How Puppies and Kittens Travel on Commercial Airlines & the Impact of Temperature and Weather
Airport Pickup
We try to get all our puppies home within 2-3 weeks. To do so, the puppy will need to meet age, weight, and health requirements before being authorized to travel. The Travel team will then choose the best travel method for each puppy and customer based on many factors, including breeder and customer location, puppy age, and size.
As soon as we know the best way to get your puppy home, you will be the first to know.
How Pickup of a Puppy at a Commercial Airport Works
Gentle companions requires puppies to be at least 8 weeks old and 2.5 pounds, or 12 weeks in order to travel via commercial air.
The airlines that offer animal transport services are currently limited to American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
Not every route an airline flies is available for animal transport. Model of the airplane, and destination airport can be limiting factors.
Delays and rescheduling are common:
At the airlines' discretion, they may bump previously scheduled animal transport for other usages.
At the airlines' discretion, they may determine a puppy does not fit the crate provided and may refuse to provide animal transport. This happens at the check-in employees' discretion and is a final decision.
Weather plays a big role in delays and rescheduling:
At the airlines' discretion, they may cancel animal transport for weather-related safety reasons (e.g. too hot or too cold).
This can happen at the departure airport, connecting airport, or arrival airport. Keep in mind airport tarmacs can be much hotter (and colder) than the surrounding area.
There is NO way to change this. The airlines will make this decision if they feel the animal's welfare could be impacted in any way.
As a result of all the conditions associated with planned commercial animal transportation, we cannot accommodate customer requests for the time of day of a flight.
The airlines determine the puppy’s flight schedule, so specific times of day cannot be chosen.
No food is allowed in the crate. Only water. Most breeders will supply frozen ice cubes.
This is why food from the breeder and all documents are taped to the outside of the crate.
No toys, towels, or other items are allowed in the crate—only loose paper to help with sanitation.
Plan to clean your puppy upon receiving them.
This is all for the safety of the puppy.
Crates are zip-tied for safety, and the airline will not open the crate even during a layover.
The ONLY exception is for delays of four hours or more, which PuppySpot does not plan for. This would only happen during an unplanned delay of a connection and is called a wellness check.
Essential Items to Bring to the Airport
When picking up your puppy or kitten from the airport, be sure to bring the following:
Photo ID – Must match the designated pick-up person provided to us.
Confirmation Number & Air Waybill Number – Provided by PuppySpot once travel is confirmed.
Baby wipes or damp paper towels – For quick clean-ups.
Dry towel – To keep your pet comfortable.
Fresh newspaper – To line the travel carrier.
Plastic garbage bag – For disposing of soiled newspaper.
Bottled water – To keep your pet hydrated.
Treats (Optional) – To comfort your puppy or kitten.
Leash and collar (Optional) – You may prefer to bring one from home.
Scissors – To cut through the plastic zip tie on the front of the carrier.
Nutri-Cal or Nutri-Stat – For an extra nutritional boost during travel.
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