Flying With a Pet? Airline Rules Vary, So Think Ahead

As the family vacation season begins, many Americans are thinking of including the family pet in their travel plans. They may think twice when they consider the plight of Dakota, a 10-year-old dog that was loaded by mistake last week into a freezing cargo hold on a United Airlines flight from Washington, D.C., to San Jose. An airline employee discovered the mistake halfway into the flight, which made an emergency stop in Denver to check on the dog. He was cold but otherwise OK.

Treatment of pets traveling by plane has been a subject of controversy in the media. The federal government and some of the largest airlines have reacted with new regulations.

More than 2 million pets and other live animals travel by air each year in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The federal Animal Welfare Act protects animals boarded in the plane’s cargo hold. Enforcement is by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Legislation passed in April as part of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act is aimed at improving safety conditions for pets on planes. It requires pet safety training for employees and reporting of animal fatalities to the FAA.

Because the airlines’ procedures and rules vary, it’s crucial for pet owners to check well ahead of time and mention their pets when booking the reservation. Some airlines won’t take pets as “checked baggage” during hot summer months.

For instance, United has a ban from June 15 through Sept. 7 on pets traveling as baggage, but not as cargo. When pets go as baggage, travelers check them in along with their luggage at the terminal. To send pets as cargo on United, owners must use professional animal shippers. These can be found in the Yellow Pages or through veterinarians. (Kennel Club-LAX, for instance, charges at least $250 plus the airline’s fee to ship a 30-pound dog from L.A. to Chicago.) American Airlines will take passengers’ pets through its cargo facility or its expedited parcel service in the passenger terminal.

To travel in the cabin, the pet must be in a carrier that can fit easily under the seat. And most airlines limit the number of carry-on animals, so it is imperative that travelers state their plans when booking.

An advance trip to the vet is a must because airlines usually require a health certificate from a veterinarian stating that the animal is in good health and has had all necessary vaccinations.

“Rabies is the biggest issue with interstate travel,” says Laurie Leach, a veterinarian at the Beverly Oaks Animal Hospital and Emergency Animal Clinic in Sherman Oaks. Some states require more recent vaccinations than others, based on the severity of the rabies problem, she says.

Leach suggests evaluating whether a pet is fit to travel based on its health status and temperament rather than its age alone. The USDA recommends that pug-nose dogs, including boxers and bulldogs, might be better off at home because they are more likely to have breathing problems aloft.

Leach discourages pet owners from giving their animals tranquilizers before travel. The medications, she says, throw off their normal “righting” mechanism, making it difficult for the pet to maintain balance.

“The biggest anxiety [for pets] is the loading,” she says. If pet owners insist on giving the animals a tranquilizer, Leach suggests they give the drug to the dog or cat at home first to see how the animal responds.

If a pet is a good car rider, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will find a flight easy, she says. “If the pet likes his carrier and feels secure in it, that is probably the best indication [the flight will be tolerated].” Leave the carrier open around the house for a few weeks before the trip, experts suggest, with a familiar object inside.

Healthy Traveler appears on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. Kathleen Doheny can be reached at kdoheny@compuserve.com.