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No one ever said flying was fun. But sometimes
air travel is the only way to get from here to there.
With that in mind, we've researched all the information you need to make flying
just a little easier for you and your hound.
In recent years, flying with dogs has become a bigger hassle then ever. But look on the bright side. The reason flying with dogs is more of a headache is because airlines are taking the safety of pets more seriously. Awareness of the hazards of taking dogs on airplanes and new requirements that force airlines to report complaints about pets in their care has led carriers to impose more restrictions. To help you find your way through the maze, we've gathered each airline's specific rules (read on, then click the links at left). We've also written this must-read guide: urbanhound's Tips For Flying With Hounds.
As of May 2005, the Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer Protection Division started collecting statistics on pets lost, injured, or killed during air transportation. While reading these monthly reports may make you think twice about flying with your dog ("the stress of flying caused the dog to hyperventilate and triggered a cardiac episode," reads a typical example), the statistics aren't very helpful because they are not in context—specifically, they include the numbers of pets lost, injured, or killed, but not the total number of pets transported, making it impossible to calculate just how risky traveling by air actually is (or isn't).
If you have a little dog who fits under the seat in front of you, air travel is relatively simple. If your dog is bigger than a pocketbook, however, things get complicated. For one thing, in very cold or very hot weather, your dog may not be allowed to fly at all. At least one major airline (Southwest) won't transport dogs under any condition. Another (Continental) refuses to take American Pit Bull Terriers. Then there's this: on some airlines, your dog can travel as checked luggage using various dog carriers, while on other airlines (depending on where you're going, the weight of your dog, the time of year, and, yes, some degree of whim) you may only be allowed to send your dog as cargo.
What's the difference between checked luggage and cargo? In both cases your dog will travel in a pressurized luggage compartment—a live-animal hold that's kept between 50 and 70 degrees. But generally, dogs shipped as cargo are carefully monitored and handled by experts responsible for handling precious and fragile items. Dogs traveling as luggage, however, are treated about as delicately as, well, your luggage. Then again, flying your dog as cargo costs far more and often requires a lengthy detour to the cargo terminal to pick up and drop off your dog.
No matter how your dog travels by plane, know that most airlines require a health certificate issued by your vet no more than 30 days (or 10 days, depending on the airline) before departure and a current rabies vaccination certificate. To travel in ground temperatures below 45 degrees, you also need a letter from your vet saying your dog can handle the cold ("a certificate of acclimation").
Most of the information here is specific to domestic travel. If you are traveling to another country (or to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands), you'll probably be subject to even more rules and have to pay a higher fare. Check with the airline and with the consulate of the country you are traveling to. The United States Department of Agriculture has a useful website that includes tips on international travel.
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