 years, 6 to 7 dogs a day, 15000ish dogs there are two cases that I feel were very tragic and stay with me where we could have done better. They were accidents though, perfect storms so to speak caused them but we did feel very bad for both the owners and animals.

Many may not know this but there are a number things in play to watch your animal. There is a crew, 24x7 that follow every animal on every flight, confirming with the ground crew when the dog leaves, when it has been loaded, where it was loaded, confirming the pilot knows, double checking the flight info and perimeters for the breed of dog listed in the paperwork. They are then again on with the receiving ground crew finding out and confirming the animal is off the plane, in a controlled environment, that it's mandatory rest, water and feed times are met, follow right through to confirming the animal was picked up. Just two weeks ago a British Airways captain made a decision to land a plane because of a warning in the cargo hold that the temperature was not stable and on his record there was an animal down below. This most likely cost the airline a few hundred thousand dollars, a lot of it would be penalties they will never pay,( unscheduled airport landing 60k per minute at the terminal, airlines move this number around by departing early and getting credits, very little changes hands)

So you heard my part on shipping on an airline. I have 0 association with the industry now, what I listed was first hand knowledge of working in the business for a specific airline and I am sure others have their own standard, as well I do not know if those standards still exist today! This is only dogs in the belly of the plane, I had nothing to do with the dogs on top, actually I did but all we did

Would I ship my animal on an airline? Maybe! For me as a former owner of a 9yr old and 14yr old Dals, when they Wer 5 and 6 I would have, as they got older most likely not. It would really depend on their health and my knowledge and understanding of my dog. If they panic easily this can be very stressful on them, although the vet can say they are healthy stress from the entire experiance is different.

If you do, do not lie or fudge any of the paper work. Cargo holds for the most part are not regulated, the oxygen in there is what they have to breath. Your 100 pd dog that you list as 80pds thinking you will save a few bucks is deadly. The system calculates the air available divided by the breed and size to determine adequate air quality. Lieing can kill your pet! Make sure you go to a reputable vet not caring what you think or a push over, if the news is bad except it, not every animal should fly. I genuinely believe the folks on here are not like that, think you have fur babies and money is money but your animals your kids.

Also be aware of state and country laws, Hawai if I recall your dog arrives without the proper paper work it could mean 5 months in quarateen or worse. Airlines usually try and protect against this and check, but they do not investigate forged documents like Hawai will, they were or still are one of the only areas to be rabies free and they take very seriously.

Long post, hope it helps.

wildtoad wrote:
Most airlines will no longer allow pets to be shipped in cargo, so you now have very few options. They can go in a carrier under your seat.....................

I don't think Rusty, my 85# Golden, would fit. :@

Although Rusty is my best friend and loyal companion, I refuse to pass him off as a "therapy" animal as many people now falsely claim. Which is an affront to people who actually must be aided by such.

Airlines require pets be secured in a crate; not so for so many pets traveling in vehicles.

Crowe wrote:


You put the dog at much higher risk when it's in your vehicle.

WOW! I sure would like to understand why the OP said this.

Not sure how many of you really have flown with your pets or just posted what you had heard.
We travel each year from Thailand to Seattle and back with our 4 year old male Pug. Animals are transported each and every day by reputable and reliable airlines that accommodate for the situation.
A Pug which is a flat nose breed is the most difficult as they do have trouble panting if the temperature is too hot. Reputable airlines who specialize in this type of cargo, will only allow certain times of the year for travel and that the destination and arrival point temperature is also acceptable. Too cold is not an issue, it is the heat, mainly on the ground.
When we arrive at the airport, airline staff greet us, review export and import documents, (differs by country) vaccinations and vet health certificate. Our dog is then taken to precious cargo holding area. His carrier is equipped with two water storage bottles, some food in a type of challenge toy to dispense, a cool mat, and marked and labeled his destination point. The carrier is seal locked by customs and you cannot even touch the outside of the carrier once it is sealed. Very professional.
For us, departing Bangkok and we arrive first in Seoul; he is removed from the aircraft and again brought to precious cargo. The aircraft is equipped with a special container for animals. It is pressurized and climate controlled similar to the passenger compartment. You do not tranquilize your pet. Our Vet laughed when I asked about this…. He said the tranqualizing is for the protection of the flight… an elephant shifting around as an example.
Once we arrive at our destination, Seattle we again are greeted by the airlines and customs once we clear ourselves and greeted by our happy boy. He is crate trained so he does his business before he leaves and when we arrive so far…. But that is his choice. Inside his crate a toy or two, a piece of each of our clothing.
Bangkok to Seoul is 4 hours, 1 hour layover and 9 hours to Seattle. We fly Korean Airlines as many don’t have the right service for us. He loves the USA and we would never leave him behind. Cost is about 200 dollars each way. Most US airlines if the animal is below 11KG they can fly in the cabin with you.

I agree with toedtoes..I couldn't risk flying my Sadie...but I don't think I could kennel her either...that's why we got a motor home so she and the cat always go with us

Jack_Diane_Freedom wrote:
You will want to check that the cargo hold is pressurized, has oxygen and is heated. My daughter took her dog with her to Europe to live there for a couple of years and the connecting flight did not have a pressurized cargo. Caused quite a problem for a few days.

I have a hard time seeing how the cargo hold would not be at the same pressure as the passenger compartment- it would actually be difficult to seal between the sections and create problems. Cylinders & spheres make good pressure vessels, Half-cylinders do not.
That said, temperature differences could easily be a problem.
In the 70's we flew our lab to & from Germany when my dad was stationed there. Didn't have any problems.
However, his boss had 2 championship line Newf's that died on the plane when returning to the States. Presumably from cold.
He was able to get some pups from the same lineage and had several of them drooling all over the place when we visited a few years later.

However, one horror story out of a hundred is too many if it's your pet.

You put the dog at much higher risk when it's in your vehicle.

There are private services that fly pets. It may be expensive but they do not fly in cargo, they fly in the seat area.