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Our first time flying with our pups

Our first time flying with our pups

Old Apr 25, 2021, 10:30 am
  #1  
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 14
Our first time flying with our pups

Hello,
We want to fly to NYC from Los Angeles. This would be our first time flying with our 2 new French bulldogs. They will be around 11 months old by the time we fly in early September 2021. We will be flying FC. They are both under 20 pds. We plan on purchasing the approved dog carriers (the soft type not hard plastic ones)
Please provide any help. This forum has been the BEST source for flying assistance since 2010 for us.
1. Any suggestions on the best airline for this?
2. Any help on how to best get them through security without much hardship? I read somewhere that you can walk them thru the detectors or do we have to carry them thru detectors?
We are pre-check if that matters.
3. We purchased muzzles for them as we are afraid since this is their first time flying and these dogs bark at anything new.Any suggestions on keeping them quiet?
4. What happens if they do cause issues during the flight with barking, crying, etc?
5. We are also planning on a layover halfway to get them out to stretch, potty, etc. But we will not leave the airport. Thinking of a 1.5 /2 hour layover in DFW, OKC...any suggestions on this?
6. We plan on driving to DC and fly out of Dulles. Any tips on Dulles with the dogs? We have flown out of Dulles twice before and it has always been a low key airport.
Note: We can fly from LAX, Burbank, Ontario or even Las Vegas if that is easier for us and our 2 dogs.

Note2: We are in our mid 50's and my husband has a heart condition and an ADA placard. The dogs are not service and we will not lie about it and are willing to pay the airline fees for non service dogs. I just mention this because I am wondering if there is any assistance the airline will provide us being my husband has an ADA placard ?

Thank you very much

Last edited by Bettysuethomas; Apr 25, 2021 at 10:41 am Reason: Put wrong Destination
Bettysuethomas is offline  
Old Apr 27, 2021, 9:57 am
  #2  
 
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If your dogs don't weigh more than 20 pounds including the carrier, I think the best airline and routing for this would be AAs direct LAX-JFK service on the A321T. This aircraft is unique in that it is equipped with lie-flat seats with tons of space and allows carry-on pets (carry-on pets go into a special compartment /closet in F for take-off and landing, can be at your seat all other times) . All other airlines do not allow carry-on pets on aircraft with lie-flat seats. In business class, select 6 A/B or 6D/F. Those bulkhead seats offer the most space for pet carriers. In F, I'd select 1 A and F, because the pet closet will be nearest to those seats.
Here's how much space there is:

dog space row6 on AA A321T LAX-JFK

Nonstop, the flight is just five-and-a-half hours. Between Check-In and leaving the terminal in NY, they'd be in their kennels for max. seven hours - definitely way under the threshold where a potty stop enroute would be required. I`ve flown this route with dogs very often, and never had any issues. LAX has a post-security pet relief area, so they could 'go' one last time right before boarding. JFK has a pet relief area right outside the AA terminal, you'll be there less than ten minutes after deplaning starts if you don't have to wait for checked bags.
If you fly this route on AA in three-class F, you're entitled to use the Flagship check-In service in T4. This is a separate check-in area that leads anyone passing through it to the front of the line at the PreCheck security checkpoint - check-in and passing through security this way is very quick and seamless. If you have to use the regular Check-In area, use the elevator, not the escalator.

You can and should walk dogs through security., that's SOP with the TSA (click). Take them out of the carrier, place the carrier etc. on the belt and walk them through the detector. Pro tip: use leashes and collars/harnesses without metal parts to avoid the thing going off and necessitating manual searches. I always take everything off my dog and let her walk through the detector unleashed, but then she's a trained service animal who's well adjusted to traveling....

You're bound to get some evil stares from fellow passengers if your dogs don't quiet down in flight, but that's pretty much all that'll happen. If you know they'll be vocal all the time, please be considerate and refrain from booking the overnight redeye flights (the 9:30 and 11:30pm departures).
As for getting them to quiet down - well, they'd just have to be/get used to the whole concept of travel in carriers out in public. If being in a carrier and getting carried around noisy and strange environments is something they know as normal, well, they'll act normal.
Acquire their carriers well in advance and take them on metro rides (pets in carriers are allowed) so they'll acclimatize to the whole experience. Same with the muzzles - don't try to put them on for the very first time trying to pass through security on the big travel day....
bhomburg is offline  
Old Apr 30, 2021, 11:12 am
  #3  
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 14
Originally Posted by bhomburg
If your dogs don't weigh more than 20 pounds including the carrier, I think the best airline and routing for this would be AAs direct LAX-JFK service on the A321T. This aircraft is unique in that it is equipped with lie-flat seats with tons of space and allows carry-on pets (carry-on pets go into a special compartment /closet in F for take-off and landing, can be at your seat all other times) . All other airlines do not allow carry-on pets on aircraft with lie-flat seats. In business class, select 6 A/B or 6D/F. Those bulkhead seats offer the most space for pet carriers. In F, I'd select 1 A and F, because the pet closet will be nearest to those seats.
Here's how much space there is:

dog space row6 on AA A321T LAX-JFK

Nonstop, the flight is just five-and-a-half hours. Between Check-In and leaving the terminal in NY, they'd be in their kennels for max. seven hours - definitely way under the threshold where a potty stop enroute would be required. I`ve flown this route with dogs very often, and never had any issues. LAX has a post-security pet relief area, so they could 'go' one last time right before boarding. JFK has a pet relief area right outside the AA terminal, you'll be there less than ten minutes after deplaning starts if you don't have to wait for checked bags.
If you fly this route on AA in three-class F, you're entitled to use the Flagship check-In service in T4. This is a separate check-in area that leads anyone passing through it to the front of the line at the PreCheck security checkpoint - check-in and passing through security this way is very quick and seamless. If you have to use the regular Check-In area, use the elevator, not the escalator.

You can and should walk dogs through security., that's SOP with the TSA (click). Take them out of the carrier, place the carrier etc. on the belt and walk them through the detector. Pro tip: use leashes and collars/harnesses without metal parts to avoid the thing going off and necessitating manual searches. I always take everything off my dog and let her walk through the detector unleashed, but then she's a trained service animal who's well adjusted to traveling....

You're bound to get some evil stares from fellow passengers if your dogs don't quiet down in flight, but that's pretty much all that'll happen. If you know they'll be vocal all the time, please be considerate and refrain from booking the overnight redeye flights (the 9:30 and 11:30pm departures).
As for getting them to quiet down - well, they'd just have to be/get used to the whole concept of travel in carriers out in public. If being in a carrier and getting carried around noisy and strange environments is something they know as normal, well, they'll act normal.
Acquire their carriers well in advance and take them on metro rides (pets in carriers are allowed) so they'll acclimatize to the whole experience. Same with the muzzles - don't try to put them on for the very first time trying to pass through security on the big travel day....
Thank you very much
Bettysuethomas is offline  
Old May 27, 2021, 10:20 pm
  #4  
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Join Date: May 2021
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This is awesome!
coleview is offline  
Old Jun 29, 2021, 8:27 am
  #5  
 
Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 7
Fantastic, very helpful response
Patricia Lippitt is offline  

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