American Airlines In Cabin- Dogs

Has anyone had a problem in San Juan with their dogs? I have 2 Dachshunds that will be traveling in the cabin with us. The airfare is much cheaper to fly through San Juan.

It all depends on who you get at the counter. Coming here you might have good luck but leaving they can be evil. My last renters had to leave their dog behind with me. They would not let him on the plane because he was 4 pounds over their weight limit. They had to leave him at the airport for me to pickup. Two weeks letter I took him over to stt on the ferry to fly him a AA cargo plane. When I get there even though he could stand and turn around they didnt feel it was a big enough crate, so with little time to spare and no car we had to scramble to the opposite end of the island to find a bigger crate. He (the dog) finally made it home at least. By the end of it all I felt more like a sucker then a nice landlord.

These are one way tickets...We just have to get there....we're not leaving! So hopefully we get good folks out of Miami...Thanks Betty

As for San Juan...Wannabe..if you leave for STX after June 11th we will tell you how it went, because we are flying MIA-SJU-STX with 3 chihuahuas

As part of the pets-from-paradise program I've taken several dogs from here to the US and never had a problem as long as the carrier could fit under the seat. They are much stricter about dogs going cargo or with checked baggage but for the carry-ons if you can carry them and they can fit under the seat you shouldn't have a problem. Tips:

Have a reservation.
Pay for the pet (some people try to sneak on and this is just asking for trouble).
When you check in, don't make a big fuss about the dog. Have it with your carry-ons (which they don't care about at the check-in counter) and don't ask them a lot of questions (is this ok? is he too big? is the bag too big?).
Have your paperwork - health certificate etc. ready to show them..

Security will make you take your dog out of the bag. Make sure you have a leash.

If your dog is older and housebroken, just make sure you don't give it a lot of water before you fly and you won't have a problem. If its a young dog do like you do when a pet is going for surgery, don't give it food for 8 hours before the flight and don't give it too much water before the flight. Just in case, carry paper towels, wet ones and a water bowl in your carry on bag.

Good Luck.

Thank you limetime...we got reservations for the dogs already...looks like our birds won't be making the trip on "noah's ark"..so now we are trying to figure out what to do with them.

Yearasta ... have you contacted Bohlke Air? They are a charter company on island and they make trips back and forth to the US fairly regularly. They are pet friendly. Depending on where you are coming from they may have a flight returning from nearby and would be able to bring your birds down for you. Its worth the call at least to find out. Money of course will be significant but may not be too much??

Wannabe...I've had dogs in San Juan airport many many times and no problem at all. Easy transfer. The dachs should be no issue since they are small and will fit at your feet on the small eagle plane (or take Cape Air.. they are very nice about small pets). Good Luck.

I may have found someone to keep my Senegal for me...but thanks again...I'll check out Bohlke

Full size or Minis? We have two Minis.

Did you read this as well - from the AA website

"Number of Pets Allowed
Only one pet kennel per ticketed passenger may be accepted for travel in the cabin. The kennel may contain two (2) dogs or two (2) cats but they must be the same species, ages between 8-weeks and 6-months, and weigh less than 20 lbs. "

It looks like you will need to have 2 in one kennel and 1 in the other but under the age of 6 months.

Good luck

Pia

Heys Guys and Gals -

Thanks for all the advice! We have 2 mini Dachshunds both under 10 lbs and should have no issues riding under the seat. We have the approved pet carriers and we were thinking the less seen the better off we would be. There are 3 of us so the 2 pets shouldn't be an issue.

I am glad to hear of no issues in San Juan. Honestly we don't know yet if we will be traveling through San Juan. If prices stay the way the are then we are seriously considering it, but I sure would prefer not to make an extra stop. Might just have to pay extra for our one way tickets.

I can't even imagine trying to sneak them on the airplane. All it would take is one bark and it would all be over!!

Limetime thanks for the tips. I didn't think about a leash. Our dogs have never been on a leash. Man are they in for alot of "firsts"!

