Anyone Headed North? (IA)

[danemodsandy]

I know this is unlikely, but is anyone, by any chance, heading from the South to the Midwest next week? I'm moving up there, and have a cat, so travel options are limited. I can't drive such a long distance by myself, due to vision limitations. And I don't fly any more after a flight that would have scared hell out of Chuck Norris.

If anyone has a trip like that planned, I'd be very interested to hear about possibilities for sharing a ride.

Long shot, I know, but thanks for reading.

 

[danemodsandy]

P.S.:

I'm in Atlanta, destination is Iowa - Cedar Falls/Waterloo area. Had something worked out that fell through.

 

[jeffg]

Sandy, if nothings else pans out, is Amtrak or Greyhound an option?

Without knowing the specifics of what happened to you, refusing to fly because of one bad flight seems like an overreaction.

 

[frigilux]

Sandy: I fully understand your aversion to flying. I was on a flight in the early
80's in which the jet lost lost 2 hydraulic systems and we had to dump fuel and prepare for a crash landing. People were screaming, luggage was flying out of the overhead bins, the whole bit. The flight attendants looked freaked out, which is usually my "barometer of severity" of an in-flight issue . In the meantime, the jet was doing everything but cartwheels. I had an intense fear of flying to begin with, and having survived that experience, I swore I would never again leave the ground.

The answer: Xanax, and lots of it. I'll fly when I absolutely have to, but I take enough Xanax to zombify a charging rhino about an hour before the flight.

 

[westingman123]

Oh, Sandy...

I JUST went to Waterloo to pick up a Westy from Ben! Wish I had know, you would have been more than welcome!! If you come through St. Louis and need a resting point, let me know.

Keith

 

[danemodsandy]

Keith:

Sorry I missed that chance! Ah, well.

Greyhound and Amtrak aren't options - they do not accept pets. Don't ask me why a pet is acceptable in the cabin of a plane and not on other conveyances.

Sadly, not even the plane will be an option for my cat, since the airport where I'm going does not have any through flights from Atlanta. The regional carriers don't take pets, either.

Grrrrh. He's just a housecat, dammit, not a frickin' Siberian tiger.

 

[whirlcool]

If you truly knew the amount of people that fly every day in the U.S. alone and arrive safely each and every time, you'd be less fearful of flying.

If you are transporting a cat, it should fit in a carrier that fits under the seat on either a mainline aircraft or regional jet. This shouldn't be a problem.

Here is our policy:
Pets must be carried in an approved in-cabin kennel. The kennel must fit completely under the seat forward of the customer and remain there at all times aboard the aircraft. Maximum hard case kennel dimensions are: 17" L x 12.5" W x 8" H (43 cm L x 32 cm W x 20 cm H).

Depending on the airline, there may be a service charge of none to $125.00 each way for each carry on animal.

I thnk it's much better for the cat to get to its destination as quickly as possible because cats generally don't travel well.

 

[danemodsandy]

Whirlcool:

I know the odds and statistics, but I once had an experience very similar to Frigilux's, and I swore then - Never. Again. If something goes wrong in the air, you get entirely too long to think about what is about to happen.

P.S.: I do not envy the crew that had to clean that plane, either. People had some very, uh, basic reactions.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Saw a TV new article about an airline dedicated to moving pets.

Dont know if this is the one featured that got good reviews.
Hope this helps to some degree.

Light, love, peace and good energy to you Mister!

http://petairways.com/

 

[toggleswitch2]

oh and your vet can prescribe kitty tranquilizers...yes for the kitty.

Mine howeled for hours in her Sherpa pet carrier!

http://www.sherpapet.com/