Flying across the US with cats?
June 26, 2022 4:50 PM Subscribe
Moving from New Hampshire to Seattle with 2 cats and looking for opinions on in-cabin pet travel on Alaska, American, Delta, or JetBlue.
I am familiar with the basics of pet air travel (I flew from Las Vegas to DC with 2 small dogs in 2011) and thus am primarily looking for recent info on the relative merits of 4 specific airlines.
My initial research finds 4 airlines with nonstop Boston to Seattle flights:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- Delta
- JetBlue Airways
They all appear to allow in-cabin travel for small animals and have roughly the same total cost, so our choice of airline will be based on maximizing the comfort of our cats.
I've made the assumption that a nonstop flight would be less stressful for our cats than a longer trip involving a layover, but my mind can be changed. My reasoning is that while I know that some airports offer "pet relief" areas, I suspect that our cats would be too scared of the dogs there.
We haven't ruled out driving instead, but that would require buying or renting a car on this end because our current vehicle is unsuitable (no AC, iffy brakes). Driving across country in July an unfamiliar used car seems riskier than flying because of the possibility of breaking down on the side of the road in 100+ degree heat with two furry creatures.
One of our cats takes gabapentin as a sedative before vet visits so we will likely give both of them that to fly. We'll consult our vet first and do a test run at home on the cat who hasn't taken it before.
Opinions? Advice? Thanks!
I am familiar with the basics of pet air travel (I flew from Las Vegas to DC with 2 small dogs in 2011) and thus am primarily looking for recent info on the relative merits of 4 specific airlines.
My initial research finds 4 airlines with nonstop Boston to Seattle flights:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- Delta
- JetBlue Airways
They all appear to allow in-cabin travel for small animals and have roughly the same total cost, so our choice of airline will be based on maximizing the comfort of our cats.
I've made the assumption that a nonstop flight would be less stressful for our cats than a longer trip involving a layover, but my mind can be changed. My reasoning is that while I know that some airports offer "pet relief" areas, I suspect that our cats would be too scared of the dogs there.
We haven't ruled out driving instead, but that would require buying or renting a car on this end because our current vehicle is unsuitable (no AC, iffy brakes). Driving across country in July an unfamiliar used car seems riskier than flying because of the possibility of breaking down on the side of the road in 100+ degree heat with two furry creatures.
One of our cats takes gabapentin as a sedative before vet visits so we will likely give both of them that to fly. We'll consult our vet first and do a test run at home on the cat who hasn't taken it before.
Opinions? Advice? Thanks!
Adopted a nearly one year old cat in November. Have flown coast to coast in the US nonstop a few times. JetBlue was fine; took an aisle seat and cat (in soft carrier) settled down no problem. The aisle seat worked well because it was easier to see how cat was doing. $125 pet reservation under “Extras.” One pet per person, no pets in Mint class. Limited number allowed on plane.
Also flew American on extremely short notice for family emergency. There although pet had a reservation there was some paperwork at the checkin counter and visual inspection of the cat and carrier.
Biggest deal was TSA. Cat had to come out of carrier so the carrier can be inspected amid all the noise and people. Terrifying. Be sure you have a cat holster/harness and leash. And that kind of relationship with your animal. At LAX one can request a private pet carrier inspection in a closed-door room—but it takes a while. They rounded up two TSA agents for the process. Dont know if this is an option at all airports.
posted by xaryts at 5:41 PM on June 26, 2022
Also flew American on extremely short notice for family emergency. There although pet had a reservation there was some paperwork at the checkin counter and visual inspection of the cat and carrier.
Biggest deal was TSA. Cat had to come out of carrier so the carrier can be inspected amid all the noise and people. Terrifying. Be sure you have a cat holster/harness and leash. And that kind of relationship with your animal. At LAX one can request a private pet carrier inspection in a closed-door room—but it takes a while. They rounded up two TSA agents for the process. Dont know if this is an option at all airports.
posted by xaryts at 5:41 PM on June 26, 2022
I flew Delta with a cat cross country a few years ago and would definitely recommend sticking to nonstop flights. I wouldn’t want to take my cat out of her carrier in public any more than absolutely necessary, lest she panic and make a run for it.
Delta was fine - they explained really clearly everything I needed to do beforehand, and once we were checked in, it was as smooth as something like that could be. They were also the only nonstop option for my route, so I didn’t really have a choice.
