# Flying In-Cabin With a Mini



## Oreo's Mommy (Dec 18, 2012)

My Fifi was a mini...12 pounds and I flew with her from Okinawa to Hawaii. The military had us put her under the plane since she was too tall for under the seats. We flew commercial air and even changed airlines. We did get to check her in to each flight ourselves and we took her to go potty in between flights. The crew confirmed that she was on the plane each leg of the trip. She was 8 years old at the time and they took really good care of her. I was a wreck but Fifi was fine.


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## LauraRose (Dec 26, 2012)

I'm glad you posted this. I've been wondering the same thing as my partner & I visit France once a year. I can't hear to think of Lula beneath the plane for the long flight. I'd probably have a panic attack. It's already enough for me to deal with leaving Simi, my little parrot. :-/

Suggestions for approved carriers would be helpful too. Lula is 14.75" at the shoulder. She weighs 12.5#, but is a touch skinny. Only 10months old. 

Hope I'm not hijacking (I love puns!) your thread. Just wanted to jump on board! Lol. 


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Even though Swizzle is a toy he cannot stand in his medium Sherpa bag. We have had airline personnel open his bag on two different flights to check if he had room but as long as he is lying down there is plenty of room. The 4.5 hour flight should not be a problem but I am concerned about the longer flight. I would think your dog will need to go to the bathroom and start to cry.


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## Rusty (Jun 13, 2012)

We flew several times with our 9 lb mini in cargo and in the cabin (on much shorter flights than yours). Rusty wasn't able to stand up in his soft carrier, but he slept comfortably in it. The only time I ever had a problem was with Air Canada (I usually fly Westjet). When I got to the airport, they said Rusty was too tall to fit in his carrier and would have to go cargo (a problem, because I didn't have a cargo crate for him with me). It was horrible... they weren't going to let us on the plane and I was going to miss my flight, until after much discussion, one of the other check-in attendants talked to his supervisor and got permission for us to go on the plane. It was horrible. I re-booked my return flight with a different airline.

If you choose to take your mini in the cabin (and it sounds like he should easily fit under the 20 lb limit that I believe is in place for pets in the cabin), I'd suggest that you take your dog and the carrier to the airport several days in advance of your flight, and get a supervisor at the airline's check-in gate to sign a letter indicating that your pet and carrier is approved for in cabin travel on all of your flights (outbound and return). This is what the Air Canada customer service person told me to do when I phoned to complain about how Rusty and I were treated on the experience I described above.

I should also mention that Rusty did fly cargo several times (always with West Jet -- I personally feel like they treat pets nicer when they're travelling), and it was without incident.

Good luck!


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## spotsonofbun (Jan 3, 2013)

the service and quality of care probably varies between airlines, have you tried to find reviews from people that travelled with pets in cargo with the airline you are planning to use?


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## bartjones (Mar 13, 2013)

> Suggestions for approved carriers would be helpful too. Lula is 14.75" at the shoulder. She weighs 12.5#, but is a touch skinny. Only 10months old


.

The Sherpa Carriers look pretty good. They even make one with the American Airlines colors and logo, which is AA approved. You can find a bunch of them on Amazon.



> Even though Swizzle is a toy he cannot stand in his medium Sherpa bag. We have had airline personnel open his bag on two different flights to check if he had room but as long as he is lying down there is plenty of room..


I suppose that is what I am wondering. I know the dog doesn't meet the "must be able to stand up rule" but at the same time, what dog stands 10 inches tall? And other posters have suggested that the airlines don't pay too much attention if you're "close".



> We flew several times with our 9 lb mini in cargo and in the cabin (on much shorter flights than yours). Rusty wasn't able to stand up in his soft carrier, but he slept comfortably in it. The only time I ever had a problem was with Air Canada (I usually fly Westjet).


Yes, I read about your experience in another thread and that's what got me worried. I normally make this flight direct on another airline (15 hours) but am using AC this time to break the flight up into two shorter trips, because we have the dog.



> I'd suggest that you take your dog and the carrier to the airport several days in advance of your flight, and get a supervisor at the airline's check-in gate to sign a letter indicating that your pet and carrier is approved for in cabin travel on all of your flights (outbound and return).


This sounds like an excellent idea. I'm going to try it next week.



