Is flying safe for your pet...??

While confronting this question, one can just say that flying with pets is safe, provided careful measures have been taken before hand; otherwise it can turn out to be a menace. It all depends on how you take care of your pet, during the journey. There are several flight services available today, which are pet-friendly. They take an intensive care of pets on board; therefore flying with pets is not a big deal these days. However as the saying goes “precaution is better than cure”, it costs nothing to prepare ourselves for the worst situation, rather than finding ourselves in it and have no way out.

Let us take an extensive glance through the possible precautions; one should take before travelling internationally or domestic. First and the foremost thing which you have to make sure of is that your pet is in perfect health conditions to board a flight. It will be good if you take your pet for a thorough check up, two or three days before the fixed date of journey. It will also be wise to have your veterinarian’s contact numbers, in case you need them. If you’re pet needs medications on a daily basis, DO NOT FORGET TO CARRY THEM. Then next thing generally deals with the flight service, you would like to undertake. Make sure it is a pet-friendly airline. Your pet will be assigned an id card, detailing your pet’s name, your name and your contact number. This will be issued by the ground staff members and it will be of a great help, in case you misplace your pet. You will also be provided with three options while doing the booking. The options are:

Cabin Class: Cabin Travel is completely restricted to small pets; however some airlines allow passengers to bring small-sized furry companions. Pets travelling in a cabin class never leave their owners and the owners are solely responsible to look after them. If you are booking your ticket online, then it is advisable to inform them that you are bringing a pet along; otherwise sometimes they restrict the number of animals in a cabin.

Baggage Class: In this option, pets are checked in as baggages. This genuinely implies to the fact that airlines may not know, until the last minute, that there are pets on the flight. Some airlines may load pets alongside baggages, and your pet may not receive the quality of service you are anticipating.

Cargo Class: A reservation is required when your pet travels in a cargo class. You pet will be placed in a pet-carrier and you can have it beside you or underneath your seat. While choosing the pet-carrier you must remember certain things, it should be big enough as compared to the size of your pet. Your pet must not feel suffocated in it. You can place blankets and pillows in it, to make your pet feel cosy and also have some toys in it, to keep your pet busy through out the tour.

Be very careful while choosing the option that suits you the best. According to my recommendation, it is always better to keep your pet under your own supervision and therefore I would suggest you to book yourself for ‘Cargo Class’. It is the best among the three. If you emulate the above mentioned steps, then I can give an assured answer to the question. Flying is safe for your pet.