cepheid

So, since this does sometimes come up, I thought I'd start a "master" thread for traveling with pets on UA. Some info is provided on united.com, but there is plenty of useful info that is not mentioned there, hence the idea for this thread.

If you have extra info, hints, tips, tricks, or corrections to any of the information here, please post and I'll keep the OP updated. Please, **NO** discussion about whether pets should be allowed in the cabin. This thread is for informational purposes, not for philosophizing.

Note that this info is available on the FlyerGuide UA Wiki, as well.

-------- Last updated: 8/29/2009 --------

UA allows pets both in-cabin and as cargo. If traveling with your pet, familiarize yourself with all of the rules, guidelines, and general info posted on united.com. Some of the most important info, along with other stuff not posted on united.com, is given below.

In-cabin pets

Cost: Domestic - $125 each direction, per animal. International - varies by destination; see united.com for the price list. (The cost is per direction, not per segment, so the number of connections between origin and destination does not affect the price.) Payment is made at the check-in counter, not in advance. As with every other check-in fee, you cannot use vouchers/coupons to pay for it; payment must be made with cash or credit card. You will receive a card-stock receipt for the in-cabin pet fee; keep this receipt with your BP, as the TSA will check for it during security screening.

N.B. Prices have changed a number of times recently; your cost may differ from above depending on your booking and/or travel dates. See united.com for the full chart.

Advance reservations: Absolutely recommended and required. There is limited availability for in-cabin pets (noted below) and space is first-come, first-served, so you want to make a reservation for pet space ASAP. Reservations can only be made after ticketing. To make a reservation, you must call Reservations; you cannot reserve space online. (You can call any of the Reservations lines applicable to you. Don't call Web Support!) The reservation is non-binding - if you show up at the airport without your pet, you will not be charged. However, because of the limited capacity, it would be polite to notify UA and cancel your pet reservation if your plans change (opening up that space for other passengers).

It is strongly recommended to reconfirm at least 2 days prior to your flight, to make sure that nothing messed up your reservation! See below for possible pitfalls to avoid.

Limitations: Only one in-cabin pet is allowed per passenger, although a passenger may elect to purchase an extra seat for a second pet (c.f. S*BAG/PET-CARRY ON). Capacity restrictions are noted below. Also, for domestic travel, the in-cabin pet counts as your carry-on item... this may not always be enforced and it's not noted on united.com, but that's been my experience and is the policy per the profile linked above. Plus, it's probably more convenient to check bags when dealing with a carry-on kennel, anyway.

Pets are not allowed in-cabin for travel to Hawai`i or the UK. Other restrictions apply for Hawai`i and int'l travel; see united.com (link above) for more details. (I am pondering maintaining a list of country-specific restrictions, if people can volunteer enough info.)

Capacity restrictions: The number of in-cabin pets varies by aircraft type and by cabin; E+ and E- are treated as a single cabin, as expected. This info is not listed on united.com, but is very handy to know in advance. Per S*BAG/PET-CARRY ON, available pet space is as follows:

• 1-cabin (unconverted Ted A32S): 3 in Y
• 2-cabin (A319, A320, A32S [converted], B733/735, B752, B763): 2 in Y, 1 in F
• 2-cabin 777: 3 in Y, 2 in F
• 3-cabin (744, 763 WW, 777 WW): 3 in Y, 0 in C, 0 in F
• 3-cabin 757 p.s.: 1 in Y, 2 in C, 0 in F
• RJs/EMBs: Unknown.

Note that as of 10/29/2007, UA no longer allows in-cabin pets in C or F of 747s, 3-cabin 767s, and 3-cabin 777s because of the SuiteDreams upgrades - the new seats do not have the underseat storage required for the pet carrier. This restriction is in place regardless of whether the plane actually has the new seats, to protect against problems in case of equipment swap. If flying an old-config plane, the GA may allow pets in C at the gate, but no advance reservations can be made in C or F. Keep this in mind if looking to upgrade.

Seating restrictions: Passengers with in-cabin pets may not sit in the exit rows (for the same reason that parents with children may also not sit there), nor in bulkhead rows (the kennels must go under the seat in front of you). For comfort in Y, E+ is highly recommended when traveling with in-cabin pets. Also, check SeatGuru to ensure that the space under the seat in front of you is not restricted (by power boxes or whatever).

