Pet limit in First on Delta
 

I have a friend that breeds burmese cats and she has a client in the NYC area that wants two kittens born late last year. I am flying DTW/LGA in March anyway and she REFUSES to ship her cats cargo to any buyer and usually requires them to pick the cats up driving or flying them in the cabin if they fly. The three of us worked out a deal since I am going there anyway and the kittens will be ready for placement and I am flying with them. Deltas policy allows for two pets of the same species to fly together in the same kennel in the cain if they both fit comfortably which two kittens will so no problem there.

I realize I can't sit in an exit row and totally understand the reasoning for that. This is a flight I can usually get upgraded on and and realize if there are no other pets flying in first it won't be an issue. I also realize if there are already two other people flying with pets I won't get upgraded.

According to deltas site 2 pets are allowed in first, but what happens if there is only other person with 1 pet in first? Will they allow the upgrade and treat it as though I am flying with 1 pet since they are in the same carrier or treat it as though I am flying with two pets?

Here is deltas policy on two pets:
Exception: Two pets of the same type may be allowed in one kennel, for example two dogs or two cats. They must be small enough to fit in one kennel provided they are compatible and must be of the same species and size, and they must meet the requirements of acceptance. They will be charged as one pet.


I realize I will only be charged $90 (which I don't care about anyway since the kittens buyer is paying the fees) but will they consider the kittens to be two pets or 1 pet for upgrade purposes?

I don't know the answer to your question, but the silver lining is that, whatever happens, you get to travel with 2 adorable burmese kittens. My burmilla is sitting beside me watching me type this. She thinks you're lucky, too.
Anyway, I bet that they not only count them as one, but don't even realize that you have 2.

Here's your answer:
Allow two pets of the same type, for example two dogs or two cats, if they are small enough to fit in one kennel–provided they are compatible and must be of the same species, size and they meet the requirements of acceptance. Charge as one pet.
The pet must be at least 8 weeks old.
Only one kennel per guest may be carried on the aircraft.
The pet-in-cabin counts as one piece of carry-on baggage
Check Delta Connection carrier guidelines, if applicable, as they may vary.
and....the pet fee is $125 as of 2/5/10.

Or you can do what I just saw on my flight last week. Standard looking duffel bag for a carryon in front of me standing in the jetway. Duffel gets unzipped and a softside pet carrier with a little dog is pulled out and the other carryon items stuffed into the duffel. They bypassed the $125 fee and were definitely DYKWIA types sitting way back in Y.

What is the $125 fee really for?

Well the purchaser of the pet is paying the pet fee:) But I agree that is absurd for a pet fee. I can understand having a small charge but not that much. It's unbelieveable the kind of non refundable fees for pets some hotels charge. I understand if the pet does damage or has an accident and has to clean the carpet but drunk adults can do a lot more damage than a trained pet.

Burmillas are beautiful cats. I love Tonkeniesse as well. Any cat with any burmese is in it is a great cat:) They have such nice personalities. My friend that breeds burmese says some breeders call them velcro cats because they stick to their owners like velcro. It is almost like having the personality of a dog but without barking, having to come to walk them and no housebreaking:)

I have two of her cats and the roughest part of this trip is gong to be giving them up to their new family. I am glad it it is only a little over an hour flight and not a cross country flight where I would really become attached to them.

You must have no idea whats involved in cleaning a pet room in a hotel even if the pet has no accident.. Also most hotels will charge an adult if they do damage to the room.

There's a dedicated FlyerTalk sub-forum:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-pets-645/

I am not sure if the upgrade system is even capable of keeping track of who is traveling with a pet.

Once when traveling on DL with a pet, I was upgraded LAX-ATL. Turned out that my seatmate had also been upgraded and was traveling with a pet. I don't even know if the FAs were aware. Both pet carriers remained under the seats and the animals were quiet for the whole trip.

Doesn't Delta require a reservation for pets travelling in the cabin? AA requires reservations, with checkin at the counter to inspect the carrier and the size of the anumal and to pay the fee, whereupon Fido gets his or her own boarding pass.

Yes. But that doesn't mean that the computerized upgrade system is aware of the pet reservation.

Good point. And the FA's might not even be aware of deltas limit of 2 pets in the First class cabin, or for that matter they probably don't care if it isn't observed as long as the pets behave and aren't causing problems. On this short of a flight the only reason I want the upgrade is for the extra legroom since I can't sit in an exit row travelling with a pet.

One thing to keep in mind is that some F seats on some aircraft do not have room for a pet carrier underneath. If you do get upgraded, check seatguru.com to see which seats will work and which will not.

I can see why airlines charge a fee for pets in the cabin--pets can be a source of conflict between passengers (allergies, phobias, aversions). And airlines probably want to limit the number of animals on flights, so charging for the privilege can help do that.

Wait - so giving money to DL helps them alleviate allergy/phobia/aversion conflicts? :confused:

They could do the same with pets what they do with infant-in-arms and not charge a large fee (a quick phonecall to have your res. noted). It's a money grab, not an effort to keep other pax comfortable.