Some knowledge about flight carrier

Since you want to transport pets through airlines, there is no doubt that, first of all, you have to comply with various airline regulations. The organization called the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has also formulated rules for the transportation of cats, dogs, ferrets, and birds from the perspective of safe flight and humanization, and has been widely accepted by airlines worldwide.

The regulations are regulations, but the pet consignment channels of each company are different. In general, the consignment channels for pets can be divided into two types: one is random transportation channels, and the other is air cargo channels. The so-called random transportation means that the pet will go with the flight you are taking, but you are sitting in the cabin and it is in the cargo hold.

But don't worry, airlines will not treat your pet like cargo. Below the cargo hold, there is a special compartment for pets, which has been temperature controlled and pressurized.

In order not to let your travel plan completely ruined, let's now talk about the key issue of the flight carrier. Because of airline regulations, only qualified flight carriers can be boarded on the plane, and pets must be packed in strong containers suitable for their characteristics. The container should be able to prevent pets from destroying, escaping, and sticking out of the container; at the same time, air circulation should be ensured to prevent pets from suffocating; and feces should be prevented from leaking.

So the choice of flight carrier is very important. First of all, the material must be hard enough to prevent the cage door from deforming and loosening after a long journey; secondly, the size must be moderate, which meets airline regulations and does not make pets feel depressed and suffocated.

The carrier needs to be made of strong materials (glass fiber, metal, hard plastic, solid wood or plywood, etc.. Note that not all airlines accept flight boxes made of wood, such as Air France and KLM) and have a fixed top (not recommend a flight carrier with a door on the top).

The pet carrier must be covered with absorbent pads, such as towels, blankets or white newspapers, to prevent pet waste from spilling. (It is recommended not to use colored newspapers, because the ink in the color printing process may contain toxic substances, which is not good for the health of small animals.)

Pet carrier size requirements: The space of the pet carrier should be large enough to ensure that the pet can stand freely or sit down, turn around and lie in a normal posture; make sure that the pet's head (including ears) cannot touch the top of the pet carrier; to prevent if the pet is injured accidentally, the gap of the pet carrier should not be too large. If it is too large, the pet will have room to move. Maybe it will flutter around because of fear or sudden noise, causing unnecessary trouble.

Most airlines require pet carrier hardware (including nuts, door latches, rivets and locks, etc.) to use steel instead of plastic, which must be fixed and perform well.

The door and wheels of the pet carrier need to be locked. If the wheels cannot be locked, they need to be removed to prevent the pet carrier from rolling during transportation.