There is also usually a per plane cabin limit, american vet students fly to/from here with whats laughably called emotional support animals. They are limited to about 20 per plane. More than that go in the hold.

I understand united recently tightened rules further when a weirdo wanted to fly with her emotional support peacock. https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2...rt-animal.html

They don't travel well in luggage. Luggage gets loaded into cans, thrown around and they are a bit worse for wear at the other end.

They do fine in pet carriers in the hold though.

Pets in the cabin are I feel sure great for the pet owner and a pain in the arse for everyone else. I doubt the stress of being hauled around with people bustling everywhere, higher temps in the cabin, stuffed in a bag under the seat, is that great for them either.

You can fly out of Heathrow with Air Canada with pets in cabin, max weight including carrier is 10kg, we are doing this with our French bulldog in a couple of months. We have done research on the best airline approved soft carrier and sleepypod or Strurdi bag are very good. Sleepypod is very ££ but it can reduce in length, for us it’s too heavy as our Frenchie is 8.5kg. So long as it’s flexible to reduce in size to fit under the seat you will be ok.

I believe you can fly one pet per adult, air Canada website has all the info you need. For us putting a snub nose breed in the hold is not a option as the death rate is high due to this lots of airlines won’t fly them in the hold.
The airline has policy’s in place if someone has fur alligies. Lots of people don’t like pets going in the cabin just like some don’t like kids in the cabin! We don’t like sitting around people who smell or are sick but we don’t complain!

This.

Nobody's allergic to kids though (well......). I love my cats and dogs, but I wouldn't put them through a journey in the cabin either, I agree with BEVS. Far too traumatic. Plus if somebody is highly allergic and could have an asthma attack or similar, that's potentially life threatening.

I also wouldn't want to risk being kicked off the plane if you do get a fellow passenger with a serious allergy and made to travel later, that would be much worse for the pet.

JMO though............

Oh I agree, I would not wish for anyone to become very poorly due to my dog. Oh I’m sure I’m allergic to other people’s kids when they are being ..... saying that I do get the sniffles with mine sometimes 😂

Inbound and outbound to UK you can only fly pets in the hold as cargo from heathrow, gatwick or manchester as far as I am aware.

The hold area is usually under the captain's deck and pressurized and heated. The pets are more rested there than in a cabin, the only stress is noise of take off and landing. The captain visually checks after the animals are loaded that all is ok, before takeoff. At least in the EU that is done.

I have helped a friend send several cats by air to the UK last year from EU and they all did fine and recovered quickly on arrival from any stress though they will hide a first under a bed or behind a sofa.. Use feliway plug in when they arrive and keep them in a small room with their favourite food.

From Europe you can bring up to 5 cats with you on one journey. Don't know re Canada airline. However if you can get several cats on one air waybill the shipping cost will usually reduce. They will still be in their own carriers. I was recommended this pet travel company by someone who brings rescue cats into the UK and they have a page on Canada. https://www.petairuk.com/taking-pets-to-canada

Vet advised no food 12 hours before travel or they get sick. Water bowl in carrier is ok for longer trips but they often get spilled. Cats should be fine for all that time as they will sleep/hibernate.

The UK is very strict about what carrier the animal arrives in and will fine the aircraft if not correct. IATA - Traveler's Pet Corner

The one we found that is IATA compliant for world wide use ( none are actually IATA endorsed) is the Vari Kennel Small- this is the correct size for cats and was approved by the vet here. The cat can stand up and turn around, and importantly cannot get its front paws through the front grill ( lots of carriers have too large grills) It' s high at sides so the cat feels hidden and secure and is not so large that the cat is thrown around. It is well ventilated. It has clip on water/food bowls.

The carrier size you have been given is probably for cats flying inside the cabin on shorter domestic journeys and is shorter in height than IATA compliant ones where the animal must be able to stand and turn around. https://animalinstinct.co.uk/petprod...carrier-small/
21″ x 16″ x 15″ (53cm x 40cm x 38cm)

For extra security you can insert thin ties into top and bottom non lock side of carrier and the top one of lock. These tied will extra secure the front grill. It's a bit fiddly but can be done.

