Posted on 09/27/2007 6:37:09 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
NEW YORK - SuNae Martz is a 10-year-old jetsetter who's crisscrossed the globe more than once. The catch: SuNae is a dog -- a fluffy white coton de tulear, to be exact.
Her owner, Gayle Martz, takes her everywhere she flies, from Paris to New York to Los Angeles. But SuNae doesn't fly in the belly of the plane like common cargo. She's first class, in the cabin under Martz's seat.
"I don't check my jewelry, and SuNae is my most precious jewel," said Martz, a former flight attendant-turned entrepreneur who created and sells a soft-sided pet carrier, the Sherpa Bag.
SuNae is one of a half-million pets that fly each year, according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation. But not all airlines permit pets to fly in the cabin, and other policies vary too.
Some airlines restrict the travel of short-nosed animals, like Persian cats and pugs, which have shorter nasal passages that make breathing difficult at higher altitudes. Most also don't allow pets to travel as cargo in temperatures below 20 degrees and above 85 degrees.
Most mishaps, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, stem not from mishandling or a panicked animal getting injured or lost but from sedation. The AVMA advises against giving tranquilizers to pets during air travel because the results are often unpredictable, even fatal.
"An animal's natural ability to balance and maintain equilibrium is altered under sedation," said Dr. Patricia Olson, director of veterinary affairs and studies for the American Humane Association. "When the kennel is moved, a sedated animal may not be able to brace and prevent injury."
Continental now requires passengers to sign a waiver saying their animal has not been sedated, but most airlines don't have that rule.
All these different policies can be confusing. "It seems like it all depends on the mood of the person you're dealing with at the airport that day," said Eric Buss, a magician from Los Angeles who has traveled by plane with the doves and rabbits he uses in his act.
But there are some rules that you and the airlines must follow. Here's what you need to know about flying with your pet:
_Federal officials began making the pet-related travel statistics public last year for the first time as part of regulations imposed by the Safe Air Travel for Animals Act, which was passed by Congress in 2000 under pressure from animal rights activists. Most air trips with pets are without incident. There were 14 reported pet deaths, four injuries and six lost animals between May and September 2006.
-Most airlines require pets to be considered healthy, under 100 pounds and at least 8 weeks old.
-Pets are never allowed out of their containers, and, of course, the airline assumes no responsibility for their health and well being. (Many even state on their web sites that crew members cannot perform lifesaving measures on ailing pets.)
-Less traditional pets aren't allowed at all, like potbellied pigs, primates and certain venomous reptiles. And that usually means no "snakes on a plane."
-The U.S.
Department of Agriculture, which regulates pet air-travel, requires a health certificate from a vet 10 days before traveling for animals flying as cargo, but not when flying as checked baggage or carry-on. Martz suggests carrying such certification in any case just in case you are asked for it.
-Many airlines, like Continental, United and American, suggest and apply the certification even for pets transported in the cabin because some states require it. (To learn which ones, visit http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/sregs/.) Health certification is also required on most international flights.
-Fees vary. JetBlue and Delta charge $50 for a pet to fly in the cabin; Continental, $95, American, USAirways and Northwest, $80.
-American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue and many other airlines allow pets in the cabin. Frontier only allows them as cargo. Southwest won't let pets fly at all (except for service animals).
-Some airlines only allow one animal in the cabin per flight. American allows up to seven per flight (not per person). Sometimes certified service dogs count as a pet; sometimes they don't.
-American Airlines requires paperwork certifying that pets were fed and watered within four hours before delivery. Most don't.
-Alert the airline of a pet when booking your flight to make sure there's room in the cabin.
-Fly during a weekday when airports are less hectic.
-Fly in the morning or evening during the summer, and midday during the winter to ensure safe temperatures for pets traveling as cargo.
-Choose a nonstop, direct flight.
-Exercise your pet before leaving to help it relax and sleep.
-Do not feed or give water to your pet two hours before departure.
-Check in at least two hours before time, and have all paperwork ready.
