When I first started writing this post, my main concern was that most U.S. airlines won t allow you

When I first started writing this post, my main concern was that most U.S. airlines won t allow you to add your pet to your reservation on-line, so either you make your reservation and quickly call to add your dog (hoping that one of the limited number of in-cabin spaces is available), airline ticket consolidators to brazil or you call to make your reservation and risk being charged an extra fee, and possibly airline ticket consolidators to brazil losing out on on-line-only deals or bonus frequent flyer credits. I wanted airline ticket consolidators to brazil to find out which airlines were doing the best job of helping passengers with this problem.
Since then, I learned about U.S. Air s wretched new first-come-first-served pet policy , and got hints from readers that other airlines might have similar policies, so I decided to ask more questions: Do you keep an in-cabin pet listing for each flight? When I add my pet to my reservation, am I guaranteed that she will have a reserved in-cabin space on my flight? If not, what will happen if I learn at the airport that there are no in-cabin slots left for my dog?
Here s what I ve learned. The big surprise was that Southwest, an airline I love(d) and fly on constantly, also has a first-come-first-served airline ticket consolidators to brazil pet policy. I just can t tell you how disappointed and shocked I am. This, from the bags fly free airline? The no change fees airline? I ll keep on flying on Southwest, because I have to, but I m a lot more nervous now and the Southwest offerings that were meant to improve airline ticket consolidators to brazil my pre-flight experience (EarlyBird check-in, etc.) have lost most of their sheen, since I ll need to arrive crazily early to ensure that Chloe joins us on our flights.
The rest of the airlines fall into three camps: (1) The airlines that let you reserve an in-cabin place for your pet on-line (highlighted below), at the same time that you make your own reservation (Continental and Virgin America); (2) The airlines airline ticket consolidators to brazil that don t have a phone booking fee, or that waive your phone booking fee, so you can call and make your own reservation, adding your dog at the same time, without incurring a financial penalty (Allegiant, Frontier, JetBlue and Sun Country); and (3) all the rest of the airlines, which don t waive the phone booking fee. Please note that every other major U.S. airline, aside from Southwest and U.S. Air, guarantees that your in-cabin pet will fly with you, once she s attached to your reservation.
AirTran The web site says, [T]o book pet travel, please contact the AirTran Airways reservations desk at 1-800-AIR-TRAN (1-800-247-8726). The customer service rep I spoke to told me that to add a pet to my reservation, I d either have to incur the $15 phone fee, or make an on-line reservation and then call to add Chloe to my reservation. She suggested calling first to make sure that there s still room for your pet in-cabin (AirTran allows 6 in-cabin pets) then quickly make your on-line reservation and then quickly call to add your pet to your reservation. When you add your pet, you ll be asked for payment which guarantees airline ticket consolidators to brazil that your in-cabin pet has a place on board.
airline ticket consolidators to brazil Alaska/Horizon Space for pets traveling in the cabin or in the cargo compartment is limited and subject to availability. For air travel on Alaska Airlines, Pen Air and ERA Aviation, please contact Alaska Airlines Reservations at 1-800-ALASKAAIR (1-800-252-7522). The agent I spoke to had the same suggestion as the AirTran agent (above) to avoid the $15 phone booking fee (and to take advantage of on-line-only offers), call ahead to see if a flight you re interested in has room for your pet, book your flight on-line, and then quickly call to add your pet. Alaska and Horizon airline ticket consolidators to brazil do keep a log book of pets for each flight, so your pet will indeed be attached to your reservation, and a spot will be reserved for her on board. You ll pay her fee at the airport, airline ticket consolidators to brazil or during web check-in.
Allegiant ”To book a reservation with a pet, please contact the Allegiant Reservation Center [the best number I could find is 702-505-8888] and use option 1 and tell the agent you are booking with a pet. The per segment Booking Fees will be waived.” And sure enough, when I spoke to the agent, she confirmed that the $15 booking fee would be waived airline ticket consolidators to brazil because I am, essentially, forced to call to make sure my pet can travel with me. Allegiant handles the in-cabin pet situation by not having a maximum number of in-cabin pets. Their only concern is that pets be spread around the cabin, not concentrated in the same rows. She assured me that my pet would get on the plane with me.
American Pets traveling in the cabin require a reservation to ensure no more than seven pets are booked on any single flight. For this reason, it is recommended that you make arrangements for your pet in advance by contacting Reservations. The customer service rep I spoke to told me that if you make your reservation airline ticket consolidators to brazil over the phone, you will incur a $25 fee and it will not be waived. As above, I d call ahead, then book on-line, then quickly call to add your dog to your reservation. American does keep a log of in-cabin pets for a particular flight, so once your pet is attached to your reservation, she has a place on board. You ll pay for her at the airport.
