Travel with Pets - Traveling with a Teacup Yorkie puppy.

Wife and 5 yr old daughter would be travelling from LAX - BOI - LAX nonstop flights . I dont want such a tiny dog in the cargo and would like them to take him in the cabin.

1) What carrier bag should I buy for the travel ?

2) Does United charge for carry in puppy ? If so how much?

Thanks

You should most certainly take the puppy in-cabin! Any dog that can fit in-cabin should be taken in-cabin, in my opinion, so you're making the right choice. As to your questions:

1) I recommend a soft-sided carrier such as a Sherpa or any no-name replica; PetSmart or any other major pet superstore will have them for about $65, while Wal-Mart or Target should have no-names for about $25-30. Get one that will accommodate the dog when full-grown, so that you don't have to buy another one later! Typically, they will be roughly 18"x9"x10", or something like that. The soft sides ensure that you can squish it slightly to fit under the seat, if necessary.

2) Yes, all airlines charge for in-cabin pets; United is unfortunately one of the most expensive at $175. However, because of Economy Plus, United is also one of the most convenient for in-cabin pets, because the extra 4-5 inches of pitch make it much easier to get the carrier in and out from the under-seat area, as well as still have some legroom during flight.

For more tips on pet travel specific to UA, see my "travel with pets on UA" thread and/or the related wiki article (http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Pets_%28UA%29). The most important piece of info from those guides is to make sure you reserve your pet space early! There is limited in-cabin pet space so it's important to reserve ahead of time.

Thanks for info. This article (http://www.united.com/page/article/1,,52833,00.html) shows the current rates at $125.. I used 2 UA free travel vouchers to get tickets a few weeks back.

Oh, wow, that's awesome! They actually lowered the price! Holy #&$!@! I am flabbergasted and utterly beyond words... this is the first time I've ever seen UA reduce fees.

1)What carrier bag should I buy for the travel?

2) Does United charge for carry in puppy ? If so how much?



I am a big fan of Sherpa bags (and similar brands) that have mesh vents on the sides and also have flaps to cover the mesh vents in case of bad weather. They are a few dollars more that the opening price point bags on these manufacturer's lines but worth their price in gold. If it is raining, snowing, extremely cold weather or extremely windy you are able to drop the flaps and protect your little one. The really cheap bags have mesh openings but do not offer any protection against the elements for your pet. @:-)

Never check a small dog as cargo if you have the option of bringing it into the cabin with you. In addition the carryon fee on UA is now half the price of the cargo fee.

Thanks guys for info. Even the $150 charge one way ( $300 total) is out of our budget ...we did not know it would be this expensive..Now looking for some friends who can take care of our dog during those 5 days..

I thought you said it would only be $125 for you? That's only $250 total. Still expensive, of course...