hot2trot

I have a male cocker spaniel that is about 26 pounds and I want to get him to Sacramento CA, from Orlando FL. I know there are some airlines that will take dogs in the cabin but am concerned he is a little big for a carry on bag. At this time of the year it is too hot to send him in cargo and many airlines won't do that anymore anyway. A few concerns: there are stops between Orlando and Sacramento if I fly. This is a long time for a dog to go without having to go pee. How do you deal with this? In between flights, you are inside the terminals. Can't exactly let him pee on the floor! He is 8 1/2 years old.

I drove with him from CA to the east coast last year and it was a great trip, but it took 5 days to get here. I don't have the time to drive him back. Air Tran flies MCO to SFO with the cheapest airfare and they only charge $75 for in cabin animals. I did check the link at the top of this forum and it seems some of the charges have gone up since that was written. Boy airlines sure charge a lot for this!

Any suggestions as to carriers? I can go to any one of the airports in the SF Bay Area - SMF, SFO or OAK. Can also go to Jacksonville if it is less expensive, I do live in Orlando though.

RSSrsvp

I don't know of any carrier that will allow a 25 pound dog in cabin unless it is a service animal. I would never flying a animal in cargo this time of the year so my best advice is to drive.

kipper

If you can't drive him yourself, due to the time it would take, could you find someone to drive with you, and take turns driving, so you can make the trip in a shorter amount of time?

Emeraldcity

I would book an airline that has only ONE connection. I would also book the flight as two separate one way tickets with enough of a layover so you can pick up your dog, take him outside to go potty. Then go back and recheck for the next flight and recheck in your dog. It may make the time longer but it will make you animal more comfortable.
If it were a non-stop it would be different, but because you have no choice but to have a connection, you should split the ticket so you can reclaim your dog.

Another option is to fly United and connect through Houston. In Houston they have accommodations for animals, and if your layover is a certain amount of time, they will walk your dog for you. (At least it was that way when they were Continental, I used the service once for my dog but can't remember how long the layover had to be)