There is no waitlist for pet space availability. If there is no more space to reserve for an in-cabin pet for your flight or cabin, your only option is to find another cabin/flight that has space, or keep calling back to check if space has opened up. (The latter is generally not recommended since there is no guarantee and IMHO a low probability of success.)

See below for tips on how to minimize headache and hassle when planning and booking travel with in-cabin pets.

Upgrading: You can upgrade with an in-cabin pet, but only if there is room for your pet in the upgraded cabin, i.e. this is subject to the capacity restrictions noted above. For this reason, it is not recommended to waitlist an upgrade, since there is no guarantee that there will be available pet space when/if your upgrade confirms; it is strongly recommended to upgrade only when you can confirm in advance.

Award travel: No difference. The rules and restrictions for in-cabin pets are exactly the same for award travel as for revenue travel.

Potential pitfalls:

• OLCI - you cannot use OLCI with an in-cabin pet because the kennel must be inspected and approved by a TA at the counter, paperwork must be signed, and payment must be made. Check-in must occur at the counter.
• Refaring - Refaring your flight may cause the pet reservation to get lost. This is because the reservation is tied to your original ticket, and refaring results in reticketing. If you refare online, call immediately after refaring to check on your pet reservations and reinstate them if necessary. Better yet, refare on the phone and make sure the CSR preserves your pet reservation.
• Schedule changes - As with refaring, confirming a schedule change may lose your pet reservation (just like upgrades and seat assignments sometimes get lost). Be sure to confirm your pet reservation with the phone CSR when confirming schedule changes.
• Voluntary standby - This may be difficult to accomplish with an in-cabin pet, because of the capacity restrictions noted above. I have personally never tried this.
• Irrops - Generally, irrops with in-cabin pets sucks even more than usual. However, GAs may choose to override pet capacity restrictions when reaccommodating disserviced pax, just like many other restrictions are overridden during irrops. I have personally never been rerouted during irrops with in-cabin pets on UA (my only reroute was on US and it went smoothly), so I can't confirm this.
  

Tips:

• Planning - When researching your flights, come up with at least 2-3 acceptable alternatives (times/dates/routes) for both your outbound and your inbound flights, and rank them in order of preference. Non-stops are highly recommended to minimize your hassle and your pet's discomfort. By knowing your preferred itineraries beforehand, you can very quickly ask the phone agent to check on availability for specific flights... it's easier on them, and it's easier on you.
• Booking -
  • Immediately before booking, call Reservations and inquire about pet availability on your pre-planned itineraries, in order of preference. Having alternative flights handy is critical here. You may also do this in-person at an airport ticketing counter. Right now you're just checking availability, since pet space cannot be reserved before ticketing.
  • If you wish to book on the phone or in person, you may do so now (i.e. do it all in one step), but you will incur the phone/in-person booking fee unless it is waived for other reasons (e.g. 1K or using vouchers). If you wish to book online, hang up and immediately book your chosen itinerary online. Then, immediately call back, explain that you just booked a flight and want to reserve space for an in-cabin pet, and provide your PNR locator. Do not delay as pet space is first-come, first-served. (You may be able to avoid having to call back by asking the Reservations agent to hold the line after checking availability, booking online with the agent on hold, and then going through the above with the same agent.)
  • Call back periodically (at least once before your flight) to reconfirm your pet reservation, especially if you experience any of the items mentioned in the Pitfalls section, above.
• Checking in - You cannot use OLCI or the kiosk, so arrive at the airport with sufficient time to check in at the counter with a human. You may be directed to the Odd-Size Baggage counter, if available, even though you won't be checking your pet. Have your pet's health certificate available, as it will sometimes be requested.
• Baggage - It is not recommended to take an additional carry-on (other than your "personal item"), since you may not be allowed to do so and it's also a pain to drag it around with your pet kennel.
• Security - Your pet must be taken out of its kennel and carried through the metal detector. The TSA may wand your pet, as well. Keep this in mind if your pet is skittish. The kennel goes through the X-ray just like other baggage.
• In flight - Place your pet under the seat in front of you, and then just leave it there. Don't take it out during flight (this is against policy). If your pet is well-behaved and quiet, your seatmates will probably not even notice that the pet was on-board. (If your pet doesn't travel well, check with your vet regarding possible sedation.) You may consider asking your seatmates if they have allergies and then attempting to negotiate reseating (for them or for yourself) if appropriate; however, as long as the pet stays in the kennel and the kennel stays closed, there should be few or no issues with airborne allergens. (Again, E+ and/or an upgraded cabin really helps here, as you can still keep some legroom even with the pet under the seat.)
• Post-flight - Let your pet out of the kennel as soon as possible. It will be really happy to get out of that kennel!
  