Between having to get to the airport extra early for check-in with the cat, a 5.5-hour flight, and then having a bit of a drive from the airport on the other end, poor kitty spent 10 hours straight in her carrier. It sucked, but she was fine at the end of it.
Agreed that going through TSA was the most stressful bit of the whole journey. I had my cat harnessed, but she was so terrified I don’t think anything could have pulled her away from me when I held her while they scanned the bag. She is not a cat that likes to be held, but she clung to me for dear life. Still glad to have had the leash just in case something had startled her or something.
Before I flew, I had to go to the vet for some kind of health certificate for the cat - maybe stating she was fully vaccinated? Check with whatever airline you go with on whether you need any extra documentation.
My vet also strongly discouraged sedation - it can interfere with their breathing on planes I think? I’d recommend researching a little/asking your vet, as you mentioned.
My cat hates being in the carrier, so I was worried about what she’d do unsedated and trapped there for so long, but once we got to the airport, she pretty quickly just hunkered down and kept still. I think at one point in the middle of the flight, I unzipped a corner of the carrier to slip a little bottlecap of water in for her, but I don’t think she touched it. Occasionally she’d do a pitiful (but not alarming) meow form under the seat, but it was honestly kind of reassuring to be able to hear her every so often and know she was ok.
Anyway, I hope I never have to do it again, but it still sounds better than the cross-country drive with cats some of my friends have done. Many more potential points of failure IMO.
posted by moonbeam at 7:43 PM on June 26, 2022 [3 favorites]
Delta was fine - they explained really clearly everything I needed to do beforehand, and once we were checked in, it was as smooth as something like that could be. They were also the only nonstop option for my route, so I didn’t really have a choice.
Between having to get to the airport extra early for check-in with the cat, a 5.5-hour flight, and then having a bit of a drive from the airport on the other end, poor kitty spent 10 hours straight in her carrier. It sucked, but she was fine at the end of it.
Agreed that going through TSA was the most stressful bit of the whole journey. I had my cat harnessed, but she was so terrified I don’t think anything could have pulled her away from me when I held her while they scanned the bag. She is not a cat that likes to be held, but she clung to me for dear life. Still glad to have had the leash just in case something had startled her or something.
Before I flew, I had to go to the vet for some kind of health certificate for the cat - maybe stating she was fully vaccinated? Check with whatever airline you go with on whether you need any extra documentation.
My vet also strongly discouraged sedation - it can interfere with their breathing on planes I think? I’d recommend researching a little/asking your vet, as you mentioned.
My cat hates being in the carrier, so I was worried about what she’d do unsedated and trapped there for so long, but once we got to the airport, she pretty quickly just hunkered down and kept still. I think at one point in the middle of the flight, I unzipped a corner of the carrier to slip a little bottlecap of water in for her, but I don’t think she touched it. Occasionally she’d do a pitiful (but not alarming) meow form under the seat, but it was honestly kind of reassuring to be able to hear her every so often and know she was ok.
Anyway, I hope I never have to do it again, but it still sounds better than the cross-country drive with cats some of my friends have done. Many more potential points of failure IMO.
posted by moonbeam at 7:43 PM on June 26, 2022 [3 favorites]
I flew across continents with one cat and it was really ok. No sedation but lots of practice in advance, like mini car trips and even an overnight. I absolutely understand your preference for flying rn and fully support it even if I’d make the trip with my current two cats in the car. (We’ve done 10 day road trips before and it went well after an initial pee disaster.) The Kitten Lady has a good video on flying with cats, such as the tip to have them checked in a private room by TSA versus out in public. I knew this but didn’t follow it and, of course, my cat jumped off my shoulder and TSA agents had to retrieve her from across the giant hall. After each part of the flight — it wasn’t direct or non-stop— I went into the family bathroom with a small folded regular gift box & some litter (stored in a baggie) and let her pee/poop. That really helped! My medium rectangular Sherpa carrier was good. We had to make sure, only after buying the ticket, that it would fit under each seat and that no more than three pets were in the cabin at one time. Again, a lot of mundane prep but ultimately it’s fine.
posted by smorgasbord at 4:02 AM on June 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by smorgasbord at 4:02 AM on June 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! We ended up booking with Alaska. We will definitely be using some of the other tips in this thread. Really appreciate the help.
posted by Jacqueline at 2:35 PM on June 28, 2022
posted by Jacqueline at 2:35 PM on June 28, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by cakelite at 5:09 PM on June 26, 2022