The best thing is to get a dog nappy ( absorbent) to line the carrier with in case they pee., there is also a collection dip around the base of the carrier. Half an hour before leaving spray the underside of the nappy wtih Feliway spray - allow to dry- this is very helpful for calming cats. It will last a few hours .
https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/c...back-to-the-uk

Blimey, that's something I hadn't thought of. Imagine if your cat or dog needed a poo mid flight, and the smell in the cabin.

Where a pet goes in the hold can vary by aircraft and airline.

On some of the airctaft and airlines we handle animals go foward and in some animals go aft and some aircraft airlines wont accept animals at all in the hold.

Example one airline we handle they wont accept hold aninals on 767 aircraft of any series.

One airline we handle in 737-800 animals go foward hold and on same aircraft with another airline animals go aft.

No guarantee animals will be in the forward hold regardless though pilotd have no access inflight so doesnt matter which hold an airline uses.

The hold is heated and pressurized however the air circulation is poor which people need to keep in mind.

Yes we traveled with 2 cats in the Cabin. It cost us about $60 CAD per cat I think in 2016. Putting in the hold will cost you thousands.

We used SleepyPod Air carriers, they need to be flexible because the underside of a seat is oddly shaped due to the lifejacket. The carriers just look like sports bags, no one can see the cats behind the black mesh, and no one said anything one way or the other. Most of the time people have pets in the cabin and no one realizes. The carriers are expensive, but nothing compared to putting cats in the hold.

Even if your cats are a little vocal, I would not worry about disturbing other people, the aircraft is a very noisy environment, they will barely be heard above the engine roar, and your cats will likely settle down soon enough, the rubble seemed to agree with ours.

As for people with allergies, if you are like us, you're covered in as much cat hair as the cats, so what difference does it make?

And as for the smell if they do have an accident, cabins have great air circulation it won't be there for long.

We were also concerned about them wetting the carriers, so invested in liners for the carriers. We had planned to move to the bathroom and change blankets and had nappy bags ready to dispose of any waste. But they were very good in the end.

Our cats were extremely well behaved, and slept most of the way from UK to Halifax.

We had our we bint of a moggie in the hold on Icelandair and she arrived fine. I think the point made by Bevs is valid... it is dark and more relaxing than people shuffling around in the cabin all the time.

I expected her to be a mess when she arrived but she was standing up, looking around, and let out a big howl as she came through the oversize baggage belt at Halifax airport.

and does the pet carrier count as one of the items allowed as cabin luggage?

Our two cats breezed the two long haul flights & then the one internal flight from the UK to semi-rural New Zealand & by no means was one of our pusscats totally laid back. He was and is a bit of a so-and-so around the edges. They breezed it. It was as though they hadn't been anywhere at all.
Cat in question was 6 when he emigrated. He is now approaching 20. The only sign was meows for food and a huge excited high tail shake by way of greeting.

I had to read this a few times before I understood it.

No. We are not always covered in cat hair. Why would we be.
It isn't the hair that causes the grief. It is the dander. The protein in the dander to be precise.
We have a friend with a cat allergy. Honestly, it comes on very quick , is not pretty & is dangerous.

As far as I read from the OP this isn't a quick hop internal. This is an 8 hour flight with all the added hours around the edges.

People put their pets in a passenger cabin with them, for them. Not for the pet.

OP: Talk to Golden Arrow for reassurance . Whatever you decide , give no food/water for a good 12 hours or more before you travel. Do not give any form of sedative or homeopathic calming spray. Just don't.

On some airlines yes they consider the pet as part of the carry on allowance for cabin pets.

Yes on Air Canada the cats replaced our carry on luggage. You could still have a brief case/hand bag I think.