First class flights for our pets

[Catherine]

American Airlines has started providing travel accommodations in the cabin of the plane for our pets. I have never liked having a pet in the baggage area of the plane. Cramming a pet under a seat limits which pets can travel.
I think there are still limitations about the size of dog, but at least our cats and smaller dogs can travel where we can see them.

http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2015-0...s-for-pets

People's pets are getting more respect from airlines and airports.
New York's Kennedy Airport is building an animal terminal for traveling pets and other animals.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/...screen-tvs

It looks like it is going to be a good time to be a traveling pet. The rest of us have to put up with crowded seats, long lineups and annoying security checks.

[LPC]

That's great news, Catherine. Back here in Europe, probably the best way to take a dog or cat is via Eurotunnel between the UK and France. Drivers drive their cars onto the train, and pets travel with them (on the back seat of the car). Even several pets can travel together.

But the passport checks for pets are more strict than those for people (seriously!).

[Catherine]

Quote:But the passport checks for pets are more strict than those for people (seriously!).

I can understand needing health certificates and basic paper work, but sometimes I think they are really being silly. Of course people can have a hard time traveling these days. I miss the old days when you could just travel. Of course animals were stuck in the hold with the baggage.
Animals travel better, but paperwork is worse.
I guess we can't have it all.

[Tobi]

I am glad to see this is happening. I always thought it was pretty horrible for a dog or cat to have to go in the cargo hold on a plane. And giving them mild sedation is not always a good idea. In fact it can be dangerous. But can we imagine being that dog or cat and being bundled into a carrier, separated from our people, with all the noises of the airport and the plane, and then being stuck in the cargo hold? That must be dreadfully stressful. Unless they are military working dogs, been doing it all their lives and used to it I can imagine it would be awful for any animal.

After all, they allow dogs on trains! Misty was extremely well behaved on a train, and any other dog I saw was well behaved too. One, once, screamed his/her head off now and again, as it obviously disliked trains! Well that is no worse than a baby!

[Catherine]

I can't imagine what it feels like to be in the hold of a plane in a carrier. Worse is the fact that airlines make mistakes and animals are put on the wrong planes or the hold fails to pressurize and the animal dies. It was scary for our pets and it was scary for us.

I hope this is a trend towards pet friendly travel.

There are also lots of hotels that make a point of being pet friendly.
I looked up hotels and there are pet friendly places just about anywhere you might want to go.

Still, no one welcomes snakes. I just don't understand it. They could have guest terrariums in the rooms for people who can't bear to leave their snake at home.

[Tobi]

Someone should run a special flight for snakes!!
That would be "Snakes on a Plane" all over again!

I know I would not have a happy journey if I was worrying about my dog in the hold. I wouldn't be able to eat, drink, or think about anything else. But when the pet is with the person, all is well. I can't see it being any more inconvenient for fellow travellers or flight attendants, than it is on a train.

Yes there are a lot of hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, and self catering holiday lets which allow dogs at least. I have noticed there still is a problem though, for people with pets to rent apartments, etc long term. Not just in UK but also in US and other places. I was trying to help someone recently who lives in Oregon, and could not find many places in a fairly low price range which allowed dogs! Many of the more expensive places were less restrictive. I guess that could be because landlords had bad experiences in the past, and decided to ban pets.
Even the little holiday cottage I used to rent while visiting relatives in the UK, has now decided to ban pets. I used to stay there very happily with Misty. (No -it's not because of anything she did! LOL!)

[Catherine]

Quote:Someone should run a special flight for snakes!! Smiley4
That would be "Snakes on a Plane" all over again!

Snakes on a plane is one of the funniest movies ever made. All they had to do was lower the temperature of the plane and the snakes would be dormant pretty fast.
The documentary about the making of snakes on a plane is really interesting. They put make-up on harmless snakes so they would look dangerous. The snake handler was really good. They were his snakes and he was really careful with them.

I notice that renting with pets can be a problem. All three apartments in my building have pets so we are pretty safe.

It is too bad the place you used to go to with Misty doesn't allow pets now. I am sure Misty was a perfect guest, but some other dog might have caused trouble. They are silly to ban dogs. I am sure they lose business.
I hope the airlines see an increase in business because of their pet friendly policies. That would really be good for all pet owners in the long run.

[mariarheateddy]

(08-09-2015, 06:02 AM)LPC Wrote: That's great news, Catherine. Back here in Europe, probably the best way to take a dog or cat is via Eurotunnel between the UK and France. Drivers drive their cars onto the train, and pets travel with them (on the back seat of the car). Even several pets can travel together.

But the passport checks for pets are more strict than those for people (seriously!).

yeah its very strict huhu

[Catherine]

I can remember just crossing the border into the USA when I was a child and they just waived us through. We didn't even show ID. We didn't even own passports.
I even walked across the bridge at Niagara falls, saw the American side of the falls and then walked back. No ID, not questions, nothing. We traveled back and forth with cats to cat shows without even a vaccination record.
Everything is all about security now. So why don't we feel safer?

I just hope our pets are able to travel more comfortably.