> the service and quality of care probably varies between airlines, have you tried to find reviews from people that travelled with pets in cargo with the airline you are planning to use?


Also a good idea. I'll check into it as well.

Thanks to all for the help and suggestions.


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

bartjones said:


> I've been reading some other threads on this and am wondering if anyone has any recent experience in this area.
> 
> I'm living in Seoul, South Korea at the moment. My wife and I along with our mini poodle will be moving back to Canada in early May. We'll be flying Seoul to Vancouver, probably on Air Canada. It's a 10.5 hour flight and then on to Toronto from Vancouver the next day, another 4.5 hours. I'm wondering if we should try to take the dog in-cabin or put her in cargo.
> 
> ...


Probably not what you want to hear, but I think your mini is too big to travel in a carrier under the seat safely and comfortably. Typically only minis on the very small side (under 10 pounds, under 10 inches at the shoulder) are going to fit in such a small space, particularly for a long flight.


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## Debra J (Dec 8, 2012)

Honestly I agree your mini is too big for under the seat. They give a 20 lb limit but some breeds have short legs so can weigh more and still fit. I flew from FL to NY with my spoo when she was 4months old and she couldn't even stand or hardly move. You have to squish the top of the Sherpa bag down to get it under the seat which is where they require it to be. Sukey was unable to even turn around it was so tight and she was not even full grown thank goodness it was only a 3 hour flight. She is now 13 lbs and 14 1/2 inches to her shoulder there is no way I would put her through that even for a short flight I think it would be to hard on her. I feel for you and would be alo nervous putting my dogs in cargo. I would talk to the airline and get as much info as you can.


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## Debra J (Dec 8, 2012)

Sorry for Spelling error I flew to NY with my mpoo not one of my spoos. 


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## bartjones (Mar 13, 2013)

> Probably not what you want to hear, but I think your mini is too big to travel in a carrier under the seat safely and comfortably. Typically only minis on the very small side (under 10 pounds, under 10 inches at the shoulder) are going to fit in such a small space, particularly for a long flight.





> Honestly I agree your mini is too big for under the seat.


You may well be right. I guess I'll find out what my options are next week when I go out to the airport.

My primary concern is for the dog and to get her there as safely and comfortably as I can. Perhaps I'm focusing a little too much on the horror stories I've been reading about having your pet fly in cargo. Has anyone had experiences with that on long flights like the one I'll be taking?

I've also got a good friend here who is a retired commercial pilot. He's traveled all over the world with his dogs. I think I'll go have a few beers with him this weekend and see what he thinks.


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## bartjones (Mar 13, 2013)

Just a follow up note. My wife and I went out to the airport today with the dog and the carrying bag. The AC baggage supervisor looked at the dog in the bag, measured it all and said we are fine to take her in the cabin with us. We told her the dog was not able to stand up completely in the bag and she said that was not a problem and that their real concern was with whether the dog could turn around in the bag, which Ruby can do easily. So, it looks like she'll be flying in cabin with us. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how that goes, lol.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I am Glad to hear things checked out at the airport. What kind of bag did you get? If you can try to have Ruby get comfortable with the bag before you go. Swizzle loves his bag and hops right in. You may want to check with your vet about a mild sedative you can give Ruby. I use Rescue Remedy which I did not expect to work but it really does. I also have the sedative on hand just in case - I think just knowing I have this helps calm me down for Swizzle. He has been on 18 flights now but I always am a little bit nervous. Swizzle occasionally will whine softly at the airport. I hear it but other people have not noticed - they are always surprised to find out I have a dog. Once we get on the plane we don't hear a peep out of him. I think being in the carrier and with the hum of the plane they just relax. Good luck on your trip. Let us know how it goes.


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## Rusty (Jun 13, 2012)

Maybe I missed it if you said already whether you've flown with your dog in the cabin before. If you have, you probably have some good ideas already about what helps your dogs stay calm and feel secure. If you haven't, there's two things we always did with Rusty when we took him on the plane: (1) put in a shirt or something that I wore recently so he'd have something that smelled like me in the carrier with him but not something that took up very much space, and (2) I took my shoes off while we were flying and kept my feet right beside the sides of the carrier, which allowed Rusty to feel that I was nearby (he often curled up and slept with his back against one of my feet) and smell that I was nearby, too.

