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[edit] Introduction
UA allows pets both in-cabin and as cargo. If traveling with your pet, familiarize yourself with all of the rules, guidelines, and general info posted on united.com. Some of the most important info, along with other stuff not posted on united.com, is given below.
[edit] In-cabin pets
Pets can be carried onto the plane and transported in-cabin. Only cats, dogs, and certain small birds are allowed in-cabin, per UA's posted pet policy. Other useful information is itemized below.
[edit] Cost
Domestic - $125 each direction, per animal. The fee will increase to $175 for flights taken on or after 10 Nov 2008, for tickets booked on or after 2 Oct 2008. International - varies by destination. (The cost is per direction, not per segment, so the number of connections between origin and destination does not affect the price.) Payment is made at the check-in counter, not in advance. As with every other check-in fee, you cannot use vouchers/coupons to pay for it; payment must be made with cash or credit card. You will receive a card-stock receipt for the in-cabin pet fee; keep this receipt with your boarding pass, as the TSA will check for it during security screening.
N.B. The in-cabin pet fee for domestic travel will be raised to $175, from $125, as of Nov 10, 2008, for tickets purchased on or after Oct 2, 2008. Tickets booked before Oct 2 qualify for the $125 fee; tickets booked before June 13 qualify for the previous $100 fee. (united.com)
[edit] Advance reservations
Reserving in advance is absolutely recommended and required. There is limited availability for in-cabin pets (noted below) and space is first-come, first-served, so you want to make a reservation for pet space ASAP. Reservations can only be made after ticketing. To make a reservation, you must call Reservations; you cannot reserve space online. (You can call any of the Reservations lines applicable to you. Don't call Web Support!) The reservation is non-binding - if you show up at the airport without your pet, you will not be charged. However, because of the limited capacity, it would be polite to notify UA and cancel your pet reservation if your plans change (opening up that space for other passengers).
It is strongly recommended to reconfirm at least 2 days prior to your flight, to make sure that nothing messed up your reservation! See below for possible pitfalls to avoid.
[edit] Limitations
Only one in-cabin pet is allowed per passenger. Capacity restrictions are noted below. It is believed that the in-cabin pet counts as your carry-on item... this may not always be enforced and it's not noted on united.com, so evidence is purely anecdotal at the moment. Regardless, it is probably more convenient to check bags when dealing with a carry-on kennel, anyway.
Pets are not allowed in-cabin for travel to Hawai`i or the UK. Other restrictions apply for Hawai`i and int'l travel; see united.com (link above) for more details.
[edit] Capacity restrictions
The number of in-cabin pets varies by aircraft type and by cabin; E+ and E- are treated as a single cabin, as expected. This info is not listed on united.com, but is very handy to know in advance. Available pet space is as follows, categorized by aircraft type and cabin:
- A319/A320: 2 in Y, 1 in F
- A32S (TED): Unknown (probably 2 in Y)
- 737 (all configs): 2 in Y, 1 in F
- 747: 3 in Y, 0 in C, 0 in F
(as of 17 Jun 2008, possibly earlier, UA no longer allows in-cabin pets in C because of the premium cabin upgrades... this is true even if the plane has not actually been upgraded yet) - 752 (2-class): 2 in Y, 1 in F
- 757 p.s. (3-class): 2 in Y, 0 in C, 0 in F
- 767 US (2-class): 2 in Y, 1 in F
- 767 WW (3-class): 3 in Y, 0 in C, 0 in F
(as of 28 Oct. 2007, UA no longer allows in-cabin pets in C because of the premium cabin upgrades... this is true even if the plane has not actually been upgraded yet) - 777 US (2-class): 3 in Y, 2 in F
- 777 WW (3-class, all configs): 3 in Y, 0 in C, 0 in F
(as of 07 Jul 2008, possibly earlier, UA no longer allows in-cabin pets in C because of the premium cabin upgrades... this is true even if the plane has not actually been upgraded yet) - CRJs, EMBs: Unknown.
