American Airlines had a different take for Betsy and her family’s Havanese. “It’s permissible for the pet’s fur, tail or ears to touch the inside of the kennel or carrier,” wrote Andrea Koos, an American spokeswoman in an email. “They can fly with their dogs, based on the information you provided.”
I wrote to several other major American carriers, and of those that responded (Delta, JetBlue, Alaska and Frontier), only Delta cited a “no touching” rule. In other words, though airline employees do have discretion on deciding whether a container is humane and whether it will fit under the seat, a pet on most airlines should not be turned down solely because its fur touched the side or top of a carrier.
But depending on how much it touched — especially if it caused a bulge — that could be reason enough to reject a pet. Sheila Goffe, a vice president of the American Kennel Club, noted that dogs with erect ears that add a couple inches to their height and pressed up against the top of the container could, in theory, be turned away. “It’s a funny thing to have to think about, but you get into gray areas that could be a problem,” she said.
Here’s the bottom line, according to Erin Ballinger, the destinations editor for BringFido: “Travelers are always going to be at the mercy of the airlines’ discretion.” If it’s a close call as to whether your pet has enough room, you may want to rethink your travel plans.
“The very obvious solution” for borderline cases, said Dr. Nelva Bryant, founder of the site When Pets Fly, “would be to send the pet as cargo and not risk getting denied.” Of course, many dog owners dread the idea of putting their pet in the cargo hold, and many airlines (including Delta and United) have stopped flying animals as cargo, at least for now.
Another solution — though not one I’m assuming most dog owners will go for — would be to get a cat. But cats aren’t completely immune to problems, as I found out when Frederick from Los Angeles wrote to tell me about his domestic shorthair tabby named Lola, who was denied boarding on a Delta flight last December, even though she easily fit into a regulation carrier.
It turns out that pets, like humans, can be bumped.
Airlines allow a maximum number of pets per plane and even per cabin within the plane (service animals are exempt from limits) and strongly recommend reserving in advance. Delta, like several other airlines, has an explicit “first-come, first-served” policy posted for those who don’t. But Frederick made a reservation, so why were he and Lola bumped and forced to take a later flight? Could Delta have overbooked pets on the flight?
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