Harriet Baskas Travel writer

We’re officially into the dog days of summer and, not coincidentally, the time of year when pets and their people head out on the road in record numbers. And while plenty of vacationing pets happily ride along on car trips each year, many lucky dogs, cats, and an occasional hamster get to travel as carry-on companions in airplane cabins.

In the old days, Spot and Fluffy had a much easier time getting on board. When I was a teenager, I had no trouble smuggling my new kitten onto a cross-country flight by tucking her into my coat pocket. And I once watched a guy with a chatty parrot on his shoulder entertain a group of kids in a gate holding area.

These days, neither the pocket-kitten nor the parrot would get past the security checkpoint. And along with all the other post-9/11 restrictions, there are now strict rules for taking pets on planes. For openers, every pet must now have a reservation, its own special travel case and a ticket, which can cost anywhere from $50 on up.

Traveling these days is stressful enough. Why make things worse by putting you and your jet-setting pet in a situation where you may get barked at by airline crew members or pulled aside and pawed at by TSA staff? Avoid all the ruffled fur by taking a few moments to bone up on the rules and regulations that apply to high-flying pets.

Tracey Thompson, whose Web site, petfriendlytravel.com, is full of helpful tips and links to airline pet policies, says the first step is to check and see if your airline even allows pets onboard. She says that although most U.S. airlines will transport a limited number of pets as cargo or in the cabin on each flight, each airline sets its own pet-travel rules based on variables such as a pet’s age, weight, health and, in some cases, breed or species.

Southwest Airlines, for example, will not take any pets as cargo or in the cabin and Frontier Airlines prohibits in-cabin pets but will transport them as checked baggage. (This is good to know if you’re someone who’s allergic to pet dander, although service dogs are usually exempt.)

The Well-Mannered Traveler Much-needed help for holiday travelers Airport slip-ups can be a federal offense Flight crews, airports ready for emergency Travelers angry over the cost of fueling up Avoid the boot: Helping parents, kids fly right Salvaging your miserable summer break How to avoid the summer air travel blues Airlines cracking down on carry-ons Weighty issues for air travelers More Well-Mannered Traveler columns

On a quick tour of airline Web sites, I discovered that, in general, cats, dogs and small birds, such as canaries, parakeets and finches, are welcome on-board but that only a few airlines welcome rabbits. Delta Airlines accepts “dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs” in the cabin, but its Web site makes clear that “monkeys, pot-bellied pigs, reptiles, frogs, mice, rats, sugar gliders, and spiders are not permitted.” (Sugar gliders? I had to look that up: they’re small, possum-like marsupials usually found in the forests of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, and on the islands of Indonesia.)

A few airlines even have special programs for pets. Midwest Airlines’ Premier Pet Program, for example, allows pets to earn free travel and lets human passengers exchange their Midwest Miles for plane tickets for their pets. But right now Midwest only accepts small dogs, not cats, in the cabin.

Once you’ve studied the rules and are confident that you and your pet can obey, you can focus on being well-mannered travelers at the airport and on the airplane. That’s important, says Tracy Thompson of petfriendlytravel.com, because “even though you love your pet, it doesn’t mean everyone else does ... so it’s important that every traveler make sure to keep their pet inside a carrier at all times. If you do that most people won’t even know your pet is there.”

Gayle Martz agrees, saying, “the best pet on board is one that no one knows is there.” Martz is the founder of Sherpa's Pet Trading Co. and the person who pioneered the soft-sided pet travel carriers that most airlines now recommend. Martz says she came up with the idea for the in-cabin pet carrier after being told by one airline that she’d have to put Sherpa, her Lhasa Apso, in cargo. “I told them ‘I don’t check my jewelry and Sherpa is my most precious jewel.’”

MORE FROM WELL-MANNERED TRAVELER

Beyond hotels: Hostels, couches and more

Beyond hotels: Hostels, couches and more Much-needed help for holiday travelers Airport slip-ups can turn into a federal offense Leave the guns and grenades behind Flight crews, airports well prepared for emergencies Travelers get angry over cost of fueling up Beware the boot: Helping parents, kids fly right Commuters pull over, flock to buses, carpools Weighty issues for air travelers Travelers have plenty to complain about   Add Well-Mannered Traveler headlines to your news reader: