Hello, all,

Hoping CO Insider will read this.

Why does CO charge so much for bringing a pet along in the passenger cabin?

My wife is scheduled to travel with our small (<10 lb.) puppy. CO is charging us $190.00 for the dog. The carrier fits easily under the seat.

I'm not mad or anything about this charge, just wondering why it's so much.

(By the way, NW charges $160.00)

Thanks and safe travels.

I've taken a pet along on a trip in the cabin in the not too distant past on CO. I am very grateful that CO permits this, but I side with you: I think the cost is extremely high. Sure, I can understand charging "something" as an insurance policy or the like, but $190/RT for what is virtually indistinguishable from a legal, carry-on bag is all but larcenous in my opinion. My pet did not make a peep. Aside from the specially-made ventilated bag, no one would otherwise know that I even have a pet therein. To the OP who posed the question, "why does CO charge so much?", I'd hazard the guess: simply because they can.

Until I'm convinced otherwise, I'm in agreement with you.

Thanks for your reply.

Jet Blue is $50 OW.

DL charges $100 R/T

Hi guloxi, the revenues are important, but there's a little more to it. When it comes to in-cabin pets, this is a product that is very limited in supply (only a limited number are allowed per aircraft) and it's one that many of our customers wish we didn't offer. Our pricing is therefore designed to match our limited supply with the demand. And to some degree it also serves as a deterrent. While we're very proud to offer this service, we do have to keep into account the additional liability and exposure to issues it creates.

I know for a fact that many pet carry ons are not declared

Thereby they are not counted or paid for either

It would be simple if ALL security points checked for

pet credentials and PAID tickets

My vote (if they ever took a vote) would be to eliminate

all onboard animals (with 2 or more legs)

Well, thanks, Scott. I can understand CO' stance, even if I disagree with it.

I wonder if CO would consider giving Elite OP members a break on the price, or possibly the option of paying with miles.

Thanks, again.

I was on a recent SFO-IAH flight with a small dog which "yipped" most of the way--it was quite annoying having paid for my A ticket. If your dog does bark or get anxious, please be kind to your fellow passengers and see if your vet with give you something to help sedate the poor animal. And I AM a dog owner--I kennel mine--but realize your situation may be different.

why does the fare basis of your ticket impact the level to which you were annoyed? if you were flying on an X ticket (that's cheap, right?), would it have bothered you less? really?

Scott:
You did mean 5 pets per aircraft, right . I believe it used to be 2.

One pet per flight is allowed in the front cabin (select aircraft only).
Four pets per flight are allowed in the Economy cabin (Continental Airlines, Continental Micronesia and Continental Express flights only).

I quite understand your position. In our case, it's a very small puppy and we did get our vet to supply us with a drug, which in this case, didn't make her sleep, but did relax her keep her calm for the duration of the flight. (I'm speaking of a previous trip on another airline. She rode in the front cabin, was very quiet and caused no trouble whatsoever.)

I also agree that kenneling is the best option, but it just didn't work out this time. As the dog gets older, that is what we'll be doing.

Thanks for the response

Delta now charges $75 each way. This change is fairly recent(2 months or so).

I do travel with my pet from time to time and understand charging a fee for this service. That said, often these fees border on the outrageous. Often the charges to fly a pet can be nearly the same as a person (on a cheap X fare). For this amount, the pet should receive its own seat! Furthermore, and perhaps the thing that irks me more, is that the pet counts as my carry-on bag even though I had to pay an extra fee. Are those pax bringing along lap children (which can be infinitely more annoying in-flight than most pets) also not allowed a carry-on bag? My line of thinking is that if I'm paying an extra "fare" for the privilege of flying my pet, why am I also penalized by having the pet counted as my carry-on? It's simply adding insult to injury...

Emphasis mine.

Did you mean more than 2 legs?

Of course, I've been on many trips where some of the two-legged animals probably should have been in kennels.

Wouldn't the GA know from the BP if the passenger had actually paid to bring a pet on board?

Thanks for your response.