The longest flight we ever did with him was about 2.5 hours, but he always slept right through them and never made a peep. People sitting next to use were usually surprised that we had a dog with us!


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## Mr Babykins Jasper (Dec 8, 2012)

My advice is to keep the dog with you if you can. If the dog is with you, you know that he is safe.

Did anyone see how United sent a dog on the wrong flight and it ended up in Ireland?


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## bartjones (Mar 13, 2013)

> What kind of bag did you get?


We already have the thing you see in the pic below. There are 3 big mesh vent holes on the other side which you can't see in the pic.

We've had this for a long time and Ruby loves being in here. She usually just goes to sleep once inside. This is what we took to the airport on Monday and they said it was fine.

Now the problem is, my wife thinks the mesh sided Sherpa carrier would be better. I'm inclined to go with what we already have since the AC people approved it but she's got other ideas.



> I also have the sedative on hand just in case - I think just knowing I have this helps calm me down for Swizzle.


You know I thought about this but read elsewhere on the internet that sedatives were a bad idea. Anyone else have any thoughts on that?



> Maybe I missed it if you said already whether you've flown with your dog in the cabin before. If you have, you probably have some good ideas already about what helps your dogs stay calm and feel secure.


We flew with her once before when she was about 3 months old but it was just a one hour flight and she slept through the whole thing.



> If you haven't, there's two things we always did with Rusty when we took him on the plane: (1) put in a shirt or something that I wore recently so he'd have something that smelled like me in the carrier with him but not something that took up very much space, and (2) I took my shoes off while we were flying and kept my feet right beside the sides of the carrier, which allowed Rusty to feel that I was nearby (he often curled up and slept with his back against one of my feet) and smell that I was nearby, too


Agreed. I also read this elsewhere and plan on doing it.



> My advice is to keep the dog with you if you can. If the dog is with you, you know that he is safe.


My thoughts as well. I had a few beers with my retired pilot friend last weekend who had a few horror stories to tell me about flying in cargo.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Your bag looks fine. I do love my Sherpa bag but that does not mean it is the only bag. One thing I like about the Sherpa is it is well known as being approved by most/all airlines and we use a lot of different airlines. I had a long discussion about sedatives with my vet. The one I have is very mild, Swizzle does not even fall asleep, and he gets a minimum dose. I only give it to him if he is keyed up and can't settle. I wrap a little peanut butter in Saran Wrap and that way if he needs it I can give him a pill. Normally I just get by on Rescue Remedy which is just calming herbs. There are so many strange noises and scents that he can get keyed up. You know your dog and will decide what is best. Just be aware if Ruby gets noisy they can refuse to allow her on the flight including refusing to allow her on the second leg of your flight. I am not advising you to sedate Ruby but to have it on hand if needed. If there was an issue I would consider a mild sedative preferable to Ruby being placed in cargo if she could not settle. I also put a small towel with my scent and keep my feet next to the carrier.


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## bartjones (Mar 13, 2013)

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll talk it over with the vet here and see what he thinks. Luckily, the second leg of the flight is the following day. If there are problems, I'm hoping they'll have forgotten about us by the next day.:fingers-crossed:


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

CT Girl said:


> Your bag looks fine. I do love my Sherpa bag but that does not mean it is the only bag. One thing I like about the Sherpa is it is well known as being approved by most/all airlines and we use a lot of different airlines. I had a long discussion about sedatives with my vet. The one I have is very mild, Swizzle does not even fall asleep, and he gets a minimum dose. I only give it to him if he is keyed up and can't settle. I wrap a little peanut butter in Saran Wrap and that way if he needs it I can give him a pill. Normally I just get by on Rescue Remedy which is just calming herbs. There are so many strange noises and scents that he can get keyed up. You know your dog and will decide what is best. Just be aware if Ruby gets noisy they can refuse to allow her on the flight including refusing to allow her on the second leg of your flight. I am not advising you to sedate Ruby but to have it on hand if needed. If there was an issue I would consider a mild sedative preferable to Ruby being placed in cargo if she could not settle. I also put a small towel with my scent and keep my feet next to the carrier.


Just a warning, if you are considering a sedative (which many vets are opposed to during flight for a number of reasons, you will have to discuss it with your vet regarding your individual dog) be sure to "try it out" once far in advance of travel. Don't give your dog a sedative for the first time the day of travel. 

