Animals without service dog documentation must travel either in a pet carrier that fits under the seat or in a cargo hold.
And the coronavirus has thrown another wrench in the works: Many airlines, struggling to survive as flights were canceled and employee ranks plummeted, announced they would no longer carry pets in cargo hold. Will go Today, only American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines accept dogs on hold, and not on every flight – most aircraft can only accommodate a 27-inch crate, limiting the options for larger breed dogs even more go.
Some domestic airlines have even increased the fee for flying in the cabin with pets to $500. “You really want to read your airline’s restrictions and make sure you can afford it,” said Molly Fergus, general manager of the Travel Advice site. travel lover. “In some cases, you may pay more for your pet than your own ticket.”
Other changes are: Swiss Air has A new rule on your website that the airline now levies a $125 transfer surcharge for pets flying through Frankfurt, Vienna, Munich, Zurich and Geneva; Air France says airline now allows pets to be kept on flights To and from Paris airports only, except on flights between Moscow and Paris, where they can only be in the cabin; and KLM website states a rule It states that if animals are flying into the hold and passing through Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, their layover must be three hours or less.
Rachel Brathen, a writer and yoga teacher living in Aruba, learned the last rule the hard way. In August, she was returning from family in Sweden with her Italian Greyhound, Ringo, who – like many of us – put on some weight on the pandemic. Ringo was now too heavy to fly in the cabin, so Ms Brathen booked her on hold. But two days before her flight, Ringo’s route was cancelled. reason? His stay at Schiphol was 15 minutes too long according to the new rule.
She drops him off in Sweden with her brother, and plans to reunite this winter.
“There was no clear explanation, and if they had shared this in the beginning, we would never have taken them on the trip,” Ms Brethen said.