Marisa and I are taking Cleo (15 m/o, 105-110 lb Presa Canario) with us on vacation. We are flying from Honolulu to Seattle, then on to San Juan Island.

I was hoping some of you might have some tips for making the trip as easy on Cleo as possible.

Some background:

We are flying Hawaiian Air. Because of her size, Cleo must fly as cargo. Hawaiian has a climate controlled cargo hold set to the same temperature as the main cabin.

She is flying in a "giant" sized kennel (48x32x35). We have frozen water in two crate dishes (the kind that attached to the wire of the kennel), so she has a steady supply if some spills out early on. We have cotton towels to place in her crate.

We are flying at night on the outbound and early in the morning on the inbound to avoid the heat of the day.

We plan to exercise her a little more that usual the of the flight. I also intend to give her a small rmb snack (a duck neck or some rabbit forlegs) just before we deliver her to cargo.

We have done everything necessary to leave Hawaii and return with Cleo without having to go through quarantine.

We are required to drop her off 3.5 hours before flight time so total travel time will be about 10 hours (5.5-6 hrs to Seattle, 3.5-4.5 waiting, loading and unloading).

Any other suggestions?

Geez! I sure wish she could fly with us in the cabin.

LOL! Leaving Hawaii to go on vacation??? You live in paradise!

You seem to have everything covered; I worked for Delta for years so a few things to keep in mind...if the temps exceed a certain temperature they will not accept Cleo for travel even when arrangements have been secured in advance so just in case; have a contingency plan.

The cargo hold is climate controlled but like the aircraft, is pressurized at 1 mile above sea level; thus the air is thinner and can cause breathing problems; so I would definitely have her checked out by her vet and make sure no cold is brewing prior to your journey.

Other than that, its all good; unless of course I can interest you in the idea of my going to Hawaii to take care of her while you go away.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2048013_dog-travel-cargo-section-airplane.html

I have also heard lots of club member tips, such as having the dog well exercised before flying (as you said), and no sedating meds. Also, to have extra food taped to the outside, with instructions, just in case, and to be sure that you have more than one good phone number attached (not your home number, where you're not going to be, but your cell and a number at each end of the flight that has someone there with your itinerary and contact info).

 Quote: Sheila Buckley

LOL! Leaving Hawaii to go on vacation??? You live in paradise!

You seem to have everything covered; I worked for Delta for years so a few things to keep in mind...if the temps exceed a certain temperature they will not accept Cleo for travel even when arrangements have been secured in advance so just in case; have a contingency plan.

The cargo hold is climate controlled but like the aircraft, is pressurized at 1 mile above sea level; thus the air is thinner and can cause breathing problems; so I would definitely have her checked out by her vet and make sure no cold is brewing prior to your journey.

Other than that, its all good; unless of course I can interest you in the idea of my going to Hawaii to take care of her while you go away.

Hawaiian is one of the few airlines that don't have a temp restriction (believe me, we checked ) If Cleo can't fly, I don't fly

I agree, we do live in paradise; however, my father, who will not fly, lives on San Juan Island. He has never seen Cleo. So, we have little choice. Plus, SJI isn't such a bad place to be for a couple of week (esp. since my cell phone has no reception there!)

Thanks Connie,

Great link!

The world's best person (my wife Marisa) had a decal sticker made especially for Cleo's create with all of our contact info (including both of our cell phone #s).

I am a very lucky guy