Travelling on a K1 with pets

[David & Diana R 1,005]

8 hours ago, missileman said:

I've always wondered about the difference between an emotional support dog and a regular dog.  Do you have to purchase a seat for the emotional support dog? 

I can say this.  I work at an airport and the "emotional animal" system got way carried away.  So the airlines are now restricting and making it very difficult to fly with your animal in the cabin.  In fact flying from inbound to Hawaii now requires several documents and certifications.  You, also have to have a veterinarian at the airport in Hawaii to greet you and check your animal to clear them prior to exit of the airport sterile area. (Hawaii has NO RABIES.  This is one of the reasons why.) I am told the current process costs in the area of 1000 dollars per animal.  I actually witnessed a passenger who had flown into Hawaii from Dallas, TX.  He did not have a veterinarian at the airport when he landed and was literally put back on the next plane to Dallas an hour after his arrival with the dog. (In this case the airline was mostly to blame because they failed to follow their own protocol and allowed the passenger onto the plane without the proper documentation.)  So check with your airlines first.  I would get in writing from the airline their policy so you won't be turned around either at departure or worse yet upon arrival.  Good luck

[TNJ17 1,329]

I flew with my cat in cabin with Copa this past March. Copa cost was $150. Copa checked all my paperwork but no one and I mean NO ONE at DC POE asked for anything. I didn’t have to show my papers to anyone. They were in my backpack the whole time. There were no customs checkpoint past immigration check. I thought that was so weird. Pets don’t have any effect on your POE. Make sure you have all the appropriate paperwork. The US requires a health check from your local official institution. 

[Boiler 45,470]

I have an Emotional Support Animal, he is a bit bigger at over 170lbs, 12st plus. but am thinking of getting one of these for when he is not cutting it:

 

 

Edited May 25, 2018 by Boiler

[little immigrant 801]

8 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I have an Emotional Support Animal, he is a bit bigger at over 170lbs, 12st plus. but am thinking of getting one of these for when he is not cutting it:

 

 

I'd go with this one: 

 

 

How do people with dogs in the cabin/foot area deal when they have to go? 

Edited May 25, 2018 by little immigrant

[Boiler 45,470]

23 minutes ago, little immigrant said:

How do people with dogs in the cabin/foot area deal when they have to go? 

Put them outside?

 

The problem with my pup is that you can not intrude into the aisle and he takes up 3 seats lying down.

[little immigrant 801]

1 hour ago, Boiler said:

Put them outside?

 

The problem with my pup is that you can not intrude into the aisle and he takes up 3 seats lying down.

Outside where? When you're already on the plane 

 

Sounds like your pup is big 

[TNJ17 1,329]

2 hours ago, little immigrant said:

I'd go with this one: 

 

 

How do people with dogs in the cabin/foot area deal when they have to go? 

You’re actually supposed to stop giving them food and water a few hours before the flights so they don’t go. My vet suggested I put a training pad in the carrier. My cat always gets stressed out when flying so she didn’t pee for over 30 hours. 

[Boiler 45,470]

25 minutes ago, little immigrant said:

Outside where? When you're already on the plane 

 

Sounds like your pup is big 

 

He is a big boy, I need a lot of support.

[BVGApeach 288]

14 hours ago, DJClaire said:

My dog is already registered as an emotional support dog and I will travel to Paris in order to hopefully fly with my partner and I in the cabin. He is 10kg.

I just flew my dog last month. The vaccinations and pet passport were essential. After the POE, I was escorted to a separate part of the airport for animal inspections. He looked at the paperwork and everything was okeydokey. He also flew in cabin with me as emotional support. Call your airline asap because you might need to fill out a special form for your dog to get approved. They will also reserve a spot on the plane for him. 

[DJClaire 134]

On 5/24/2018 at 5:58 PM, NYCruiser said:

I see the OP is from the United Kingdom..since the UK is free from rabies, I believe there used to be a six month mandatory quarantine. Here evidence of vaccinations is good enough it seems.

I plan to travel to Paris in order to fly to JFK, as no animals can be carried in the cabin in and out of the UK due to it being rabies free.  I have his passport and the medical card with vaccinations and will get a 'fit to fly' letter from my vet before the journey.

 

Edited May 25, 2018 by DJClaire

[DJClaire 134]

17 hours ago, BVGApeach said:

I just flew my dog last month. The vaccinations and pet passport were essential. After the POE, I was escorted to a separate part of the airport for animal inspections. He looked at the paperwork and everything was okeydokey. He also flew in cabin with me as emotional support. Call your airline asap because you might need to fill out a special form for your dog to get approved. They will also reserve a spot on the plane for him. 

Thank you for this. It was a great help. Which airline did you fly with and which route? Did you book an extra seat for your dog or was he ok in the footwell? Can you confirm the exact paperwork required? I have a pet passport, full medical card with all shots listed including rabies as we are currently in Spain. We plan to depart from Paris or Madrid when I receive my K1.  Any tips would be great.

[BVGApeach 288]

7 minutes ago, DJClaire said:

Thank you for this. It was a great help. Which airline did you fly with and which route? Did you book an extra seat for your dog or was he ok in the footwell? Can you confirm the exact paperwork required? I have a pet passport, full medical card with all shots listed including rabies as we are currently in Spain. We plan to depart from Paris or Madrid when I receive my K1.  Any tips would be great.

I flew with TapPortugal (Bucuresti to Lisbon and then Lisbon to Boston) and I thought they were very accommodating. My dog (shih tzu) fit perfectly in his soft bag at the footrest of takeoff and landing. On one of our flights, TAP gave us a middle seat, so we put him there for the entire flight. They did require us to fill out and submit in advance a MEDIF form (https://www.flytap.com/en-us/special-needs/medical-assistance) that was signed by our doctor. 

 

For JetBlue (Boston to ATL), we just had to bring the doctor's papers to the check-in desk after we had POE and continued on to a domestic flight. In my opinion, JetBlue was kind of a pain in the butt for us. The check in lady didn't seem to understand the paper my Romanian doctor had written for me (in English). I had to explain the document to her and then she gave me another piece of paper to take the boarding gate. Of the three flights, that one was the most meh. We had been traveling for like, 30 hours at the point and we were just over it, including the dog I got him a cup of ice and let him lick ice cubes with his head sticking out of the bag and no one said anything.