|
|
|
|
|
|
A Nose for
Adventure
Making Air Travel a Positive Experience for You
and Your Pet by Loretta Melnychuk
Thinking about travelling by air with your pets? My first flight
with my pets, a dog and bird, was when I moved back to Calgary from
Dallas. It still brings back memories of my beagle Tessa's big
mournful eyes looking through her kennel door. Her shocked
expression as her kennel tipped backwards down the luggage conveyer
belt, following my suitcases through the noisy machinery, baggage
trains, and 95F heat on the runway, sparked the realization that
Tessa’s subjective travel experience had not really been factored
into my overall travel plans.
With carry-on in hand, I proceeded to gate security where Pookie the
Pocket Parrot narrowly escaped the x-ray; pets do NOT have to be
x-rayed, but you may be required to open your carry-on pet kennel
and take your pet out so the carrier can be x-rayed separately.
Whether the carrier is a hard-sided plastic kennel or one of the
newer gym-bag look-alikes, it is counted as one of your carry-ons
and that means there are restrictions - only one pet carrier per
passenger, and it must fit under the seat in front of you. Sadly, it
may not come out again until you disembark.
After I'd settled in for my flight with Pookie under the seat in
front, the 2nd Officer informed me that they had purposely left
Tessa in the air-conditioned terminal until they were completely
finished the other loading. He promised to go down and visually
confirm that my dog was properly loaded before our plane would be
pushed back from the gate. What a relief…or so I thought. After
taxiing out and waiting on the runway for 10 minutes before takeoff,
we were all starting to wonder what the delay was…and what was that
strange sound? At that moment, the captain’s voice came over the
loudspeakers explaining the cause for the delay. The unusual noise
wasn't mechanical, it was a beagle; Tessa was baying counterpoint to
the whine of the jet engines.
Your Pet's Point of View
Tessa had good reason to howl. Although the cargo hold is lighted
and pressurized, it's just as noisy as the passenger cabin, and can
be subject to more temperature extremes - especially in certain
types of planes. Boeing 737's have heated holds, but some Airbus
models do not, meaning that the temperature in their cargo holds can
reach the freezing point. Regardless of the type of plane, you might
want to insulate the floor of your pet's kennel with corrugated
plastic and wool blankets (and if your pet is a chewer, especially
when anxious, take adequate precautions!). Be sure to read your
airlines' rules and regulations about what may go into a kennel
ahead of time. I've never seen an airline refuse to allow a pet's
blanket, but other articles may be an issue to some airlines or
their employees.
Your pet down in the cargo hold won't be seeing or hearing anything
familiar until it sees you again, so the whole experience will be
very stressful unless you have taken the time to accustom him or her
to the smells and sensations associated with travelling. Prior to
your trip make sure that your pet has spent sufficient “happy time”
in that same carrier at home, and travelling in your car. “Happy
time” means training with a food treat or reward associated with
going into the kennel and more treats for staying in without a fuss.
Remember, that kennel will provide your pet with a safe place during
your travels, a home of its own while you stay in hotels, and a safe
place to travel while in your rental car. Follow this preparation
strategy, and include a couple of soft well-used toys as part of the
kennel's appointments, and your pet's travel experience will likely
be far less traumatic. It's the least you can do!
For your carry-on pet, don't forget that the passenger cabin might
be a lot colder and draftier at floor level than it is by your head
and shoulders. For birds, being on a cold drafty floor is definitely
not beneficial to their comfort or health; you'll want to have their
carrier insulated on the bottom, and wrapped in a blanket or towel
to block the draft without blocking the air. For a cat or small dog,
lean down after your flight reaches cruising altitude and feel the
floor to assess whether you should put your coat around the kennel.
Service animals may travel onboard the aircraft and sit at the feet
of the person they are accompanying on WestJet, Air Canada and
JetsGo. Service animals generally ride free-of-charge, as long as
you can provide the necessary documentation illustrating their
service status (I wish I could put a fancy harness on my beagles and
call them service animals…after all, I'm sure they think I'm
olfactory-impaired).
Continue to next page > |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