[edit] Seating restrictions
Passengers with in-cabin pets may not sit in the exit rows (for the same reason that parents with children may also not sit there), nor in bulkhead rows (the kennels must go under the seat in front of you). For comfort in Y, E+ is highly recommended when traveling with in-cabin pets. Also, check SeatGuru to ensure that the space under the seat in front of you is not restricted (by power boxes or whatever).
There is no waitlist for pet space availability. If there is no more space to reserve for an in-cabin pet for your flight or cabin, your only option is to find another cabin/flight that has space, or keep calling back to check if space has opened up. (The latter is generally not recommended since there is no guarantee and likely a low probability of success.)
See below for tips on how to minimize headache and hassle when planning and booking travel with in-cabin pets.
[edit] Upgrading
You can upgrade with an in-cabin pet, but only if there is room for your pet in the upgraded cabin, i.e. this is subject to the capacity restrictions noted above. For this reason, it is not recommended to waitlist an upgrade, since there is no guarantee that there will be available pet space when/if your upgrade confirms; it is strongly recommended to upgrade only when you can confirm in advance.
[edit] Award travel
The rules and restrictions for in-cabin pets are exactly the same for award travel as for revenue travel.
[edit] Potential pitfalls
[edit] OLCI
You cannot use OLCI with an in-cabin pet because the kennel must be inspected and approved by a TA at the counter, paperwork must be signed, and payment must be made. Check-in must occur at the counter.
[edit] Refaring
Just like with upgrades, refaring your flight will cause the pet reservation to get lost. This is because the reservation is tied to your original ticket, and refaring results in reticketing. If you refare online, call immediately after refaring to reinstate your pet reservations. Better yet, refare on the phone and make sure the CSR preserves your pet reservation.
[edit] Schedule changes
As with refaring, confirming a schedule change may lose your pet reservation (just like upgrades and seat assignments sometimes get lost). Be sure to confirm your pet reservation with the phone CSR when confirming schedule changes.
[edit] Voluntary standby
This may be difficult to accomplish with an in-cabin pet, because of the capacity restrictions noted above.
[edit] Irrops
Generally, irrops with in-cabin pets sucks even more than usual. However, GAs may choose to override pet capacity restrictions when reaccommodating disserviced pax, just like many other restrictions are overridden during irrops.
[edit] Tips
[edit] Planning
When researching your flights, come up with at least 2-3 acceptable alternatives (times/dates/routes) for both your outbound and your inbound flights, and rank them in order of preference. Non-stops are highly recommended to minimize your hassle and your pet's discomfort. By knowing your preferred itineraries beforehand, you can very quickly ask the phone agent to check on availability for specific flights... it's easier on them, and it's easier on you.
[edit] Booking
- Immediately before booking, call Reservations and inquire about pet availability on your pre-planned itineraries, in order of preference. Having alternative flights handy is critical here. You may also do this in-person at an airport ticketing counter. Right now you're just checking availability, since pet space cannot be reserved before ticketing.
- If you wish to book on the phone or in person, you may do so now (i.e. do it all in one step), but you will incur the phone/in-person booking fee unless it is waived for other reasons (e.g. 1K or using vouchers). If you wish to book online, hang up and immediately book your chosen itinerary online. Then, immediately call back, explain that you just booked a flight and want to reserve space for an in-cabin pet, and provide your PNR locator. Do not delay as pet space is first-come, first-served. (You may be able to avoid having to call back by asking the Reservations agent to hold the line after checking availability, booking online with the agent on hold, and then going through the above with the same agent.)
- Call back periodically (at least once before your flight) to reconfirm your pet reservation, especially if you experience any of the items mentioned in the Pitfalls section, above.
[edit] Checking in
You cannot use OLCI or the kiosk, so arrive at the airport with sufficient time to check in at the counter with a human. You may be directed to the Odd-Size Baggage counter, if available, even though you won't be checking your pet. Have your pet's health certificate available, as it will sometimes be requested.
[edit] Baggage
It is not recommended to take an additional carry-on (other than your "personal item"), since you may not be allowed to do so and it's also a pain to drag it around with your pet kennel.
[edit] Security
Your pet must be taken out of its kennel and carried through the metal detector. The TSA may wand your pet, as well. Keep this in mind if your pet is skittish. The kennel goes through the X-ray just like other baggage.
