problem and need some advice or nuggets of wisdom

[birdmommaof2]

please help me i am in need of some advice

i emailed delta on bringing morgan as a carryon and they replied only household birds but for all of you that traveled with your birds as carryons please help me out cause

how did you do it and did you call and how did you explain your birds type and how did they react please help me out i really want morgan to be safe in the plane instead of underneath and no one can watch him and he will freak if i leave him expecially him being a special needs bird

[KimM]

Good question. Unfortunately, I've not flown with the birds. I'd like to know what you find out as well.

[birdmommaof2]

thanks i hope to find out soon as i am flying in august ahhhhh

[r2rusmc]

It is my understanding and I may be wrong but if the carrier won't fit under the seat then you'll have to purchase a seat for Morgan.

[birdmommaof2]

it will fit under the seat thats what i dont get morgan is rather on the small side of being a macaw lol under 2 lbs so my question is for all the cockatoos owners and bigger birds that traveled how did you do it and how did you convince delta airlines or any airlines to let them aboard if you paid for it i really am worried and need advice from anyone who has traveled with their bird and there is no way i will put him in cargo in august no way in heck

[ReneeE]

I don't remember who/where someone had responded to a question about flying as they worked for an airline and if just one passenger has an objection to your bird flying, you are not allowed to continue on. No if's ands or butts about it and in this crazy world we have today where people start imagining things your chances of that plane ride are pretty low.

Many years ago my boss took her baby on the plane and put it under the seat in front but this was a grey. There is not much room under there for your feet let alone a carrier and you are not permitted to have anything stuffed around your feet and impeding your exit or your seatmates.

I wish you luck.

[birdmommaof2]

morgan has no tailfeathers so yeah he fits in a small plastic carrier and is able to turn around comfortably also he is paralyzed so i just want to know if anyone out there has done it and any storys would help

[PowerBBS]

Not to sound scarey but when i was down in Florida about three years ago I went to a pet shop (Chief's Bird Cabin) and was dead set on getting a baby African Grey that was such a sweety. Friendly, healthy and playful. Just a GEM!

Well, we were there on vacation and were flying home in a few days, so we had to try and find out if it was even possible to get our bird on the plane. We went online and we called the airline and the information we had gotten from them was not what we wanted to hear.

Their policies (Delta) would only allow us to bring birds the size of a cockatiel, budgie or smaller onto the plane. And their carrier had to fit under the seat, and the birds were required to be sedated. They wouldn't allow anything at all larger - even if we had a carrier and put it into live stowage for the trip (which we wouldn't have done anyway).

United Airlines said that they didn't allow any animals as carry-ons, but did allow animals to travel in live stowage. They did however specify to me that they had a medical guideline that had to be followed which included a medical examination certificate or two reguarding vaccinations and testing for avian flu. Without those, then nothing could be done. They also said that arrangements had to be made a minimum of 30 days in advance.

Those were the only two airlines we looked at, then we decided maybe it just wasn't meant to be. So our desire to adopt the "gem" was destroyed, as our only option was in live stowage or thru a private animal transport company.

The average cost we were quoted for either of the two options was $125.00 one way. I'm sure with airlines now shifting charges onto just about everything (including now charging for carry-ons and baggage that used to be free) that it's risen quite a bit by now.

Anyhow, that's my experience.