kittykittykitty Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Do any of you travel with your Grey by plane? If so, what is involed? Do you buy a ticket for the bird so it can have a seat and be buckeled in? Any problems? Southwest is the usual airline here. My vet recomended taking Precious with me. So far, I have stayed at home, not willing to take any chances. kittykittykitty :unsure: :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M2MM Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Each airline has it's own policy, but to my knowledge, none of them allow birds in the passenger compartment and must travel in the cargo hold. Best to call you airline's local office (or check their website) for their policies. Nothing worse than assuming one thing only to find out the reality of the situation is completely different. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Hi Kitty, some of our members have travelled by plane with their greys. Lhttp://www.greyforums.net/forums/african-grey/56369-airplane.html#56378look at the threads and I think some of the members will help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittykittykitty Posted July 4, 2008 Author Share Posted July 4, 2008 Thank you. Southwest's site says no animals in cabin or baggage hold except for completely trained service animals. That's the only airline from ONT, (CA) to OAK or SMF (CA)where I usually fly. So---:unsure: :unsure: kittykittykitty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdelatorrejr Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 How ironic! I just brought my young bird home to San Diego, CA from Tampa, FL. The two airlines that will allow pets are Delta and Continental Airlines. The difference in price is negligible (~ $100). Delta only allows one in-cabin pet per flight where Continental allows four. The pet carrier counts as one carry on; most airlines allow 2 pieces per person. I checked the rules and regulations about hand carrying pets in the cabin. The airlines strictly enforce rules on the size of the cage since it has to fit underneath the seat (maximum size 22" L x 14" W x 9" H). I ordered the carrier from PETCO.COM. In the end, my experience was wonderful. Many people loved having a grey on the plane. The young bird kept the attention and interest of children whose parents were so grateful. Also, I didn't realize Florida has many bird enthusiasts and lovers similar to the dog community in California. Good luck and I wish you and your grey a safe trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zpyder Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 There is a list of airlines somewhere on the web if you do a search for traveling with your bird. I have taken my bird on a plane and it wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be. He was in the cabin with me and I had a dog as well. You will be required to get a health certificate and a carrier that is approved by the airline. I have done this several times and it can be quite the adventure. I think they are better behaved than most children . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFsailor Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 There are a couple more airlines that will transport birds. Check on their websites. I have traveled with my CAG on Delta. THE WAY TO GO is with the AG as a carry-on. This avoids you having to get a health certificate (usually around $40), and you are in constant control of your beloved. As for the carrier.... Use a cat carrier that will fit under the seat. I got a soft one from Petsmart in their clearance bin for $7. I then lined and sowed the carrier with window screen, so the bird would chew through it. IMPORTANTLY, when going through security tell the 1st person you meet at the security station that you have a bird and would request that if they want to examine the carrier you need to take the bird into a closed room to take it out of the carrier. This will make it a lot smoother for you, the bird and the security. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarnold Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 For anyone that is still interested I work for an airline and since I happen to be at the airport today I decided to do some checking for you all. US Airways allows birds in cabin for 100 dollars, Continental does not allow birds unless you go through cargo, i'm not sure about Delta yet there was nobody at the ticket counter. I can check others if you need me to. I pretty much know eveyone at the ticket counters here in El Paso. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdelatorrejr Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 That's interesting. About 4 weeks back, I brought my baby TAG, Bobot, from Tampa, FL. to San Diego, CA. on Continental Airlines in the cabin without any problem. Maybe its a restriction from city to city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarnold Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 It's possible, it also could be that airlines are changing rules constantly or the ticket agent was misinformed. I will double check with the city manager. He owes me lunch so I will ask him tomorrow and let you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFsailor Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 That could very well be. Delta was charging only $80, instead of $100, back in 10/2008. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telegirl Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 I am traveling with my bird in November and when I was told at my local airport that I would be REQUIRED to remove my bird from the carrier and walk through the detector with it. But the TSA website says to remove if you can, but if not, request a secondary screening. Now I am really worried about going through security. