Tiki Bob's Plane trip update

[Given2Fly]

Welp,

We had our week long trip to Phoenix about a week ago, and just realized I should post so there is a bit more info on taking your dogs onto airplanes. I had asked a few questions a couple months ago, a tad worried about bringing Tiki Bob as he is kind of big... So here's the rundown of how it worked:

First of all, it wasn't very long of a trip, so I don't have much advice for a really long trip (flight was like 2:45 each way).

From Seattle to Phoenix:

* Get to the airport, Tiki Bob in his sherpa bag...he doesn't seem to mind it, except he's not a huge fan of being carried in the bag...maybe a bit more practice before we do this again...

* Check in, person doesn't even notice we have a dog..so I mention it, and pay the ripoff of $80 ... start wondering if I even had to mention him.

* Head through security... he does NOT want to get out of his crate so I can walk him through the metal detectors..but after some struggle we get through and all is good (his metal tags on his collar didn't even set off the metal detector like I worried they would).

* Get to the gate about 50 minutes early.. open the front of the bag a bit and let him stick his head out until we board...he's being excellent so far as long as he's on level ground and not being carried.

* Board the plane, the lady doesn't even ask if we have the receipt for him.. (yes we could have gone all the way with him without actually paying.. but with our luck if we didn't they would have asked for the receipt).

* Get to our seats and try and position his sherpa bag (large size) under the seat, and am SHOCKED to see it fits perfectly..I was worried to be honest, I didn't think there was that much room under the seats....

* During flight, we occasionally toss him an ice cube, or some string cheese (thanks brad), and he does excellent..not a peep.

* We land, and people start standing up and grabbing their carry-on stuff... *BARK* .. oops! , it appears he doesn't like the commotion, about 4 different people go "wow, you have a dog with you? we had no clue he was so quiet during the flight..what kind is he?" .. they didn't seem to mind since we were getting off the plane, so that was good

Ok.. now we spend a week in Phoenix where everybody who meets Tiki Bob absolution loves him, he does really well in a new environment for a week..even meets his first baby and is great around her (good to see for when my wife and I decide it's time for us to maybe have one).

Ok..return trip! (I'll try and condense this a bit)

*Get to airport, check in at curbside..ask what to do about dog since they say nothing (This should have been a sign maybe I should have learned from the way down..they say to go inside and pay for it)

* Go inside, lady at the desk is an absolute witch...nothing but attitude from her for some reason.. I think she woke up on the wrong side of the bed... she pulled out the "can he stand and turn in it" question.. I said "yeah..he sleeps in it every night, he'll be fine" .. she gives me a mean look and takes my money...

* Security goes the same

* Waiting at gate goes the same

* Getting on plane goes the same .. once again, nobody asks for a receipt, and we could have got him on for free again *sigh*

* Flight goes the same

* Getting off the plane goes the same (with the same bark, and the same responses from other passengers)

And then we headed home and he slept for 2 days straight basically..I think the trip wore him out .

So a quick summary, even though Tiki Bob is sorta big (pushing 19 pounds), and we had to use a large sherpa bag, it went great and everything was pretty much problem free. We flew America West for the record..not sure if room under seats changes between airlines... And that's all I can think to mention, if anybody has any questions feel free to ask and I'll try and answer them.

And now for sticking through my long winded post...here's a pic or 2 from Phoenix

[maggie]

I'm impressed! I would love to take Kai-lee on a trip to Florida but I wonder if she would bark .... I take it you didn't give him anything to "calm" him down. I guess my only questions are where did you get the sherpa bag and what happens if the dog starts barking in flight

[Given2Fly]

Yeah we didn't give him anything....

We got the sherpa bag at some generic .com I found using froogle..went with the place with the cheapest price at the time.. I think it was petguys.com or something like that, other places could be cheaper now...this was a few months ago.

As far as what would happen if the dog started barking, not sure, I don't see how it's different from a baby crying personally..except you paid $150-$200 for your dog to be on the plane while the baby is annoying everybody for free

[tlwtheq]

I don't get it...you have to pay to take your dog as carry-on?

B.t.w., thanks for the cute pix. Your guy looks a lot like my guys.

Tara, Olie and Teddy's Mom

[Given2Fly]

I don't get it...you have to pay to take your dog as carry-on?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yup.. Airline will find any way possible to take your money

[Muugi]

Great to hear! I do not forsee the need for widget to fly anywhere but it is good to hear other's experiences. Glad to hear everything went well for you.

[Tracy A.]

I can just envision Mett & Bratt on a plane...... can we say 'total havoc & mayham' twice... they boys = 1 Elliott.

[Lesley]

Glad to hear about the trip and how good Tiki Bob was ! Still can't imagine having to pay for the ridiculous amount of space under a seat. I bet they never even offered him some peanuts! As a frequent flyer - it just confirms that if you can be grumpy about a dog - what else will you be grumpy about? Trust you had a wonderful trip. You now have a traveling ace !

[Scully'sMom]

I enjoyed the story even if there WEREN'T bonus pictures at the end! I'm glad you guys had a safe trip. Tiki Bob just cracks me up and the one with him licking his chops make me thinks he wants more string cheese!

[Eliz222]

Glad to hear you had a great trip....you are one brave person! LOL!

Tiki Bob looks like Scout and Finch combined....cute, cute, cute!

[Guest Guest]

That was a very nice summary and I'm glad everything went well (except for the witch)

I bought a Sherpa bag when Elliott was a pup and I wanted him to get used to it....he chewed through the mesh part in an hour.

I would love to travel with my dogs but I wouldn't even make it to the airport by car before I'd be swallowing Valium by the handful!

Thanks for the great story and pictures...you are so lucky.

[kayharley]

oooops, guest is me. Probably didn't have to mention it since not many other members have an "Elliott"

[brin145]

I was glad to read that the trip went well. Tiki Bob is such a good pup! I don't think there is enough string cheese in the world to keep mine quiet on a plane ride. I learned a lot from this post. Didn't even know you could take a dog into the cabin. thanks!

[Guest posting as: Carol]

We are going from Denver to Akron, Ohio, in April on a 3 hour direct flight on Frontier Airlines. We thought about bringing Chelsea, so I called Frontier about it, they DO NOT ALLOW DOGS IN THE CABIN, cargo only. So, she is staying home at her favorite kennel! I'm certain that we will miss her more than she will miss us.