Airline requirements for dog travel

equinaholic wrote:

.....I'm beginning to panic because I will NOT send them cargo but I know people fly with chihuahuas in cabin but how?!?

I appreciate any help. Thanks.
Sherri

What's wrong with sending them cargo?  They will be looked after.

Only time I've seen anyone with a larger dog on a plane, it was a guide dog (for the blind).  I've never seen such a well behaved animal. Popular with the crew as well.

Looking at Air France, they only permit one pet per passenger onboard.

In the States, people get around onboard size restrictions by claiming their pet is a service animal, needed for emotional support. This is often a sham, and probably won't work on international flights in any event.

There is a "guaranteed on board" program where US airlines agree to allow some dog carriers as carry on. See:

http://www.flygob.com/

But (and this is a very important "but") this is only for US domestic flights. You need to call the airline to know what your options are, especially on international flights (due to their length). Also, local connecting flights in Europe may not give the same rights to board with a pet. If the US airline will allow the pet carrier on the flight, but a local connecting European airline won't, I recommend booking a non-stop if possible. Even if that means just getting close to Budapest (i.e. Vienna) and then take a train the rest of the way.

In any case, I doubt you can carry two pets at the same time in the cabin.

By the way, I assume you already have a pet passport for your dogs.

My ex DIL flew her dog and her cat in cargo from Budapest to Las Vegas 15 years ago. It was rough on them both, I met them at the airport with food and water in tow, both were super hungry and scared.
Flew my huge Doberman to and from Hawaii, not good, he went a bit nuts judging by the comfort rug we packed in his cage with him. torn to tiny strips.
One HU friend flew her Doberman to HU years ago, rough trip as well.THey were moving back to HU to stay for good otherwise they would of left her in the states.
You can only take one pet per person onboard but they must be in a carrier that fits under the the seat, they are not allowed to be removed from the carrier while in flight.
That's the news I was told years ago and judging by how horrible the airlines treat us humans, I doubt they are kinder to pets.
I have a German friend in the US who actually traveles allot between Kona HI and Las Vegas, she has homes in both states( She is a lucky "dog")she brings her huge Mastiff onboard with her, she even posted a photo of him sitting on a seat on board, met the crew etc. She has her own animal rescue called "Sir's Rescue Rangers" not even sure how she managed that one but she can take him on board flight but he is suppose to lay on the floor   near her feet, she usually get bulkhead seats so he has some room. Not sure how he ever was allowed on the seat during the flight. She has a legit rescue  from what I gather, she is often on the local tv news with her dog in his little rescue vest asking people to come to open houses to find a pet to adopt.
Other then getting a service dog, large breeds must go cargo, my bro and SIL work for the airlines and he told me it is rough on the dogs, they often slide around in the hole.
When I flew my Dobie to HI I got some relax meds for him, not sure if they helped or not because he looked hung over after the flight.
Good luck, maybe you should actually take a personal trip to the airport and ask some questions about how many dogs you can take maybe if you fly with someone else that could work out, each taking one dog only. Some airlines only allow a certain number of dogs on board per flight.
I had major issues trying to bring a bird on board from Vegas to Budapest, a real tear jerker, couldn't take him after all we went through with vet certificates, permission and calling the airlines half dozen times to make sure I could bring him, only took one stupid guy working the check in counter to mess all our plans up. I cried from Vegas to Germany, still miss that bird, thankfully we were able to arrange for someone to pick up and adopt the bird last min.Good luck, if your not going to be in HU long term then I personally wouldn't bring either of them, have someone watch them if only for a few months time.
Again check in person with the airlines, they all have weight requirements carrier requirements as well.
Also hate to mention it but my bro said yes, they are suppose to give pets some water at times but only when the plane lands between stops. There is no human going into the cargo hold to give any pets any water. He also said most of his fellow employees don't always take things seriously and basically he told me good luck with my dog on that short 6-7 hour flight .Sometimes one employee just assumes the pet had water or they are just plain old lazy and don't want to go up to a scared strange dog and perhaps get snipped. In other words, don't count on the airlines doing anything for your dog. Also Aug. is hot and not a great time to be down in cargo.Sorry, just being honest.

klsallee wrote:

....Also, local connecting flights in Europe may not give the same rights to board with a pet. If the US airline will allow the pet carrier on the flight, but a local connecting European airline won't, I recommend booking a non-stop if possible. Even if that means just getting close to Budapest (i.e. Vienna) and then take a train the rest of the way.

In any case, I doubt you can carry two pets at the same time in the cabin.

By the way, I assume you already have a pet passport for your dogs.

My colleague went back to Florida with his pet poodle on Lufthansa Cargo via Frankfurt while he went on a different route.  The dog was well looked after and arrived  little shakey but uninjured and recovered quickly.

That's always nice to hear about a safe flight , we do hear about the worst ones and as a "pet parent" we always worry.
After the airline wouldn't allow our bird on board, it was on Lufthansa, I never got another pet, it was just too hurtful to lose him like that.
You have to have all papers in order and yes, smaller carriers may not let them onboard for whatever reasons. We were told last min at the airport as they were doing the last call for us to board that our bird could not go on board because there was a remote chance it might get out of the carrier and eat wires and bring the plane down!
Really? That was their story, actually the dumb a** clerk was looking for details on a Cockatoo and not a Cockatiel. Not our fault he was stupid and couldn't read the papers but he held the power to let us on with the bird or not.
On long flights no one will be entering the cargo hold to give water, you do not want to feed the dogs before a long flight either, just too messy, on a long flight you can plan on not feeding them for 30 hours or more, water before the flight and after.

For what it is worth, The Queen Mary 2 is also to consider for a transatlantic crossing with multiple pets.

Cunard does not allow pets to roam free or stay with the passenger, but the ship has on board a (apparently luxurious) kennel, and you can visit your pets during the day.

https://cruiseline.com/advice/cruising- … bring-fido

Cabin allows one pet per person due to storage and movement restrictions. Dogs must be able to stand. There's also a 20lb weight limit -- that's the dog and the carrier.
Europe does NOT recognize emotional support animals and those must be in cargo. If not by the first leg of the flight, then by the connecting flight. In other words, if you have a flight from Philly to Budapest by American Airlines going through Frankfurt, you can have your emotional support parrot for that AA flight, but the parrot would be transferred into cargo for the flight from Frankfurt to Budapest.
I must say that Lufthansa treated my dog well. I put in an absorbent pad for my dog and a T-shirt for the flight out of Philadelphia, Pa. When I received my dog in Budapest, they had walked the dog in Frankfurt and had changed out her food, water, and the pad to an even thicker more absorbent one.

No one likes putting their pets in cargo, but honestly, I'm told by airline workers that after your pet gets over the upset of being in a new environment (the airport), losing sight of you while being dragged away to pet cargo, they generally simply fall asleep when at cruising altitude in the plane.  Best thing you can do is limit the number of layovers because the ups and downs are what's frustrating and frightening to the animals.