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 You need to double check with the airport & airline your travelling with to clarify the situation for you. We have a welcome room,why not pop in & introduce yourself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFsailor Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Telegirl: The problem is that not very many birds go through security. (this is what they told be at Denver International Airport). So I really doubt you would have to hold the bird while going through the metal detector. Just tell the 1st TSA person you see that you have a bird in the carrier and you would like to go to a closed room to take out the bird so it won't fly away. Then they can take the carrier and run that through the Xray or metal detector while you wait with the bird in the closed room Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarnold Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 I agree, just call ahead so you know what to expect. Secondary screenings are no big deal, they do them all day long. Does your bird use a harness? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telegirl Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 No, she doesn't use a harness. She was a "used bird" - (A rescue) and training in general has been difficult. I can't see her getting used to a harness any time soon. I made reservations for her, the airline knows she is coming and I traveled with her pre 9-11 and it was fine. I am just nervous about the screening, since I am sure that they are not used to Parrots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFsailor Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 It will be ok. My bird was in the same "training" state that yours is in right now. She definitely would not get into a harness, and generally she was not enthusiastic about being handled. And this was definitely demonstrated in the screening room when I had to get her out of the carrier while they ran it though the Xray or whatever. I can report to you though that the trip/ move DID cause my bird to bond with me WAY faster then I imagined. I guess she really liked our new place and to show her appreciation she came over to me and "put out her leg" for me to put out my hand to. It was really funny because she was acting "drunk" when she was doing this the first time or two. I initially thought something was wrong with her until I posted a new post on this forum and asked what her behavior was telling me. Now I can play with her freely. She will 'dance' with my hand, put my fingers in her beak, and even allow me to hold her on her back upside down...<br><br>Post edited by: SFsailor, at: 2008/08/14 21:13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarnold Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 :laugh: Thats a great story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 What wonderful stories! It's nice to know you can travel with your bird if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telegirl Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 Thanks, everyone....I'm feeling a lot less stressed about the trip, now! B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbdb_kcb Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 Thank you all also. We are considering taking Booty with us on our next trip. Can anyone suggest a carrier? I would like one with a perch so you could sit comfortably but is that asking too much?! Thank you again, I love this forum. Thank you all!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 Its best to check with the airline to see what the requirements are for a carrier, they have to be a certain size to go under the seat where they usually put them then you can look for a suitable one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 We just traveled from Hawaii to California with Makena. It was extremely stressful for us because there are no airlines that will allow pets in the cabin from Hawaii to CA. We were not about to put our little guy in cargo!! Every airline can set their own rules and costs when in comes to transporting pets. More and more airlines and discontinuing pet travel for liability and annoyance reasons. We ended up getting a note from our vet saying it would be extremely risky for us to put Mak in the cargo area. Luckily Hawaiian airlines accepted the note and allowed us to bring him on. We got a carrier at petsmart that was within the guidelines, drilled a small hole through the back and put his favorite perch in there to make him more comfortable. We also put a towel over his carrier to keep him calm. It worked!! He was calm and quiet the whole time and no one even knew he was there! If you are in the US you need to look at the requirements on the Department of Agriculture website. Every state has different requirements as to what can be brought in and out and what the process is. California is one of the more strict states and they required us to get a health certificate within 10 days of Makena's departure date. We had to get an examination by our vet that cost us about $120. After a lot of adjusting Makena is safe and sound and loving his new surroundings! I would use air travel as a last resort. I definitely would not recommend bringing a bird along if you are just going on a vacation. Air travel can be extremely stressful for the bird and hard on the parents !! We won't ever do it again unless we absolutely have to!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFsailor Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Transporting animal to Hawaii is very hard. I checked into it back in March. gbdb_kcb: As for what carrier you should pick... STRICTLY depends on its size. Airlines have different sizes but they GENERALLY can only be 8" tall for a hardside carrier and 10" tall for a softside carrier. Therefore its better to get a softsided carrier. The cheapest softside carrier that will work for airplane trips are CAT CARRIERS. Yes, you normally put cats in these I got my cat carrier from the clearance shelf at Petsmart for $7.50 (very cheap), I then lined the carrier with window screen so the bird would be able to quickly chew its way out. I had no problems at any point with this set up. Petsmart also has nicer softside carriers that meets the height requirements and these can range from $30-100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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