I recently travelled with my small pup for the first time over Christmas and was astonished to see how little info there is on what to expect! Since I had never flown with a pet before I wanted to know as much as possible before taking flight. I want to share everything I learned while traveling with a pet for the very first time! Keep reading below for all the details.
The Basics
We flew from Little Rock, AR to Asheville, NC with American Airlines to meet my family for Christmas this past year. We had a layover in Charlotte, so our total travel time was probably 5.5-6 hours. Even with the layover, that travel time was reasonable with our small pup. There are a handful of things I struggled to find while doing research before our trip, so I’ve consolidated the basics for you right here!
The very basics of what you need to know are:
- There will be a fee for bring a pet on board with you. With American Airlines, it was $35 each way. I think it’s safe to expect the same from other airlines.
- There is paperwork to fill out at the gate where you check your bags. It doesn’t take very long, but make room for a little extra time to get that handled.
- They will weigh your pet inside of the carrier at the gate where you check baggage to be sure he or she is within the weight limitations.
- You will take your pet out of the carrier when going through security. This makes a ton of sense, but I couldn’t find this answer online and had a ton of anxiety over it leading up to the trip.
- Your pet inside the carrier must fit under the seat in front of you to meet regulations.
- All airports have Pet Relief stations, you just have to look to find them. I have more opinions on this subject below 🙂
What You REALLY Want to Know
If all you know are the six points above before going on your flight with your pet, you’ll be fine! But, after doing it myself I’ve definitely got some additional information that I think is incredibly beneficial to know.
What nobody tells you, but you want to know is:
- If you don’t have to check a bag, you can get away with bringing your pet with you at no cost. Nobody checks the paperwork at security or at the gate when you board.
- Pet Relief stations are absolutely disgustingly FOUL! If your travel time is short enough and your pet can make it to your final destination, wait and do their bathroom break outdoors there!
- Depending on your flight attendants, they might allow your pet to sit in the seat with you. A couple sat with their bulldog in their laps behind us on the flight to Asheville and nobody said a word.
- If your pet is struggling with anxiety inside the carrier, take them out for breaks inside the airport or talk to your vet about medication. Cali is an anxious dog in general, we did NOT medicate her, but we did take her out of the carrier for a couple of breaks.
Our Carrier
We’ve only taken Cali on this one travel adventure with us so far, but I can tell you that I absolutely LOVE our pet carrier. It’s a little bougie, but I think definitely worth the price. We bought her carrier from the travel company Beis, and it is amazing! It not only looks good, but she has a ton of room and the carrier extends to a larger size with one quick zipper. There are pockets to hold treats or small toys, and a pocket to slide the carrier through your luggage handle for easy travel!
Here’s the link to the specific carrier we bought and love!