Robin's First Flight: Traveling with an In-Cabin Dog

Robin and I just returned from a week-long visit to my home state of Minnesota. It was my first time flying with an in-cabin pet.  Below are a few of the concerns I had prior to the flight, and how they panned out.

• Potty breaks: Although Robin can easily wait six hours in his crate or ten hours overnight, I was concerned that the stress of traveling and waiting would cause problems when added to our four hour flight. My attempt to train him with puppy pads was wholly unsuccessful. I ended up just feeding him his breakfast (eight hours before our 5pm flight) and picking up his water a couple hours before leaving for the airport. There was absolutely no grass to be found on the departures level of LAX, so he refused to pee before check-in. LAX does have dog relief areas, but they are inconveniently located on the arrivals level, which already has gardens and trees across the street. Fortunately, it ended up being fine. He had to pee badly enough when we arrived that he was willing to use a light post outside, but not until we had walked up and down the terminal looking for grass. 

Grass at HHH terminal

• For the return flight, there was actually a nice small patch of grass on the departures level,  so he had a chance to pee before we checked in. Since we'd just come from a short hike in hot weather, I offered him small quantities of water regularly throughout the flight. Despite the extra water, when we arrived at LAX he waited until we crossed the street to a small garden outside the parking structures. I had hoped to check out the pet relief area, but the nearest one was located between terminals 1 and 2, while we were at the far edge of Terminal 2.

• Security: In-cabin pets must be removed from their carriers to go through security. Since Robin sticks to me like glue, I wasn't concerned about him trying to run for it. Both times, he went through wearing his standard leash and his normal martingale collar (which has two metal D rings and a stainless tag) and didn't set off the metal detector, so I was glad I didn't buy any special metal free gear. At LAX, the TSA had me carry him through the metal detector. At Humphrey Terminal (Minnesota's small, four-airline terminal), the very friendly agent called him through first, by himself, and I followed behind. Both times, he was happy to get back into his carrier, no treat or encouragement needed.

An axious Robin panting on the
return trip.

• Stress and anxiety: Robin is generally very easygoing as long as he's by my side, so I hoped that the flight would be a cinch.  It wasn't. Although he didn't whine or scratch, he did pant heavily for the full 4-hour trip out and for a good portion of the return trip. Fortunately, both flights were quite empty and we had a vacant seat next to us going out and a vacant row on the return flight. The flight attendants were also probably more lax since the planes were so underbooked, and no one said anything about me letting him poke out of his carrier's top hatch. He was significantly calmer on the return trip, so I have hope for future stress-free flights! 

• Popping ears: I didn't think about this before the trip, but after the first descent Robin was clearly distressed about one of his ears and kept trying to scratch and shake his head.  Feeding him some stale, chewy jerky treats cleared it up within a few minutes, so on our return flight I fed him tiny pieces of jerky treat throughout the descent and we had no problems.  Since he chews his food meticulously, this worked great.  For a gulper, a bully stick or harder treats like Greenies might work better.  

Robin scoping out the other
passengers during boarding.

• Sturdibag/legroom: Robin's SturdiProducts SturdiBag in size Large fit easily under the window seat with only an inch or so of roof compression.  The front edge of the bag's base was about even with the edge of the silver seat support (visible on the left side of the photo) even though the bag looks like it's sticking pretty far out. There was about a five inch gap between his carrier and the side wall of the plane. On both flights, the middle and window seats looked equal in size, but there would not have been enough room under the aisle seat, which was significantly narrower underneath. 

• Technically, based on his shoulder height of 14.5", Robin should be using the 16" tall XL Sturdibag (the L is about 12-13") but I found it to be massive and unwieldy, and with Robin being tall but trim, he really doesn't need that space lying down. Since the roof is flexible for fitting under seats, he has no trouble getting inside. The bag itself is very well made, durable and thoughtfully designed. The mesh on the top is an absolute must for a plane carrier, and I like the top porthole. Its shoulder strap has four individually adjustable attachment points, so the bag can be adjusted to sit level even when slung over your shoulder. 

• Getting Around: I always travel with a 4-wheeled roller bag. I purchased a "Bag Bungee" from Amazon to secure Robin's carrier to the top of my bag, and it significantly stabilized the load. I tried going without it for one trip down the concourse, and his carrier was very wobbly even with its handle snapped around the rollerbag's handle. Here's a video of Robin jumping into his bag to show how well the bungee setup works: 

Takeaways:

Flying at off times was key to our comfort, especially on the first trip. The empty seats created a buffer so I could reach him more easily and didn't have to worry about him bothering my neighbor. We also got through security faster, and everyone in the airport is nicer at quiet times.

The trip would have been a lot less stressful for me if I'd had a (human) companion with me. I knew I couldn't leave Robin under the seat to go to the airplane bathroom, and his carrier definitely wouldn't fit in the lavatory. For a short flight, this was fine, but on a longer flight it would be a problem. If/when he calms down enough to sleep on the plane, I will probably be able to leave briefly.

Since the SturdiBag only has one small pocket on its back panel (totally inaccessible while on the plane), I'm thinking about creating a removable pouch to attach to the side of the bag. There's ample space under the plane seat for a small side pouch holding a bowl, some treats and a bully stick. Ideally, I'd even like for it to hold his jacket, leash and harness so that most of his gear is in one, unweighed spot (since I'd just remove it for his weighing at check in). Space and weight in my own bag is already at a premium! 

Further reading: 
I referred heavily to the fantastic site dogjaunt.com in preparation for our flight.  It's a great resource for anyone planning to travel with a dog.

Updates: 
06/07/2015 changed video orientation