Flying pets year round is an intricate process that can take months of planning, flying pets in summer can raise a whole new set of challenges. As the hot weather rises, the details for safe pet travel become even more important. Here are some quick tips from our pet travel experts.

Check airline restrictions

Airlines and pet travel experts have your pet’s safety and wellbeing at heart which is why many restrict pet travel during the summer months. Most airlines have embargos for flying pets in summer. Most will not allow your pet to travel in their cargo hold if the temperatures at the departure, layover or destination airports is forecasted to be above 84˚F.

If your pet is a snub nosed breed or mix, like Bulldogs, Pitt bulls, Pugs, etc., it is best to wait for optimal weather to fly since most airlines will refuse to transport them during the summer.

Book the best times for flying

The best time to fly pets in summer is early in the morning or late at night, when the weather is cooler. Avoid flying during the holidays since the number of passengers and luggage are greater, the attention to your pet might be somewhat diminished.

The best days to fly are usually mid-week. Fridays, Saturday, Sunday and Monday are usually pretty busy since there are weekend travelers and people traveling for work. The calmer the airport personnel is the better they will be able to care for your pet.

Book direct flights for your pets

Direct flights are the safest for your pet. It makes the trip shorter and avoids unnecessary time on a hot tarmac. Though airlines transport your dog from the air conditioned cargo hold to the air conditioned plane in an air conditioned van, there are times (when the pets are being loaded) that they are exposed to the weather, so it is best to keep these transfers to a minimum.

Prepare your pet’s travel crate

Make sure your pet’s travel crate is the right size for them. In some cases a bigger crate or customizing a crate for added air holes can greatly improve the comfort of your pet during travel.

Lining your pet’s crate with an absorbent material like shredded paper will keep your pet dry in case of mishaps and also cool since they can dig around to find a cool spot. If your pet has light colored fur, make sure the paper doesn’t have any ink as it can stain their fur when it gets wet.

Provide cold water while flying

We suggest freezing the water bowl filled with water overnight. Like this, the water provided during your pet’s flight in the summer is melting ice, nice and cool!

If you have any questions about restrictions for flying pets in summer, documentation, crate sizing, scheduling of flights or anything else, please contact our pet travel experts who are here to help.