Pets as Carry-On from the Mainland?

[spookrepitus]

Aloha,

I will be moving my family, including four pets (a Labrador and three cats), to Oahu this summer. I think we have all the FAVN/Rabies stuff under control and our waiting period should be up by the time we are ready to go. So now I am starting phase II of my research....

Does anyone know of an airline that will let us bring the kitties in the cabin to Honolulu? It looks like most don't. I've come to terms with the Lab having to go in cargo, but my little babies...my stomach lurches at the thought.

Has anyone done this successfully? Any other advice? This is the one thing that is truly keeping me up at night about moving to HI.

carolyn

[matapule]

Re: Pets as Carry-On from the Mainland?

Carolyn, check your PM.

[Amati]

Re: Pets as Carry-On from the Mainland?

We have taken cats to the mainland, and back again. And cats and dogs interisland. The rules of individual airlines can change, and what worked one year might not work the next year. I'd recommend that you sit down in a comfy chair, and phone every airline to see what their current rules are. You'll want to find out if more than one pet is allowed per cabin, and more than one pet per flight. We've had to sit in separate cabins to accomodate having more than one cat onboard. And, if only one pet is allowed onboard per flight, the adults might need to catch different flights. Also check out the required size of the underseat pet carrier. You might want to buy the carrier directly from the airline. I've had Airline A not like the pet carrier that was sold by Airline B (if they don't like the carrier, your pet will not be put onboard.)

Good luck. By the way, don't be tempted to do it an illegal way, there are steep penalties for that and the ramifications of some idiot bringing rabies to Hawaii would be horrendous.

[spookrepitus]

Re: Pets as Carry-On from the Mainland?

Don't worry, I'm set on following all the rules to the letter - to the point of obsession. Too much at risk on soooo many levels.

I like the comfy chair idea, but what I *really* need is a personal assistant to do it for me (I hate making phone calls). Maybe when I'm rich and famous...anyway, thanks for the pointers.

[Amati]

Re: Pets as Carry-On from the Mainland?

If the phone is not your preference, try the internet first. I just checked out American Airlines: http://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInforma...ngWithPets.jsp
Interestingly, they allow onboard pets, except to Hawaii is excluded. Guess that makes your questioning of the airlines for reservations even more intense [when you get to that point of your planning], you'll need to be assured that you can bring your cats on board inbound specifically to Hawaii.