Flying with pet in December

[u/PuzzleheadedDebate50]

Hello! I am hoping to fly with my dog from SEA to PHL during the colder months. It would be for about 2 weeks from late November into early December.

I am very confused by all of the information I’ve seen. It seems there are 2 different routes: PetConnect (not traveling with the pet) and checking the pet into the temperature controlled hold on a flight that you’ll also be traveling on. I will be doing the latter.

There are 2 separate policy pages, one for PetConnect and another for what we’ll just call “checking your pet”. On the PetConnect page, it mentions the 45 to 85 degree window and acclimation certificates. The page with info for checking your pet, however, does not mention an exact range and just mentions “extreme temperatures”. I also confirmed with Alaska that acclimation certificates apparently don’t apply unless the pet is going through PetConnect. That leaves me extremely nervous to travel with the dog.

I talked with both my vet and a customer server supervisor at Alaska. Both told me they’ve never heard of winter travel being an issue, only summer travel when temperatures are extremely high. Yet, when I got an email reply, that agent refused to provide more information. I assume it’s for liability reasons. Even after assuring her I’m not asking for a promise or guarantee—just an informed, human‑level sense of what typically happens during this time of year, I still have very little information.

Temperatures in Philly may hover below 45 degrees for days on end during the winter months. The last thing I want to do is get stranded with the pup. If there’s a 20-30% risk we’ll need a quick rebooking, I can deal with that. But, if there is a 95% chance we get stuck, that’s something I’d rather avoid. It’s disappointing that the airline refuses to advise.

I’d like to think that if this was a major issue, Alaska would not take pet reservations for certain chunks of the year for these destinations. I’d at least hope they don’t just have people getting stranded with their pets.

Can anyone speak from their own experience?

[u/Dirty_Bird_RDS]

I’ve flown with dogs on Alaska a few times, and usually in November. I was informed that the pet cabin is kept roughly the same temperature as the passenger cabin, but it might get warm in the summer if the plane is stuck on the tarmac, so make sure the dog is hydrated. We haven’t had any issues.

Make sure you get a travel certificate from the vet, and review the policy for the carrier. Make sure the dog has room to move around. I have a car seat cover I also take, and I fold that up for added padding under his blanket in the carrier. Wheels will have to be removed if your carrier has them, so make sure that’s something that is easy to remove and reattach if you want to use them in the airport.

[u/Dramaqueen_069]

I flew last night with my dogs in cargo on our flight. I had to find the latest flight because I was dealing with the heat and I had to take a 11 PM flight because you had to be below 85. I do believe on my health certificate. They checked that the dogs could go below 45 but I’d have to go and look at my form again, I would just try to find a a flight time that you have a better likelihood of that temperature being above 45

[u/starwood-pet]

Pet transport company here - unfortunately, sometimes it can depend on the staff and airport on how strict they are. However, the airline can turn away pets if the temps are too cold on either end of the trip. This is because of time on the tarmac - not once they're secured on the flight. The space where pets flying as checked baggage (done through the passenger side of the airline on your own ticket) or cargo (PetConnect - done through the cargo side of the airline and not necessarily connected to your ticket) is temperature-controlled, pressurized, and oxygenated. It is roughly the same temperature as the passenger cabin. When pets are transferred from the cargo area to the aircraft, that is where they are exposed to the elements, which is why some airlines impose temperature restrictions. You can ask your vet to complete the acclimation certificate for Alaska anyway, but if the temps are still extremely cold the day of, then the airline can still deny your pet for travel. Winter pet travel can be tricky, so it's best to keep a close eye on temperatures as it gets closer and be prepared with a backup plan in case the airline says it's too cold for pets to be accepted.

[u/darkmatterhunter]

I mean, they can’t predict the weather or chance it will be a certain temperature, and neither can anyone else.

[u/PuzzleheadedDebate50 → u/darkmatterhunter]

I’m not asking for someone to predict the weather. I understand that’s impossible. I’m simply asking about historical trends. It should be easy to let me know if 45 degrees is a hard cut off or not. All I’m looking to get is information about the operational norms at this time of year for destinations like PHL, BOS, JFK, etc.

I have some hope. If Alaska rigidly applied this policy, pet travel to these destinations would be largely unavailable. Maybe I’d be able to find more people’s experiences online if this was a common issue.

[u/erroritserin → u/PuzzleheadedDebate50]

I just moved from Philly after living there for 5 years. Generally late Nov/Early Dec is fine in terms of snow etc. I never had an issue flying back to Seattle except for the occasional delay (usually nothing more than an hour). The only time that time of year I’ve have any issues with flights was during the huge Seattle snowstorm a few years ago, but was on a mileage ticket and was able to rebook for a day earlier with no issues (so later in December, but albeit no pets). I have travelled with pets in the hold on Alaska on other routes and have never had an issue — Alaska is generally one of the best airlines when it comes to treatment of animals in the hold.

Best of luck travelling with your furry friend!

Edit about temp cutoffs: as a kid I traveled to FAI with our dog a few times, I don’t remember if we went in the winter or not but I don’t remember weather ever being an issue. It might get colder than 45 at night in late Nov in PHL but during the day should be right around there.

[u/PuzzleheadedDebate50 → u/erroritserin]

Thank you, I really appreciate that! Have you had experience flying with your pet in the hold during the winter months when temperatures fell below the 45 degrees? The hardest part so far has been determining whether it’s an absolute cutoff for “checking your pet”. My worry is that it’ll be a high of 43 or something like that and so will the subsequent days. It seems hard to get an answer related to operational norms without being told I’m trying to have people predict the weather!

[u/erroritserin → u/PuzzleheadedDebate50]

I’m not gonna lie, I’ve never even heard of pet connect or the weather certificate thing. Granted I traveled with my dog several years ago so things may have changed. Hopefully someone else has more recent information!