Harry - Murphy went to Newfoundland for his summer vacation this year, and we did buy a pet ticket for him, but at about US$38 (C$50 coming back) it was probably significantly cheaper than any seat sale, & perhaps, like some other cheap fares, not eligible for miles...

As far as ID goes, he had to have his rabies vaccination certificate to get into Canada. No picture, but a description & age-listing. All the immigration/customs folks liked him, & he was a magnet for small children in the lounge.

As for putting carriers on seats - he travelled under the seat on the BOS-Halifax flight, & hated that, as it was a very noisy prop plane & he couldn't see me. Although he was fairly quiet, my ankles were ripped to shreds as soon as I put my table-tray down & he thought he'd been forgotten. On the next flight there was an empty seat next to me, so I put his carrier on it SIDEWAYS, so he could see me. He curled up & went to sleep. On the return flights we put a pillow under his carrier (under the seat), & that kept him fairly calm. By that stage he'd become a seasoned traveller, as he'd travelled around NF by car too..

He doesn't like the changes in direction & noise associated with travelling, but does like the cat treats, so I think he'd be willing to fly again.

I believe that some airlines allow you to buy pet tickets with your airmiles, but I'm not certain about whether they will enroll the pets in a ff plan. It would be a good idea, as on the Halifax-St John's portion of our flight there were two other cats aboard, and when we arrived in St John's about four large dogs were uncrated - Alsations & other big animals have to travel in the hold. I can't imagine trying to get an alsation or similar to sit quietly in a seat for the duration of the flight, but Murphy was definitely easier to travel with than some children I have seen!