Should You Travel With Your Dog by Plane?

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     To travel with your dog by flight has been a topic of debate for decades. You will hear success stories and horror stories, so both sides are hard to believe. Some flights will allow you to put your dog under your seat in a crate if they are small enough. However, if you have a larger dog, you will have to ask the specific airline how they handle flights for pets. There will be a fee involved, because they will literally charge you as if your dog were another person flying. But if you don't mind paying the extra money, and have a small pet, it might be worth checking out.

However, you must keep this in mind. Any plane flight is going to be a traumatic experience for your dog. He doesn't know what is going on and will be scared half out of his mind. Smaller dogs have an advantage here because they can often go on the plane with the owner, but this is not the case with larger breeds. For these dogs the only option is the cargo area, where your suit case is stowed away. This means your pet will be in the bottom part of the plane, and will feel the turbulence and might be vulnerable to tumbling around when the plane moves or changes altitude.

This method of travel is not recommended if your pet weighs more than fifteen pounds, because that's all that will comfortable fit under the seat. Your dog could arrive to the next destination with possible injuries and motion sickness. The airline handlers aren't going to care for Fido like you do, or even treat him as such unless they are an animal lover. But when traveling this way you are vulnerable to strangers handling your beloved dog.

There is an option of a pet only airline that only allows dogs on the plane. The only drawback is that these airlines are still very new, and only travel to a handful of cities. They are still in the developing stages, but if such an airline is traveling to your destination, this is an excellent option for Fido. Make sure your flight and his flight will be landing at close times and at the same airport so you'll be able to retrieve him safely.

Having your dog fly with you is expensive, so it's going to cost more money than your individual ticket. There will often be a "handling charge" involved, as well as a non-refundable pet deposit. It's imperative that you read about the airline's handling of prior pets, and even go in and read customer blogs and message boards if necessary. Ask your friends and family if they have flown with their own pets. Some airlines will be better than others. All of this information is easily found online via any search engine. While this will never be the preferred way for your dog to travel, it is possible with careful preparation and lots of research beforehand.