  

Pets as checked baggage (not cargo)

Cost: Domestic - $250 for small/medium kennels and for large/extra-large kennels, each direction, per animal. International - varies by destination and kennel size; see united.com for the price list. (As above, the cost is per direction, not per segment.) Payment details are as above.

N.B. Prices have changed a number of times recently; your cost may differ from above depending on your booking and/or travel dates. See united.com for the full chart.

Advance reservations: Absolutely recommended and required. AFAIK there are no capacity restrictions for pets as checked baggage, but a reservation is still recommended. Reservation details are as above, and again, it is strongly recommended to reconfirm at least 2 days prior to the flight.

Limitations: Certain short-nosed dog breeds cannot be shipped in checked baggage during summer months (June 1 - Sep 30); they are listed on united.com. Personally, I would not recommend shipping any animal, regardless of breed, as checked baggage during those months. This is because of heat issues, as the cargo hold is not air-conditioned and it may get too hot for your pet if the plane sits on the tarmac for too long. Certain airports restrict all checked-baggage pets during certain seasons; see S*BAG/PET for the full list. At all times, UA airport personnel may refuse checked-baggage pets in case of dangerously high or low temperatures, regardless of season or locale.

Pets are not allowed as checked baggage for travel to the UK.

Capacity restrictions: Per S*BAG/PET-CHECKED, the maximum number of checked kennels per plane is:

• A319/A320: 3
• B733/735: 3 (exception: 5 allowed from May 1 through Sep 30)
• B747: 10
• B757/B777: 4
• B767: 7
• RJs: not known; some disallowed

Because the pet is not in the cabin, none of the in-cabin restrictions listed above will apply.

Award travel: No difference. The rules and restrictions for pets as checked baggage are exactly the same for award travel as for revenue travel.

Potential pitfalls:

• OLCI - as above, you cannot use OLCI with a pet as checked baggage. Check-in must occur at the counter.
• Refaring - As above.
• Schedule changes - As above.
• Voluntary standby - Unknown but probably difficult, because standby is often difficult with checked baggage. Also not recommended since, if you do standby with checked baggage, there's no guarantee you will end up on the same flight as your baggage, and hence may be separated from your pet... this would not be good for either of you.
• Irrops - Unknown, but make sure to check with the GA about the status of your checked pet if you experience irrops.
  

Tips:

• Planning - Because there are no capacity restrictions (AFAIK!), you should be able to fly on your preferred itinerary. Non-stops are still highly recommended to minimize your hassle and your pet's discomfort.
• Booking - As above.
• Checking in - As above, arrive at the airport with sufficient time to check in at the counter with a human. You may be directed to the Odd-Size Baggage counter, if available. Have your pet's health certificate available, as it will sometimes be requested.
• Post-flight - Let your pet out of the kennel as soon as possible. It will be really happy to get out of that kennel!
  
  

I hope this is helpful to people... please post with any updates, corrections, or additional information. Again, please refrain from philosophical discussions of whether pets should or should not be allowed in the cabin... this is for informational purposes only.

cepheid

Last updated: 8/29/2009

Changelog:
8/29/2009 - Updated capacity and restrictions based on S* profiles.
5/23/2009 - Updated in-cabin pricing to reflect new lower (*gasp*) price.
1/21/2009 - Updated pricing and capacity restrictions to reflect policy changes, plus miscellaneous minor edits.
5/28/2008 - Updated pricing to reflect policy changes.
10/29/2007 - Changed 763WW to reflect new policy due to upgraded premium cabins - no in-cabin pets in C on all 763WW, whether the cabin has been upgraded or not.
10/23/2007 - Added receipt info to Cost; added Security subsection; added Seatguru tip to Seating Restrictions; added HI and UK restrictions.

cblaisd

Unless I missed it above, pets are not allowed in-cabin on flights to Hawai`i.

