Hi there,
Does anyone have experience flying dogs in the cabin of any of the airlines? I'm looking for tips on what airlines are more lenient (do not weigh the dog/carrier).

Flying over here was fine - we flew from Dulles to Zurich on US Airways with our approx 20 lb cavalier king charles spaniel. They did not weigh him, he was silent the whole time, and his carrier (although not approved for all airlines - the large Sherpa) was able to fit under the seat.

We're flying back to the U.S. for a 3 week vacation this summer and I am so stressed about flying him home. I have been looking at the regulations on many of the websites, and it seems that some say there is an 8 kg restriction, others don't have weight restrictions just size restrictions on the carrier, etc.

Does anyone have a recommendation who has been through this (flown a dog in-cabin that was slightly above the weight limit) or know of which airlines are most lenient (do not weigh the dog/carrier upon check-in).

He is like a little person, and I don't want him to be scared in the cargo hold. Even the sound of fireworks on New Year's Eve had him panting and shaking - who knows how he will feel being transported below a plane!

Many thanks for your advice.

Leave him here and let someone look after him.

I agree. There are plenty of threads with contact details for dog sitters in Zurich. Your pup will thank you when you come back.

+1

Its not worth the stress flyiong him to the other side of the world just for 3 weeks. We left our mutt in a kennel once for 3 weeks and he loved it

I agree with the above - it's a short amount of time to deal with that stress for the pup. However, if you must, why not go with the airline you flew here with? I'm guessing it was actually United though, since US Air doesn't have a Dulles -> ZRH flight.

Myy dogs traveled to the US in the cargo hold and were fine once at the other end, but that was a one off. I would certainly leave them at a kennel and have done on numerous occasions while I have been away.

Leave your dog here and enjoy your holiday. He will be fine, less stressed and depending where he goes, can play with other dogs.

I agree with the others. Book a kennel or some other dog sitting arrangement. As it is the summer season, book early, and book something reliable, not someone who has no back up who may need to cancel at the last minute.

3 weeks may seem like a long time, but it is far better than the stress of flying. In the summer you may be dealing with high temperatures prohibiting pets as cargo.

I sympathise and have been researching a lot for the same issue, but to the UK.

Fortunately thus far I only have small trips so leave my frenchie with my normal daycare people, but I do want to take him back in May to stud once before the chop.

All avenues point to cargo I am afraid for dogs over 10kg, and this is common in Europe. I have heard the US domestic flights are much more tolerant and am sure I even saw a dog airline operating in the US, sadly only domestically again.

So why can't you book with the same airline you came with??

Air Berlin are not bad for carrying pets (no weighing for fare cost) but only 6Kg in cabin.
Details
http://www.airberlin.com/site/flug_g...NG=eng#btieren

Well, we don't have anyone who we feel we could ask to watch him for 3 weeks. We've left him with someone for 1 week, but 3 is a lot to ask. We've never put him in a kennel - here or in the U.S. - so I'm super uncomfortable doing that. I know that those are my only options, other than flying with him. I'm not worried about him being stressed in cabin, he was fine when we flew over here, he just curled up and slept. I'm just worried about actually getting him INTO the cabin. That's why I'm curious as to whether anyone has an experience with which airlines have seemed to not care much about the size of the carrier, etc.

Dont be. Most kennels are very good. Your dog will thank you. No stress and loads of doggies to play with. You can search the forum for reccomendations and even visit one just to get a feel of the place

What makes you so uncomfortable about leaving him in a kennel? Does he get on with other dogs?
My two couldn't be happier when they arrive at the kennel. They are straight in with the other dogs and never look back lol. The owner of the kennel knows them and they go to him without hesitation.

I hope it all works out for you though

I'm curious - would a dog not need to be toileted at all during that length flight? If so, are the containers they are in, actually smell proof? And can it be guaranteed that the animal will stay quiet? I can em[pathise with parents who have baies on board, who are easily upset during flights, but admit that I would not be too happy to find I was sitting by any animal that was either noisy or smelly.

Also, from the animals point of view: a small container that fits under a seat, is not giving much room for movement for several hours - wouldn't that become distressing? If I had to take an animal on a flight, I would be looking at having it go in the hold simply so it could have a bigger container and thus be able to move and stretch a bit.

Some very good points here I would also not be impressed if I had to sit through a long flight forced to sit next to some dog or cat or whatever. Animals should either be left at home or put in the hold.

There are pretty strict rules here on commercial animal boarding. Anyone operating an above-board business will take after your pet quite well.

I do agree. I'm severely allergic to cats and once I had to fly from Porto to Geneva with a cat two rows behind me. It wasn't an agreeable flight, to say the least!

My puppy travelled in the hold and didn't seem to mind at all. I actually think its less stressful down there than with all the passengers in the plane.

I agree with others who say 3 weeks is just too short for such a long flight. It would be much better to leave him in a kennel. Search out ones in the area and ask if you can have a look around to get a feel for the place. That's what we did when we first wanted to board out our cats back in the UK. Any reputable place should be happy to show you around the facilities and tell you how they will look after your pet.

You could also try the official cantonal animal refuge to see if they take boarders; our one here in Fribourg canton does.

How did you manage to fit the dog carrier under the seat? The regulations state the carrier must be big enough for the dog to stand, turn around, and lie down

Carriers must be big enough to allow the animal to stand, turn around and lie down comfortably. If the pet carrier does not allow the animal to do this, the airline will refuse transport.

http://www.bringfido.com/travel/us_regulations/

In response to the OPs question, we recently relocated from North Carolina to Zurich, and our airline, American Airlines, did not allow us to bring our 9lb Papihuahua on-board.

The flight was CLT to NYC to Zurich. We were under the impression that all airlines did not allow pets in cabin on all trans-Pacific/Atlantic flights. We will have to look at United/US Airways for our future travels.

I would be extremely surprised if anyone was allowed to have a pet in-cabin on an international flight. There are good reasons why they aren't allowed and I've never ever seen one.