Continental Pets can be booked online or by calling Reservations for assistance. At Continental’s home page, click on the “Reservations” tab and select “Make Flight Reservation.” The resulting “Flight Search” page is organized as a list of questions; the third question airline ticket consolidators to brazil is “Who is traveling,” and includes a box to check if you want to include a pet in your reservation. airline ticket consolidators to brazil The next page (“Add Pet”), asks for the number of in-cabin pets you propose bringing, and then you’re on your way.
Delta Call Delta in advance at 800-221-1212 to arrange to bring your pet on board. Delta too charges a fee for phone reservations it s not waived in this situation, and the agent suggested (this should be familiar by now) calling airline ticket consolidators to brazil in advance to see whether a flight has room for your dog in-cabin, then quickly making your on-line reservation and calling back to add your dog to it. Delta does keep an in-cabin pet listing, so a spot will be reserved for your pet. You ll pay the pet fee at the airport.
Frontier Make advanced reservations on the phone. Pets can t be booked online so please call our Reservations Department at 800-4321-FLY (800-432-1359) so we can ensure availability and reserve space for your pet. Frontier doesn t charge a fee for making your reservation over the phone, airline ticket consolidators to brazil so no problem there. They do keep an in-cabin pet listing, so your pet truly is added to your reservation, and will have a place on board. You ll pay the pet fee at the airport.
Hawaiian Hawaiian airline ticket consolidators to brazil is tricky, of course, because airline ticket consolidators to brazil in-cabin pets aren t allowed on flights  to Hawaii (they re allowed on inter-island flights, and on flights leaving Hawaii). The agent I spoke to told me that the ticketing fee is not waived you know the drill by now but that Hawaiian does reserve spots for in-cabin pets, so once your pet is attached to your reservation, she ll get on board with you. You ll pay the pet fee at the airport.
JetBlue To book your pet, call 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583). Please note: Pets cannot be booked online. When you call, tell the rep that you’re calling because airline ticket consolidators to brazil you’re traveling with an in-cabin dog and remind airline ticket consolidators to brazil them that you shouldn’t be charged the usual fee. Also, JetBlue will give you the extra credit frequent flyer credit you would have gotten if you d made your reservation on-line, because in this situation you were compelled to make your reservation over the phone but remind the agent to, because they won t think about it without nudging. [6/16/14 Happy news! JetBlue now allows travelers to book their pet's reservation online : "Pets can be booked online or you can call 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583)."]
Southwest Reservations airline ticket consolidators to brazil for small cats and dogs can only be booked by calling airline ticket consolidators to brazil Southwest Airlines at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792). I was astonished to learn that Southwest has the same lame policy as U.S. Air (see below) : You may call ahead and add your pet to your reservation, but in fact, the in-cabin slots are allotted on a first-come-first-served basis at the airport on the day of your flight. airline ticket consolidators to brazil The agent assured me that the airline has never had a situation where 7 pet owners tried to board a flight (Southwest allows 6 in-cabin carriers), but that s little comfort to a traveler, especially airline ticket consolidators to brazil as pet travel becomes more popular, and especially during holiday travel. What happens to the seventh, unlucky pet owner? Southwest will try to call and notify you that six other pet-owners have checked in, and will discuss with you over the phone (or at the counter, if you only learn of your fate then), what your options are. The agent mentioned, as an option, changing flights, but would not go so far as to say that you d get a refund. airline ticket consolidators to brazil You ll pay the pet fee, by the way, at the airport.
[11/26/13 I just got a message from reader Mia telling me that "Following airline ticket consolidators to brazil what it says on Dog Jaunt, I didn't bother calling to add Callie to my Southwest reservation since it's first come first served at the airport anyway, but when I arrived at the airport the desk agent told me that it isn't first come first served, you need to call ahead to add your pet and that the limit for the flights is 4 in-cabin pets! Luckily, there were no other pets on the flight and the lady put Callie on my reservation then and there for me after I expressed my concern that this completely goes against what it says on their website." Perhaps this particular agent used to work for AirTran? And perhaps something triggered the provision that "from time to time, circumstances may allow for more (or fewer) than six (6) pet carriers per scheduled flight"? It takes just a few minutes to call and add your pet to your reservation, so I plan to continue doing it.]
The only bright spot during the conversation and this from an airline that I previously adored! was the news that Southwest does not charge a fee for booking over the phone (query, however, whether there s any