Hello Happy Friends! 💖

It's Happy&Hazel! 🐶😍

Today we are going to talk about our experience on our recent flight with a

Dog In-Cabin on United Airlines International Flight. ✈

Our itinerary was LAX to SFO(San Francisco) to ICN(Seoul,Korea).

It was 1 hour from LA to San Francisco then we had 3 hour layover and 12 hour flight to Korea.

It was Happy's first time flying and he was very nervous. 

And he was so upset about being inside the bag. 

Although we practiced being in the bag many times and he used to take naps there.

And I did get him tired by walking him extra the day before, but that was not enough...

On our first flight, Happy was crying and going crazy scratching the bag for the whole one hour.

And he actually escaped the bag under the seat and ran away for a little bit.

He eventually came back to me by himself after few minutes.

Thankfully nobody on the plane made big deal about it, including the flight attendants.

On the next flight, I just let Happy(with the bag) stay on my lap and that was OK. 

I thought I had to and the rule is to keep your dog under the seat the whole time.

Thankfully Happy was so much more relaxed and calm for the 12 hour flight on my lap.

Restrooms in the middle of the plane became our favorite spots in the airplane.

It was much more quieter than our seating(which was in the very end).

So Happy started liking it there, so I took him every hour or so.

Although he didn't pee for the whole 12 hour flight, I kept giving him pee pads to pee on, just in case he has to go.

Restroom was perfect place for him to come out and stretch, drink water and just relax.

He didn't really want to eat anything, but he had couple of little doggy treats and some tiny chicken pieces from my meal. (Which he enjoyed very much)

Time to time, he was getting too hot or frustrated in the bag, I took him around the airplane(with the bag) and he liked it too.

United Airlines Good and Not so good.

Good 

Cheap ticket price - It was so much cheaper than other airlines.  

By the time I was looking to book this flight, United was talked about everyday with something bad.

And I wanted to avoid it too and was looking into Air Canada, but couldn't beat the price since I was on a tight budget.

Flexible dog policy - No weight limit as long as they fit in the bag and able to turn around easily, other airlines have more strict policy with weight limits like 10lbs including the bag.

Dog Friendly - Everyone(check in and flight attendants) welcomed the dog. :)

We were on a budget and wanted to travel dog friendly.

And that's all we wanted pretty much.

So we are quite satisfied with United with our experience.

(This is just a perspective as a dog mom traveling with a dog. :)

Not so good

Old plane - There was no personal screen for entertainment and restrooms were tiny.

Tips & Tricks

#It's $125 for one way international flight in-cabin for United and similar pricing for other airlines too. You need to call them to make reservation. (You can't book it through the internet.)

There are only limited spots for dogs per cabin, so book early.

Find out about their Pet Policy here.

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/animals/in_cabin.aspx

#There is a separate check in process for dogs.

So please get to the airport extra early. It will take another 10-15 minutes. 

Take your dog confirmation number.

#Unless your dog is super calm and chill in any situations, 

consider natural herbal supplements and try them days before the travel to see if it works.

Do your research and talk to your vet. Check out this review for Dr.Harvey's Relax.

http://www.mkclinton.com/2016/01/is-it-time-that-your-dog-relaxed.html