Traveling By Air With Pets

Traveling By Air With Pets: Pets are more or less members of the family and when you are going on holiday, you may not want to leave yours behind. What is the best option for you when the pet is flying alone or with you? There are many because many airlines offer packages for the same. However, it is always best to do some groundwork to make sure that you give your pet the best.

Using air travel is the quickest way to travel with your furry friend from one place to another. Today, traveling with your pets by air is more or less standard and you should have no trouble at all. However, you need to know a few important things before you can pay for travel. For example, most likely, your pet will not travel with you in the cabin, not unless you are using a charter service, which would then allow you to travel with your pet in the cabin, at a high price.

Go to the vet first – certify that your pet is healthy to fly

The first stop is your veterinarian’s office. Your pet will need the veterinary’s appointment and paperwork that has the certification of inspection before travel that certifies that the animal is in good health, harmless, inoffensive, and odorless. To find out which documents are required and which rules apply to transport your pet by air, it is important that you consult the embassies of departure and of destination. You can also call the airlines directly and see the requirements that they need from you to board your pet.

Does your pet need any shots? Is there much paperwork involved? What about pet passports? How many pets are you traveling with? Are pets allowed in the country that you are traveling to? Remember what is happening between Johnny Depp’s girlfriend and the Australian authorities. If you do everything beforehand, that will save you so much time.

How will your pet travel?

• Consider how your pet will travel. There are three options to consider here. The pet will either be carried in the cabin with you where it is placed under the seat ahead of you or it can be checked in as baggage or shipped in as cargo. This will require you to consult with the airline you intend to use for travel since different airlines have different policies.
• Consider your pet’s comfort as well. It can get quite uncomfortable for the animals when there is too much loading and unloading. For this reason, consider going for flights that have fewer stopovers or exchanges.
• Ensure that you do not give your pet any solid food six hours prior to travel. Some water and taking the pet for a walk before and after the flight would go a long way in ensuring your pet is in good condition.
• See to it that you get to the airport in good time since the check-in process for the pets can take a relatively long time. Additionally, animals travel under less stress when they are accustomed to the carrier. When you arrive early, you give the pet a chance to familiarize yourself with its temporal place of stay.

Traveling with pets in the passenger’s cabin

This option requires that your pet will fit in the container and that the container can go under the seat ahead of you as well as ensuring that the pet does not bother or block the other passengers. The following procedures and guidelines should be adhered to:

• Young pets ought to be at least 60 days old in addition to having been started on solid food for about 5 days
• Only pets that can fit in an average container should be transported this way
• A befitting container/box in matters of strength, cleanliness, and can be handled safely should be used to carry the pet. The bottom of the container should also be leakproof.
• A single container should carry only up to two animals of the same species
• Go see a pet a few days, say, three days of traveling so that the pet can be checked up, given any shots, and declared fit for travel. Remember, no airline will board the pet without the relevant certificates and documentation
• One passenger can only have one container, meaning that you can only travel with one pet
• No minor is allowed to carry pets in the passenger cabin
• Your pet stays enclosed in its box for the entire journey

Pet as accompanied checked-in baggage

An important thing to consider when using this option is to ensure you book early to make sure the pet has a secure space on the plane for carriage. With the pet in the recommended container, just hand it over while checking in at your respective airport.

Ensure you have everything, the required pet documents. You will also need the vet certificates as well as the reference book for the cargo as given during booking.

Traveling with a pet in the cargo hold

This applies in a situation where you cannot either travel with your pet in the passenger’s cabin or as luggage. In such a situation, you send your pet to the cargo hold. The cargo hold is best when you use direct flights, travel on the same flight with your pet, fit your pet with a collar that will not get caught in carrier doors, attach a travel label to the carrier as well as making sure that your pet’s nails have been clipped.