Air Travel with Cats to Virginia! (fit in, inspection, cost)

[SpringChick]

Hi,

Please share some advice on the following.
I am planning on air travel (Delta, nonstop flight from Tennessee coming into D.C.) with both of my cats inside the cabin. I have two questions:
1. Delta's website states that no health certificate is required, however, there maybe some regulations at the point of destination (and that's where Delta provides no particular info.) So, do I need to get their health certificates for entering Virginia or not?
2. A Delta's rep on the phone gave me a kennel's required dimensions, and they seem to be awfully small. My cats can fit in, but there is no way they can sit up straight and not touch the top part of the kennel with their heads. Any advice??
3. Finally, what are the Delta-approved cat kennels to take inside the cabin?
4. One more: instead of taking them out of the kennels during the TSA inspection, may I just request a special screening by an agent? (Similar to what they sometimes ask regular human passengers do:-)?)

THANK YOU!!!

[persnicketygal]

1. I think that if the Delta web site alludes to regulations at the destination, it's referring to non-continental U.S. I think you do want to get the health certificates for the flight here. I've flown American with my pup(s) a few times, and only once was I asked for it. But it's better to have it than roll the dice that you'll have a friendlier ticket agent. Be aware that your vet might charge you for it.

2. The under-the-seat kennels ARE small! I think the dimensions for under the seats have gotten smaller each time the airlines try to squeeze more passengers aboard. But once I was able to get my pup (a cairn terrier) into the Sherpa bag (it's a bit squishable, it's not hard-sided), she would lay down quickly. No airline person wanted to see that she could stand up and turn around. (Tho once we were in the air, I would pull the Sherpa bag out a bit and unzip the top for a few minutes so she could pop her head out and have some water or an ice cube; I never took her out of the carrier, tho.)

3. Don't know about that -- I don't think airlines recommend certain brands, because it's just all about the measurements. Take the measurements and a measuring tape to Petco and see what they have.

4. For a while, I took the dog out of the Sherpa carrier when I was going through the TSA line. It was a bear to take care of both of us and keep her safe -- I couldn't put her down on the floor with her leash on (too many people walking around), so I had to hold her while dealing with the shoes, the carry-on, going through the detector. The most recent time we flew, tho, I asked for a private inspection -- that was at Reagan National. They have little rooms, with a door that closes, and they did a pat-down of her and checked her Sherpa bag. (Before we went in, I did the usual TSA line and they took her and the bag into the room -- it was only about 10 steps away and I could see her, so I wasn't nervous about that.) Then I went into the room with the TSA guys (2) and the dog for her inspection. Very easy, the ones who did it were very polite and not rough with her. It was stress-free. Two cats might be a different story.

Ask for the special screening as soon as you get to the TSA area; don't wait until you inch up to the head of the line. If I recall correctly, they'll take care of you right away, or as soon as an agent can be called.
Also, they told you what the fee for in-cabin pets is, right? It has gone up substantially over the years.

[Forehead]

I'm not sure what kind of answer you're expecting for #3. I mean, you can't let the carrier sit in the aisle to impend other passengers and the airline staff, so under the seat is your only choice.

Maybe I haven't flown in awhile, but is flying with the pet in the cabin a common thing? I was under the impression that they were put in with the rest of the baggage under the plane. Has that changed recently? And why isn't it an option for some people kids?

[mlv311]

I agree with Persnicketygal's advice. However, I've had the agent check that the pet can stand up and turn around in the carrier. I had a hard carrier the first time I traveled and had to rush around the airport to get a soft one so look for a soft one before your trip.

[persnicketygal]

Originally Posted by Forehead

I'm not sure what kind of answer you're expecting for #3. I mean, you can't let the carrier sit in the aisle to impend other passengers and the airline staff, so under the seat is your only choice.

Maybe I haven't flown in awhile, but is flying with the pet in the cabin a common thing? I was under the impression that they were put in with the rest of the baggage under the plane. Has that changed recently? And why isn't it an option for some people kids?

I don't know whether I'd call it "a common thing" -- the extra cost involved certainly has dissuaded me from it a few times. But it's been allowed for many years. Small dogs up to a certain weight and cats can go under the seat in front of you; bigger animals go in the cargo hold. And service dogs -- sure there's an exception there, and probably not restricted to having to stay in a crate. There are other restrictions, like I'm sure certain small animals are not allowed (my nephew's 2 lizards? doubtful), and for snub-nosed dogs, there are flight-time restrictions, since they have problems breathing in extra-warm weather.

[leavingwash]

I did not fly on Delta so can't say exactly their requirements but did just fly my cats to VA from WA state.

Health certificate - it is my understanding that health certificates are always required when pets are crossing state lines. That said, AK airlines told me about it and also said that "they" wouldn't check for it. I went with the better safe than sorry and took my cats to the vet for their certificates before travel. Note that the certificate has to be within a week of travel.

Kennel size - the underseat kennel size is the primary reason that I went with having my cats travel in the climate controlled baggage area so that they would have a more comfortable environment. That said though, my cats were a bit freaked out so in all honesty they only used a small portion of the carrier!

TSA - I had read that a private screening room could be requested but when I checked with Seattle airport (asked when I was in the airport for other travels) they advised that is not an option there. I would recommend that you check with your airport in advance so that you know your options. (As it was not an option for me, I actually brought an empty soft-sided carrier with me so that I could move the cat from their carrier to the other one for inspection and then back in....my cats "loose" in the airport would not have been pretty!)

Good luck.