Two reasons:

1) Some animals will not become sedated by certain sedative drugs. In fact, it can have the opposite effect, causing them to become agitated. You will want to know ahead of time if that is the case with your dog in which case you wouldn't want to use it during a flight.

2) You want to make sure your dog doesn't have a bad reaction to the drug like difficulty breathing. If this happens during a flight and your dog is in distress you are stuck and can do nothing for him.


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## bartjones (Mar 13, 2013)

Just an brief follow up on this. We arrived here in Canada yesterday after flying in cabin with Ruby from Seoul.

We didn't use any sedatives. Things started out poorly when the zipper on the top flap of that brand new expensive Sherpa bag broke as soon as we had placed her under the seat, which meant there was nothing to prevent her from just jumping out of the bag if she felt like it. She got a little spooked and popped her head out when the engines powered up at take off, but after that she was fine, only popping her little head out of the bag at meal sevice time. Other than that, she basicaaly slept during the 11 hour flight from Seoul to Vancouver, and never made a sound. The whole experience didn't seem to bother her one bit. 

When the plane landed and folks got up to get their carry on bags from the overhead bins I put her and the bag on the seat and the people sitting around us were amazed to learn that there had been a dog sitting under the seat the whole flight. My wife and I were pretty proud of her. The next day we flew on to Toronto; another five hours. Same story. She slept almost the whole way and never made a peep.

I should say something about the hotel we stayed at in Vancouver. I hope I'm not violating the rules here by putting in a little plug for this place but if you're ever flying through Vancouver with an animal, the Airport Delta Hotel is a great place to stay. The staff all seemed to be animal lovers. They have a hotel resident dog; a friendly chocolate Labrador named Cessna and if you ask at the front desk they'll give you a little complimentary "doggy bag" with some milk bones and a Delta Hotel doggie necklace. There's a nice little area behind the hotel for walking your dog along the marina and everyday the chef in the restaurant bakes his own special gourmet doggie cookies which are provided to guests free of charge. It was a great place to stay with our little pooch and I'd highly recommend it.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I am so glad your trip went so smoothly especially after having the zipper of your bag break. That must have been nerve wracking. 

That hotel sounds amazing. All your planning paid off it sounds like your trip went off without a hitch. Thank you so much for posting an update. I was worried about how things might go but fortunately it worked out so the best case scenario happened.


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## Rusty (Jun 13, 2012)

So glad to hear your trip with Ruby went well! Thanks, too, for following up on this thread, so future travellers who are looking for information on this forum will be able to benefit from your experience.


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## bartjones (Mar 13, 2013)

Thanks guys. I am pretty relieved that we got here with minimal difficulty and now Ruby is having a ball chasing something you rarely see in South Korea; tree squirrels.:cute:


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

Glad to hear you, Ruby and your wife made it safely and uneventfully back to Canadian soil.:airplane: Ruby sure earned her flyer miles, what a good mpoo!:dog: But the squirrels better watch out now!:vroam:


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

We have someone flying to the Czech Republic to bring our new puppy to NYC. After speaking at length with Air Berlin, the pup has been booked to fly in the cabin, and we have been assured, that unless the "fasten seat belt" signs are on, that he can be out of the bag and on the lap of his guardian throughout the trip. I think it depends entirely on the airline and the particular crew on the day you fly.


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

Just had to interject in this thread. Part of Sunny's transport from Saskatchewan to me in Chicago involved flying from Minot,ND to Minneapolis. Let me tell you - I will never fly a dog again!!! Although his breeder was comfortable doing this, as she had flown with that particular airline many times for shows, etc., it was the flight from Hell and well, I wish I hadn't. So many people tell you positive stories that they shipped their dog, etc., and it was fine. But, mine wasn't so even one bad flight/transport is enough to be sure I won't do it ever again. Sunny still has some "issues" with loud noises, etc., as the flight was a bad one.


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## FozziesMom (Jun 23, 2010)

you should also talk to schnauzerpoodle. she did a TON of research and took her mini Poo-Zilla, Nickel, on the plane with her, he's at least 20 lbs. She was in paris for like 6 weeks so it made total sense to go through the efforts. (and her pictures on facebook of Nickel in Paris are awesome!)


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