Barbara D.

I breed standard size Poodles and I've been using the United Pet Safe program for about 8 years and we ship about 10 puppies a year. I've never had any major problems and I think plane travel for pets has greatly improved over the past 10 years and of course in life... there will always be a few bad outcomes posted online but these incidents are much rarer then people make it out to be. This holds true with ALL human and pet travel AND LIFE in general.
ALL our puppies have arrived safe and well cared for with United.
When we did have an issue with a canceled layover United not only refunded our money for the flight but ALSO paid to have the puppy boarded at a local pet boarding facility that had web cams in her room (yes, her own room not just a crate) so we could see her while she was there. She was then transported back to the airport in the morning and arrived to her new and excited family safe and sound. I really appreciated how they handled that issue because we were all VERY concerned she'd be left in some cargo facility over night.
I understand that shipping is not always a preferred option but sometimes it's the only travel option for our families and I've never had any problems with the puppies suffering from ANY health issues or longterm emotional trauma from flying. I think puppies actually do tend to adjust and adapt quicker to new experiances then some adult dogs do though and so I would be more concered about shipping an adult dog via cargo UNLESS they're used to being crated and they're a well socialized and confident dog with no serious health issues.
I also think long car rides can actually be more stressful for young puppies then a much shorter airplane flight.
I also do like Alaska Airlines but United Pet Safe uses planes that allow the pets to fly in a temp controlled section of the plane so there are no weather restrictions with United like there are with other airlines which I've highly appreciated during the winter and summer months.