Texas Domestic Flight

Third Culture Dog

First domestic trip!

The first difference I noticed about flying domestically with a dog was the price. From Tunisia to Houston & Europe to Houston it's always been $100. But to go from Houston to Lubbock (an hour and a half flight on a tiny plane) it's $125!! Why? Are they afraid of being sued?

Well, I paid it. I really wanted to take Diego on this little Texas road trip. So here we are, at Starbucks at IAH. 

The whole process of paying and checking in Diego is different to international travel. First of all, it's much easier and faster. You can have your cake and eat it too.... International flights are somewhat comfortable and you don't have to open your wallet every time you want a drink or something to eat, but the check in process with a dog is long and tedious. Domestic check in is super easy, but the planes are small and uncomfortable and any perks will cost you an arm and a leg.

We have an 8:45am flight to Lubbock so we decided to arrive between 6:45 and 7:00. I had no idea what the check in process would be like so I planned less for an international flight and more for a domestic trip. However, to my surprise I was able to get my boarding pass the day before. I've never been able to do that internationally with Diego!  Today we got lucky. All the ladies working in the self check in areas went crazy for D and got us right to the front of the line. I write that jokingly since there was no one in the line!

Side note: In 2011 when I started flying with Diego, he was able to be out of the carrier in Tunisia and Europe, but not in the USA. Now, I have him out. Am I just more daring or do people not care? 

After the flight...

The flight was fine. Super fast and somewhat comfortable. Diego's Sherpa carrier fit very nicely under the seat in front of me. That's a first! It was great because I was actually able to put my feet in front of my chair rather than strattled on each side of the carrier. 

People looked at us like we were crazy when we got to Lubbock. I don't think they see grown women's carrying around a little dog in a sling. Oh well, they had something for their dinner conversation that night. 

Pre-Boarding With Families

Say what? I'm not a baby?

As I write this I am sitting in seat 67K on flight LH440. Diego is at my feet happily chewing on a bone and probably very glad that I am not hauling him around a walking trail or airport as we have been doing for almost 24hrs (it's amazing how many walking trails there are near the Frankfurt airport). 

We pre-boarded about 20 minutes ago and that is the topic I'd like to discuss regarding this trip. 

The first time I flew with Diego we flew on Alitalia from Tunis to Rome, then Delta from Rome to Atlanta and onto Houston. I love international flights on Delta. I always paid extra to get the economy comfort seat and Diego and I were treated very well. From Tunis to Houston I paid a whopping $2,200 for my ticket, the little upgrade, and Diego's ticket. The other option was for me to pay $4,000 on Lufthansa and that was not happening. So I happily flew with Delta a few times, even though we had to take 3 flights. The Atlanta airport has a small, but lovely dog park and we always had enough time between flights to spend a couple hours outside. 
As a budget traveler, I always search for the best deal so, even though I was happy with Delta, I looked for a cheaper, dog friendly option. Then one day Lufthansa's prices dropped to about $1,200 and the route was great.... Tunis to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Houston. And for the last 3 years, 2-3 times a year we have been flying Lufthansa, even after moving to Copenhagen. But I have to tell you, I'm just fed up today. I think it may be our last flight with Lufthansa and I'll go back to Delta.

The first time Diego and I flew Lufthansa we got, in my opinion, the royal treatment. While getting ready to go through security, I was told I could go through the family security line and didn't have to pour out my water (which I forgot) because as the sweet lady said, "it's for the dog so it's okay!" Then, while I was waiting to board at the gate, a very nice woman who worked for Lufthansa approached and asked me if I would like to board with the families since my dog is my "baby." 
Wow! A cheaper price and respect! What airline has THAT?

Returning from Houston was the same great experience. The ground staff in Houston were accommodating and the flight attendants went crazy for Diego, always coming by to ask me, "Is Diego okay? Does he need some water?" For the first year and a half it was bliss. I felt like a customer who is taken care of. Well, for some reason, that suddenly changed.

I always ask at boarding if it's okay if I board with families and always got the same answer, Yes! Then one day in Houston I was told yes, but in a very nasty way. In Frankfurt I was met with gruffness, but honestly didn't think anything of it. The last time we flew from Houston I was flat out told No in a very curt manner and today was humiliated in the boarding line. 

As I always do, I approached the Lufthansa desk at the gate and politely asked if I could board with the families. To my surprise, the very nice woman said, "Yes, of course. When I announce the boarding for young children you can go to the boarding area." I thanked her profusely and stepped aside to wait. Sure enough, the ground staff announced boarding for families with "kinders." I got in line and when I handed over the boarding passes, another woman  took them questioned me. 

"What are you doing in this line?"
"I have a dog and need a bit of extra time getting settled." I quickly told her that I had already asked permission to board early with my dog since it takes me a little bit more time. 
She said, "you don't need extra time." 
It was so embarrassing. Did people think I was trying to scam the airline and get first class or something? 

It reminded me of the day before when we were boarding the flight to Frankfurt and a woman showed a boarding pass for the same destination, but a different airline. Instead of discreetly telling the woman her mistake, she yelled it!

I didn't respond to the rude lady in Frankfurt because she was scanning the passes and took Diego's papers. She was letting me through! I wouldn't dare say anything to flight or ground crew for fear of being taken the wrong way, so I politely said thank you and passed through the doors. 

Clearly this woman has never traveled with a dog. Perhaps she has never even traveled and is unsure what it takes to get settled in. 

Maybe I am the only one who needs some time, but these are the reasons I like to get settled during pre-boarding. 

1. Walking down an airplane aisle with a dog in a see-through bag is distracting for the other passengers. I've had to do it many times with Diego as we have not always been on time to the gate due to connection times, etc. I want Diego to be calm and not get worked up by people screeching or children patting (well, hitting) the side of his carrier. And then there are the negative folks who say things like, "I hope that dog doesn't make any noise" (do they say that when a family with a baby or small children make their way to their seats?). 

2. It's happened before and it will happen again... People complaining about how long it takes me to put my bag up and making the situation worse by being rude or trying to push by me. I personally do not think it takes me (or anyone else) a long time to put their bags away and go into their seats, but when you are being accused of it, it's not a good way to start a flight! I also can't get right into my seat because I have to shove Diego's carrier in and rotate it to fit "under" the seat. 
And that leads me to...

3. You need to be first to get a space for your bag!! The carrier takes up all the space at your feet and if you have another carry on bag (which we usually do) you do not want to leave the dog on the seat to find a place for it whilst people complain and others ogle the dog in the carrier and talk in super high pitched voices to where the animal is ready to get out and run up and down the aisle!

We now have one more hour to go until we land (no, it didn't take me 9 hours to write this... I had a nap, watched movies and ate airplane food) and Diego is doing well. 

Peek-a-boo!

Another successful trip! 

Diego the dog will be officially living in Texas in one hour and we are not sure he will be 
going overseas frequently, if at all, but stay tuned for his travels around the USA! 

Next Stop, Lubbock, Texas on June 23, 2015!