-Tape a note on the pet container with all relevant information: name of the pet, age, destination and flight number.
-Make sure the carry-on container will fit under the seat.
-Familiarize your pet with its carrier before leaving home, and make sure the pet is wearing tags or is microchipped.
Of course, even when you take every precaution and follow all the rules, flying with pets can be challenging. Jen Fromm, an attorney from Los Angeles who recently flew her cats from Boston, still has scars from where her cat clawed her in a panicked escape attempt while going through a security checkpoint. The cat didn't get away, but he cried during the entire five-hour flight.
She'll never do it again. "I would rather drive with my cat for five days than go through five more hours of that."
Milsa Grant of New York holds her dog Lulu Madonna, as she waits to check-in at the Delta terminal at LaGuardia Airport in New York, in this Nov. 23, 2005, file photo. A half-million pets fly each year, according to statistics complied by the U.S. Department of Transportation. (AP Photo/Dima Gavrysh/FILE)
Do they get FRequent flier miles?
Our cats tolerate the trip to a vet, only a few minutes away. NO way could I imagine packing the furballs in a case like that.
Tara Zimmerman, left, of New York, and her dog Pablo check-in with Delta Airlines employee Robert Hoffman at LaGuardia Airport in New York, in this Nov. 23, 2005, file photo. A half-million pets fly each year, according to statistics complied by the U.S. Department of Transportation. (AP/Photo Dima Gavrysh/FILE)
There’s no comparison between cats and dogs.
When we moved to California in May 2000, our 2 cats flew with us in their soft side carriers which we put under the seats in front of us. It was HORRIFIC going through security though, I had my infant daughter in her carseat, and the two cats in their carriers. My husband was pegged to go around the corner for further checking (he’s from India but could pass for middle eastern) so that left me being told to take the baby out of the carseat and the two cats out of the carriers and send everything else through the x-ray machine. I nearly had a nervous breakdown and burst into tears not knowing what to do while a boatload of people were starting to back up behind me. THANK GOD for the kindness of strangers (angels I honestly believe!) who rushed to help me—one man took one cat, another took the other, and another broke down our stroller and sent it and our carry ons and the cat carriers and the carseat through the x-ray machine—my husband came around the corner about the time everything came out the other side of the x-ray belt.
The flight itself was uneventful, except Pebbles cried for most of it, but we were right next to the wings and the noise from that overpowered her. Poor little thing did pee all over herself though. Moose did great.
When we moved back to Texas in 2003, the airlines weren’t
allowing pets in the cabin any more, and I didn’t want to go through the hell of post-9/11 security with the cats, so we decided to drive back with the cats in the car. Had them in their carriers for the first few hours then decided to test them outside, put a disposable litter box in the back of the SUV, and fed and watered them whenever we made pit stops. They did GREAT! :-) Moose loved to stand up and look out the windows which caused many a double take, that’s for sure. Pebbles stretched out across the dashboard basking in the sunlight. Wouldn’t mind going on a family vacation like that in the future, LOL. :-)
Nice story.
I’ve always wondered about flying overseas with pets....like the people who move overseas to teach English in other countries. Surely some of them have pets. I guess they don’t have a problem taking them overseas, no restrictions, etc.
So True! Years ago, when I brought my two cats back from Germany, the cool-headed, big guy went in pet-cargo but girl cat, who was shy and small went with me in the cabin. Stupid Pan-Am put me against the bulkhead! I couldn't hold the pet carrier in my lap during take off and had no where to put her!
I started crying and the stewardess was no help ("we can put her in cargo") but the other passengers took my side and helped. Someone way back in the middle section did not have anything under the seat in front of him and offered to store my kitty during take-off and landing. The plane was jam-packed and I handed her off to a stranger and then watched as the carrier was gently passed back over everyone's head to the kind person in the back.
Once we were in the air, she was passed back to the front to me and then when it was time to land, we repeated the process. In the crowd, I never saw the person who offered his storage space but I hope God blessed him richly!
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