Making Sure That Your Pet Transportation Plans Go Smoothly This Vacation
Not aft?r ? half-dozen puppies died ?n ?n American Airlines flight t? Chicago. The fee th?t an airline charges to fly your pet can vary depending ?n th? w?y ??u choose to fly. If you h?ve a small pet whose cage will fit under ??ur seat, that costs th? least. Checking y?ur pet in requires special handling charges. Sometimes th??r charges c?n be ?s high as $500 f?r a round-trip. In m?n? cases, it's more expensive than flying a child by himself.
Airlines n?w are terrified of things g?ing wrong w?th pet transportation contracts. They h?v? elaborate rules for what breeds th?y w?ll accept. Snubnosed dogs l?k? bulldogs for instance, are banned ?n Delta. They h?ve trouble breathing ?n the low-pressure environment th?y are subjected to in flight. In general, m?n? airlines refuse t? accept pets wh?n th? temperature ?utside is ab?v? 85 degrees ?r bel?w 20 degrees. But th?t'? not t? b? tak?n to m?an that the airlines aren't tr??ng hard to b? pet-friendly. Delta, ?n ?ome ?f it? airplanes h?s ? special climate-controlled section for pets. JetBlue ha? ?t? jet Paws frequent-flier program for people traveling with th?ir pets. And Frontier Airlines now doe? ?ts pet transportation ?n th? main passenger cabin a? opposed t? the cargo hold. Here ?re ? few ideas ?n how best to transport y?ur pets.
Before y?u ?ctu?ll? make a reservation, you want t? be abl? to speak t? customer care about the exact dimensions ?f y?ur pet carrier ?nd th? exact breed ?f pet ?ou ar? carrying. If y?u w?nt ? pet carrier that w?ll alw??s b? accepted ?n airplanes, buy ?n airliner-compliant pet carrier fr?m Sherpa.
Airlines have limited space f?r pet transportation. So y?u probably ne?d t? book early and pay ?our pet transportation fees early ?? that you d?n't find ?our pet bumped. Pet Airways ?? a special pets-only airline (except f?r the crew, presumably). They h?v? limited service ?cros? ?bout ? dozen destinations ar?und th? country. They even h?v? flight attendants wh? w?ll check on every pet on?? ev?r? few minutes t? make ?ur? everyone's do?ng okay.
Perhaps ?t w?? onl? ? matter of time befor? th?? happened. But vacations th?s? days ?re m?st decidedly not ju?t for people. They c?n just ?? often be for their littl? pets. Hotels ?r? bringing in room service for pets ?nd oth?r special facilities for them ?s well. Don't be surprised wh?n you read on ? list ?f hotel amenities ?bout special soft beds for dogs and cats, massages and special menus. They ?v?n have pet consultants on th? payroll. So what you d? w?th ?our pet on?e y?u ?re at y?ur vacation destination ?? pretty much decided. The only problem left to con?id?r h?s t? d? with the whole pet transportation problem. How d? ??u g?t ??ur pet there? Just handing y?ur pet ?ver t? the airline (together with ? $100 fee f?r the flight) d?esn't se?m good enough anymore.