Tendering and Feeding Your Pet: USDA regulations provide that your pet may be tendered no more than four hours before flight time - six hours by special arrangement. Before tendering your pet for the flight, the USDA requires that you have provided your pet with an adequate amount of food and water within the last four hours. We suggest that you offer water to your pet as close to two hours before the flight as possible. It is very likely that the airline will require you to sign a certification to this effect. To avoid making the flight uncomfortable for your pet, try not to feed it a full meal within a few hours before departure.

When Boarding the Aircraft: Remain in the boarding area to confirm that your pet has been loaded into the aircraft. When you board the plane, let the captain and flight attendant know that your pet is on board and require them to confirm you that your pet has been loaded. If you do not have access to the captain, give the flight attendant a note for the captain in which you ask that he or she assure you that your pet has been loaded and is, in fact, on board.

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