We are hoping to leave out on June 11th or 12th. Depending on prices. My husband gets back from his job interview on Thursday, May 15th. After he returns then we are going to finalize all of our travel arrangements.

Another question for those who have traveled with dogs. I know they have to be nervous. Has anyone had one throw up or continually bark while on the plane? Any tips on how to prevent these things?

When we bought our 2 puppies back to STJ (on Delta) we gave them a few drops of "Rescue Remedy" just in case 🙂

It is all natural and they did not make a sound for the whole flight (but they were only 9 weeks at the time anyway and I think slept the whole way)

http://www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm

Pia

Pia,

Thanks!! Rescue Remedy looks like it covers EVERYTHING that could be wrong with your pet!!

Sometimes they can be strict with the rules...I travel quite often with my dog who is 13.9 pounds under the seat. He is tall so he cannot stand up in his carrier, but he can turn around and loves his bag...he sleeps in it at home when not traveling too. So once going from Miami to STX they did want to make sure he could stand up . I told them he was sedated and couldn't stand up anyway, made a big fuss saying "he travels all the time, we have never had a problem etc etc" and they finally checked us in. Of course they didn't check his health certificate which I also mentioned but they ignored me on that comment. A couple of times they have weighed him and his bag to make sure they are both under 20 pounds combined. They have never checked his health certificate except for the one time I didn't have it at which point I also started making a fuss and they let us check in anyway (I also showed them the rabies vaccine tag on his collar and that might have helped too). It really depends on who you get at the ticket counter...keep your fingers crossed if the dog doesn't meet one or more of the requirements.

You can get a prescription sedative from your vet...this is not recommended for dogs being checked in as baggage because the baggage is not kept at "normal" temperature ranges and the animals cannot regulate their own body temperature as well when sedated...but it works fine for carry-on pets. I carry some as an emergency if we were ever delayed and he got really antsy. He's never gotten sick and seems to enjoy flying a lot more than I do....

As for going through security, you have to carry them through the machine while their carrier goes through the x-ray...to pass through successfully they cannot wear their collars if the collar has metal in it. So I have never used a leash for security because I just take him out of the bag, carry him through and then put him back in the bag...I do carry the leash for after the flight when we wait for bags and he needs to run around in the bushes to do his business.

With sedatives check how your pet will react to them before the flight. Our vet stateside gave us this piece of wisdom before we left stateside and it save us alot of grief. We gave our pets the sedatives about a week before we had to leave town and they fought being knocked out by the drugs and acted very squirrely. I have little doubt it would have made it impossible to check them in, and would have made their trip even more tramatic. Shipping pets cargo is always incredibly stressful and I wish anyone who has to do it the best of luck.

wannabeanislander, yes, the first time one of my dogs flew he vomited all over his kennel. He was still a puppy so I didn't starve him before the flight the way I would an adult, so that is probably why.

As an adult he also barks from when the security come to take him away (he goes in the cargo) until I pick him up at the destination. Not sure if he keeps it up for the whole time we are in the air, but last time I was on American Eagle and we were sitting waiting for the plane to load, you could hear this "rark, rark" coming from somewhere beneath our feet! I got Valium for him, tested the dosage a week before the flight as the Vet suggested, and thought I had found the answer. Wrong! He was worse! It didn't make him sleepy at all, in fact I think it made him more crazy. Next time I think I'll take the Valium myself!

Very true about the sedation. I don't recommend it. (for the dog anyway) 🙂 My dog had the same reaction the one time I tried to sedate him. Your dachsunds will be with you and will most likely calm down very quickly once you are on the plane and seated. Once the plane has taken off, if you like you can put the bag in your lap which calms them. (some stewards let you take them out of the bag and hold them... some don't and are nasty about it. Policy is that you cant).

Once when I was carrying a noisy cat I found I had to put my hand in the bag and touch her to keep her calm and more importantly quiet. Poor things.. but its a short flight. If you can get them used to their bags before the flight. (and for those reading this with big dogs... crate training early on definitly makes traveling easier. If the dog thinks of the crate as a safety zone instead of a punishment they are much happier.