Yes, it does:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=pets
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=pets
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=pets
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=pets
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=pets
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=pets
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=pets
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=pets
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=pets
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=pets
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=pets
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=pets
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=pets
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=pets

cepheid

You did not miss it; I did not include it since I was trying to be general rather than specific, and it is listed on united.com... but I guess I should include it if I can figure out where.

Of course, Hawai`i is special anyway because of its quarantine issues.

And yes, the multitude of threads is exactly why I started this "master" one.

octeckels

Great post and very helpful!

A couple of quick notes --
1) based on my Sept experience
757 p.s. (3-class): 2 in Y, 1 in C, 0 in F is incorrect, it's:
757 p.s. (3-class): 1 in Y, 2 in C, 0 in F

2) carry-on restrictions: we always fly with a rolling tote/briefcase in addition to the pet carrier. I would say that the carrier is considered your "personal item" rather than your carry-on item.

3) I didn't see mention of the health certificate requirement. This is one of the more expensive aspects of flying with a pet (my vet charges $77 for this). UA asks for it about 20% of the time at check-in.

cepheid

I called and asked, and was told the former. It also doesn't make sense (to me, anyway) to allow fewer pets in Y than in C, given that Y has many more seats. Sometimes things will happen that won't follow policy, but AFAIK the limits I posted are correct.

That's certainly possible but not in my experience. I would say that your rolling tote/briefcase was considered the "personal item," instead. The pet kennel is certainly much larger than a standard personal item. I was told the pet counts as the carry-on, but you're probably right that this is not consistently enforced (especially as it does not appear to be mentioned anywhere). Other than the first time, I always checked my regular "carry-on" bag anyway, since it was inconvenient to try and drag everything around.

That's because it's mentioned on the united.com pages, and I didn't want to duplicate all of the information already contained on the site. That's why the #1 tip is to familiarize yourself with the rules and guidelines posted on united.com.

FWIW, you should be able to get a health certificate for slightly cheaper by going to an ASPCA or shelter vet. They will need to examine the pet and ensure up-to-date vaccinations, so there is a charge for the exam (and any needed shots), but they are generally a bit cheaper than a private vet.

wildangelrescuer

First let me say great information on traveling with pets. 2 1/2 yrs ago we moved to Japan from GA with 4 cats and a dog. We are going to be going back to the states in a couple of months so I will be able to tell you how that goes soon. Please note that there are quarantine rules to bring pets into Japan. If you are coming to Japan start 7 months in advance to avoid having to quarantine your pet in Japan. Here is the website: http://www.maff-aqs.go.jp/english/ry...rt/dog-cat.htm.

We flew United from Portland to San Francisco to Osaka to Naha (Okinawa). There were only 4 spots to take them as checked baggage so I also carried one in cabin. There is a limit in the number that can be fly as checked baggage. I did have to take her out of the carrier at security in Portland, they let me take her to a room so I did not have to take her out amongst all the people but this is not always possible. Chicago made a friend take her 3 cats out right there amongst all the people. One idea I have is to take a laundry bag that you use to wash lingerie, put your cat in that and walk through the metal detector with your cat that way. They could still see the cat and it could not get away. I have not tried this but will when we go back to the states. In SFO they let me see the pets I had in checked baggage and I was even able to take the dog outside to go potty. They did have to check the animals through security again after I touched them. Osaka is where I went through customs and cleared quarantine. This took about 15 minutes with all five animals. I had emailed them before I left and they had all the paperwork ready to go. This is one of the nice things about Japan; they are organized and very courteous. Make sure you have the correct microchip in your pet. They can only read international microchips. I carried a scanner I had rented from Avid. Another note about flying from Japan to the island of Okinawa do not book a flight that takes you from Narita (Tokyo) to Haneda. This involves a 3 hour bus trip. There is one flight from Narita to Okinawa or go through Osaka.

