Pets On A Plane: Know The airlines Which Are Most Pet-Friendly?

July 15, 2017

There was a time when traveling on planes with your four-legged friend is mostly prohibited or include a number of restrictions and rules. But nowadays, certain airlines don’t just allow the pets on planes, they encourage them too.

Whether your pet is a frequent flyer or a Doberman who is only eligible to make a one-time trip across the country, all you need to do is to seek out a pet-friendly airline at the time you are booking a certain airline.

By studying the pet-related policies of certain airlines help you get an idea of the best airline to travel with your little friend. As many airlines offer options for pets to fly but there are exceptions too, many airlines restrict the traveling of pets too (short-nosed dog breeds). Along with these rules, some airlines also restrict your traveling if the flyer with the pet is less than 18 years.

Airlines like American Airlines won’t allow pets to fly on the flights when the forecasted temperature is above 85F at any location on the itinerary. On the other hand, the Alaska Airlines restricts pet travel on certain holidays.

Hence here we are suggesting you the 5 best options of pet-friendly airlines to travel with your pet:

Jet Blue (JetPaws Program):

When it comes to naming the airline which offers the most effective services regarding pet traveling on planes, Jet Blue strongly make its spot. The airline charges a pet fee of $100 each way and only allows one pet in a carrier per passenger. Your pet is considered as your carry-on luggage which should not exceed the weight limit of 20 pounds plus the carrier.

Special Services: Under the Jet Blue’s JetPaws program, there is the availability of a special bag tag for you carrier through which your pet can earn 300 extra TrueBlue points on each flight segment which you take together. Unlike other airlines, Jet Blue allows you to book pets online along with the calling option.

United Airlines:

If you are a frequent traveler of the United, then you are allowed to carry certain sized domestic cats, dogs, rabbits and household birds to travel. This will involve a fee on the aircraft cabin on most of the flights within the U.S. i.e. $125 each way.

Special Services: United allows its passengers to travel with the pet as well as a carry-on bag, which is unusual. United offers PetSafe® Program which involves stuff like airport-to-airport delivery for animals and a 24-hour live animal desk as well as giving owners the ability to track pets and much more. Talking about the points, passengers can earn 500 MileagePlus award miles for each PetSafe shipment within the U.S. plus 1,000 miles for all other shipments.

WestJet:

In WestJet, certain types of pets can travel in the cabin which is counted as your carry-on baggage or as checked-in baggage.

WestJet offers the travelers, the least expensive fees for pet plane travel. It charges the kennel fees from $50 to $60 each way in case the pets are carried on and in case the pet is the part of the checked baggage, it charges a fee of $75 to $90.

Special Services: Comparing to other airlines, the allowances for pets traveling as checked baggage on a WestJet flight are more generous. Pets that are allowed to fly as checked baggage include birds, cats, chinchillas, dogs, and rabbits. The airline allows 100 pounds for the pet and kennel combined. At the time, one passenger can check up to six pets so WestJet is ideal for the multi-pet traveler.

Virgin Atlantic:

If you are going to travel through the Virgin Atlantic airline, then you must know that the airline accepts only cats and dogs on flights including the restriction for the short-nosed breeds like Pekinese. The cost attached to the taking of your dog or cat on one of its flights depends on a combination of the size of its travel box.

Special Services: The airline also supports a scheme named, The Flying Paws through which means pets can earn Flying Club miles. Pets flying to destinations like Atlanta, Detroit, Orlando, Miami and other North American locations have the facility to earn 1,000 bonus miles for owners who are Flying Club members.

Alaska Airlines:

Passengers can fly with the pets at just $100 each way in any of the flight of Alaska Airline. It includes dogs, cats, rabbits and household birds in the aircraft cabin and this will be counted as the carry-on bag allotment as well as in the baggage and cargo compartments too. Short-nosed dogs are totally prohibited and all pets need to have a health certificate dated within 10 days of the outbound departure date.

Special Services: For multiple passengers, Alaska Airlines is a great choice for traveling with the unusual animals like cats, dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters, household birds, non-poisonous reptiles, rabbits and tropical fish. The airline allows these things to travel in its climate-controlled baggage and cargo compartments. It also supports the Pet Connect service for pets traveling without their owners. Along with this, the Pet Connect customers can also get a free pet health examination and discounted health certificate too.