[edit] In flight
Place your pet under the seat in front of you, and then just leave it there. Don't take it out during flight (this is against policy). If your pet is well-behaved and quiet, your seatmates will probably not even notice that the pet was on-board. (If your pet doesn't travel well, check with your vet regarding possible sedation.) You may consider asking your seatmates if they have allergies and then attempting to negotiate reseating (for them or for yourself) if appropriate; however, as long as the pet stays in the kennel and the kennel stays closed, there should be few or no issues with airborne allergens. (Again, E+ and/or an upgraded cabin really helps here, as you can still keep some legroom even with the pet under the seat.)
[edit] Post-flight
Let your pet out of the kennel as soon as possible. :) It will be really happy to get out of that kennel!
[edit] Pets as checked baggage (not cargo)
Pets may be transported in the cargo hold as checked baggage for a ticketed passenger. Pets that do not fit the in-cabin criteria must travel in the hold, but even in-cabin-qualified pets can travel in the hold.
[edit] Cost
Domestic - $125 for small/medium kennels or $250 for large/extra-large kennels, each direction, per animal. The fees will increase to $175/$250 (respectively) for flights taken on or after 10 Nov 2008, for tickets booked on or after 2 Oct 2008. International - varies by destination. (As above, the cost is per direction, not per segment.) Payment details are as above.
N.B. The checked-baggage pet fee for domestic travel will be raised to $175/$250, from $125/$250, as of 10 Nov 2008, for tickets purchased on or after 2 Oct 2008. Tickets purchased before Oct 2. qualify for the $125/$250 fees; tickets purchased before Jun 13 qualify for the $100/$200 fees. (united.com)
[edit] Advance reservations
Reserving in advance is absolutely recommended and required. It is believed that there are no capacity restrictions for pets as checked baggage, but a reservation is still recommended. Reservation details are as above, and again, it is strongly recommended to reconfirm at least 2 days prior to the flight.
[edit] Limitations
Certain short-nosed dog breeds cannot be shipped in checked baggage during summer months (June 1 - Sep 30); they are listed on united.com. You may wish to avoid taking any animal, regardless of breed, as checked baggage during those months. This is because of heat issues, as the cargo hold is not air-conditioned and it may get too hot for your pet if the plane sits on the tarmac for too long.
Pets are not allowed as checked baggage for travel to the UK.
[edit] Capacity restrictions
None known.
Because the pet is not in the cabin, none of the in-cabin restrictions listed above (regarding seating or upgrading) will apply.
[edit] Award travel
The rules and restrictions for pets as checked baggage are exactly the same for award travel as for revenue travel.
[edit] Potential pitfalls
[edit] OLCI
As above, you cannot use OLCI with a pet as checked baggage. Check-in must occur at the counter.
[edit] Refaring
As above, your pet reservation is tied to your ticket and will be "lost" upon refaring. Be sure to call Reservations to refare or immediately after refaring online.
[edit] Schedule changes
As above, you should reconfirm your pet reservation after any schedule changes.
[edit] Voluntary standby
Unknown but probably difficult, because standby is often difficult with checked baggage. Also not recommended since, if you do standby with checked baggage, there's no guarantee you will end up on the same flight as your baggage, and hence may be separated from your pet... this would not be good for either of you.
[edit] Irrops
Unknown, but make sure to check with the GA about the status of your checked pet if you experience irrops.
[edit] Tips
[edit] Planning
Because there are no (known) capacity restrictions, you should be able to fly on your preferred itinerary. Non-stops are still highly recommended to minimize your hassle and your pet's discomfort.
[edit] Booking
As above, pets must be booked manually (over the phone or in-person) after the passenger's travel has been fully ticketed.
[edit] Checking in
As above, arrive at the airport with sufficient time to check in at the counter with a human. You may be directed to the Odd-Size Baggage counter, if available. Have your pet's health certificate available, as it will sometimes be requested.
[edit] Post-flight
Let your pet out of the kennel as soon as possible. :) It will be really happy to get out of that kennel!