United is partnered with All Nippon Airlines (ANA) in Japan. They do not allow pets in the cabin. I carried a hard sided carrier with me and put the cat I had in the cabin into that carrier. You will get your luggage in Osaka/Narita so be prepared to handle pets and luggage there. You will have to pay again in Osaka/Narita to get the pets to Okinawa. This is based on weight. 24 hours later all five pets arrived safely in Okinawa. This was a very stressful experience but with a lot of planning things did go quite smoothly. My advice is plan every little detail.

number5858

I am going to LAX to pick up a dog this coming weekend 11/3. I called reservations and made an in-cabin reservation for the dog for the return flight. I logged in to .bomb today and lost all my nice emergency row seat reservations for my flight to LAX. .bomb will not let me select exit row (I know you can't choose exit row with a dog, but I am not going to have the dog on the way to LAX). Is this a screw up by reservations or is there no way I can make my leg to LAX dog free so I can choose an exit row seat. All that is left at the moment is E-, so I really don't want to spend my 1K qualifying flight in E-. Upgrade doesn't look good either as the flight is F0 C0 Y9 B9 M9 E9 U9 H9 Q9 V9 W9 S9 T9 K9 L9 G0 P0 A0 D0 Z0, which does look like an extremely odd load for an 0830 Saturday morning 763 flight IAD-LAX.

TimInSF

You can definitely make one-way in-cabin pet reservations--I have done it many times. The website is another story--it is probably confused. I would call and speak to a reservations agent, and I am sure that when you explain the situation they can put you in an exit row on your flight without your dog.

I know you can't check in online either way if there is even a one-way pet reservation in your itinerary, so I think this is just another fluke with the website.

Tim

octeckels

I think the problem is that the system automatically disqualifies exit row seating if you have a pet in the reservation. In my experience an agent can put you back in the exit row for the pet-free leg but you still risk losing the seat at a later point.

Enjoy your new dog!

mauiUAflyer

You'll need to call to get this straight. Not your usual .bomb kind of thing...

cepheid

Well, as (perhaps somewhat) expected, as of today UA has changed the pet policy on all 3-class 763s: no in-cabin pets in C or F. This is true even if the plane has not yet been upgraded; just like with the seatmaps, UA is being proactive and is treating reservations on these flights as if the plane will be an upgraded one. So, no more in-cabin pets in C on any 763 from today.

(Unfortunately, this totally screwed my winter travel plans, and I'm really bummed right now. Last week, I asked about pet availability 3 or 4 times and none of the agents mentioned that this policy would be unilateral. Today, it's a done deal - the computer rejects any attempt to book pets into C on a 763WW, even if the seatmap still shows the old configuration. Not a good day for me - the one time I was actually thinking I could upgrade, and poof, shot down.)

mauiUAflyer

I took our cat from SYR-ORD-SFO-HNL in January. He went as "checked" bagage. We bought the carrier from UAL, so we "knew" it would be OK. I was very pleased with the trip. When I got off the flight in ORD, I was watching the them unload the baggage from our aircraft. When our cat came down, the baggage handler noticed him, and put him in the 'heated' cabin of his "tractor"^. I was in F the entire trip, and the FAs & GAs were very good about notifying me that he had been boarded and was OK on each leg. The State Animal guy got him in Honolulu; I didn't have to do anything there.

My neighbor took a cat from OGG-SFO, in the F cabin of a 767. He got a soft carrier, and lined it with disposable diapers. This seemed like a pretty good trick. The cat, Miso, is just fine.

cepheid

All others have already said this but yes, pets on the reservation can wreak havoc with the online system. Then again, sometimes it works out just fine, so who knows. I would also recommend calling to try and straighten this out (and reconfirm your dog reservation, while you're at it).

Note that refaring your itin will cause you to lose your pet reservation, so if you want to refare, call and make sure they preserve the pet space.

Pet reservations are actually always one-way... you have to ask for each way when you fly with a pet, which is part of what makes flying with an in-cabin pet somewhat difficult.

TimInSF

This is a great resource, cepheid! Many thanks for a job well done.

I have a lot of experience traveling with pets in all cabins on United, and in my experience, all your information seems dead-on.

Thanks again!

Tim