It's Getting Harder and Pricier to Fly With Your Pet
Flying with your pet this summer? Better brush up on confusing rules and higher fees. Oh, and have a plan B ready in case things go awry at the airport.
Christina and Michael Kutzner spent hours boning up on the regulations so she could travel with her mother's dog from Las Vegas to Detroit in first class in April. They called Delta, tested different pet carriers, scoured online forums about in-cabin pet travel and more.
It wasn't enough.
The 20-pound dog was turned away at the airport for being too tall for an under-the-seat pet carrier. Christina and her mom had to buy expensive, last-minute tickets on American for the next day.
They also had to get a new crate so Kona, a Shiba Inu, could fly in cargo. (Delta no longer takes pets in cargo except for certain active military or State Department employees.) And they had to fly into Chicago instead of Detroit and rent a car. It was, they say, an expensive lesson.
'We just want to make sure that people are aware there's not a lot of good information out there,'' Michael Kutzner says.
Traveling with pets has never been simple. And it has become more difficult and expensive since U.S. airlines, with the support of the Transportation Department, banned emotional-support animals in 2021 after a surge in incidents. The only animals allowed in the cabin now are service animals with proper documentation and small pets in approved carriers that fit under a seat.
The list of rules and regulations to bring your cat or small dog on the plane reads like the fine print on a basic economy ticket. It's even worse if you're traveling internationally.
Figuring out whether that carry-on bag will pass muster in the airline bag-sizer is a cinch compared with whether your pet carrier and its beloved occupant will be cleared to fly with you. Airlines have robust pet sections on their websites but deciphering them isn't always easy, especially for newbies.
Delta's website, for example, states that in-cabin pets must be 'small enough to fit comfortably in a kennel with the ability to move around without touching or sticking out from the sides.' American's says only that the pets must be 'small enough to fit comfortably inside the closed/zipped carrier.'
The rules keep changing, too. Alaska Airlines last week said it would no longer allow passengers to book a separate seat for their pet. It was the last U.S. airline to offer the option of buying a second seat for a dog crate. It was popular with owners of medium-size dogs too big to fit under the seat. Other airlines that let you buy a second seat for a pet don't let you put the carrier on the seat.
Supporters have filed a petition to reverse the decision. The airline also decreased the eligible carrier size for under-seat pets and said it would no longer take birds and rabbits beginning next year. (Alaska says it and other changes are designed to align its policies with those of merger partner Hawaiian Airlines.)
Another challenge for travelers: Pet fees can now cost more than your plane ticket. A friend texted me last week lamenting the $300 price tag to bring her dog on a United flight from Denver to South Dakota. Her own ticket cost $209.
American and United raised their domestic pet fees to $150 one way last year. Delta, which previously charged $95, joined the $150 club in April. JetBlue and Southwest charge $125 each way, Alaska $100. Cargo prices are higher. (It's all still cheaper than sharing a private charter or flying the new BARK Air—a luxury charter service for dogs, with prices starting at $6,000 one way for a pet and its human from New York to Los Angeles in July.)
Even professionals find it hard to stay ahead of the varying pet policies and prices on airlines.
'We do our best to keep up with all of it,' says Christian Diaz. The former flight attendant founded Signature Pet Transport in San Diego, which provides a variety of services—from phone consultation to guardians who travel with your pet—to help travelers navigate pet transport.
Diaz, who is a regular contributor to the popular Flying with Dogs Facebook group, can rattle off airlines with what he considers the most generous under-seat carrier sizes (Delta tops the list domestically) and those with the stingiest (Hawaiian, American and now Alaska).
Then there are the differences between a 20-pound French bulldog and a 20-pound Italian greyhound when it comes to fitting into a regulation-size carrier. The short, compact bulldog won't occupy much space, he says, but the greyhound has longer legs and probably won't make the airlines' cut, says Diaz who also breeds dogs and shows them.
Diaz offers the following tips to reduce the chance of problems at the airport.
Long before the day of travel, make sure the dog fits in the carrier and is comfortable. Practice, practice, practice.Don't take a chance if you think the dog is on the bubble sizewise. (Google any airline's pet policy and one of the related searches is always 'How strict is this airline?')Print out or bookmark the airline's policies and bring them with you. Airline employee understanding and enforcement of the complex rules can vary from flight to flight, airport to airport.Always have a backup plan.
The Kutzners story had a happy ending on American, but they wished they had received better directions from Delta throughout the process. Delta apologized for any miscommunication and says its pet policies are designed for 'safety and comfort throughout all aspects of flight.'
Write to Dawn Gilbertson at dawn.gilbertson@wsj.com
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