Calm Air flying with pets

What is Calm Air policy on pet acceptance?

Calm Air understands that pets can be very important for passengers, and their safety and their comfort too, so those are of the utmost significance to the airline. It is also a fact that air travel might be a stressful experience for pets, so Calm Air asks you to please review the travel options and necessities in order to ensure that your pet has a comfortable and safe flight.

According to the standard Pet Travel Policy, which applies for all scheduled flights on all aircraft types, pets may travel either in the cabin or baggage compartment.

How can I make a reservation for my pet on Calm Air flights?

To include your pet in your reservation, you must call Calm Air Reservations. Also, you should take into consideration the following:

• All requests to transport animals must be made in advance, preferably at the time of making the reservation or within the next 24 hours of making your online booking.
• The number of containers allowed on a flight is limited. For that reason, if a flight has reached its limit regarding the number of pets permitted, it might be required that your booking be changed in order to provide accommodation to your pet.

Pets in the Cabin

The airline permits small household animals, such as cats, dogs, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, and gerbils, to travel in the aircraft cabin with the passenger, on condition that they are in a container which is small enough to fit under the front seat. This kennel is part of the hand baggage allowance and is subject to a charge of $75 CAD plus GST. It is important you notice that:

• Pets should be placed in a container which is approved by Calm Air. This must not surpass the dimensions of 19 x 13 x 10 in. The combined weight between the pet and the kennel must not exceed 20 lbs.
• Pets must be kept inside the kennel and under the correspondent seat during the flight.
• Only one pet kennel per passenger is permitted.
• Special assistance animals that help passengers with a disability are permitted inside the cabin at no charge, as long as they have a valid training certificate.
• Reptiles (including lizards and snakes), weasels, ferrets, mice, rats, etc. are not allowed to be transported in the cabin.

Pets in the Hold

When being transported in the aircraft hold, your pet will travel on the same flight as you do; besides, it will be in the baggage compartment which is ventilated and temperature controlled. The pet container is not included when determining the free checked baggage allowance and is always subject to a one-way charge depending on the total weight:

• $78.75 CAD all inclusive, when the combined weight of the pet and the kennel is maximum 70 lbs.
• $157.50 CAD all inclusive, when the combined weight of the pet and the kennel surpasses 70 lbs.

Please also observe that:

• Pets should be placed in a container which is approved by Calm Air.
• Up to 3 puppies or kittens that are less than 6 months of age and from the same litter can be transported in groups inside the same container.
• A maximum number of 2 dogs or cats are allowed to travel in the same container, on condition that they are used to sharing space with each other and that the weight of each of them is 31 lbs or less.
• Any pet weighing 31 lbs or more should have its own container.
• Only two kennels per person/family are allowed.

Regarding unaccompanied pets, these must be shipped through Cargo. The rates are based on the volume and the combined weight of the animal and its kennel. The same considerations mentioned in the section “Pets in the hold” apply for this kind of pet transportation.

Requirements for Pet Containers

A pet container, in order to be accepted for transportation, needs to meet the following indications:

• Soft-sided containers are permitted for animals traveling in the passenger cabin only.
• When being transported in the hold, hard-sided containers are recommended, and they must have appropriate holes for ventilation. Wire containers are not allowed.
• All kennels must be in good condition, secure, leak-proof and contain absorbent material.
• No part of the animal is acceptable to stick out of the container, so this must be big enough to permit the animal to lie down, stand and turn around comfortably. If the kennel does not allow the pet to do this, transport will be denied.
• The wheels of the containers must be detached before transport.
• To help you get an adequate container for your pet, Calm Air will transport empty carriers until your city of origin at no charge. Please contact the airline’s cargo in order to make all the arrangements needed.

Calm Air will not assume any responsibility for feeding and care of pets while in transit, so it is suggested that you prepare your pet and its container in advance. Here are some recommendations to do so:

• Provide your pet water just until the time of travel. Please put a watering dish inside the container so the agents can provide water to the animals in the situation of extended waits. Nevertheless, it is important to empty the water dish before the flight in order to avoid spillage.
• Please exercise your pet just before leaving home to go to the airport.
• It is not generally recommended to use tranquilizers and other medications. It is better that you consult a veterinarian.
• Cover the bottom part of the carrier with an absorbent material, for example, with a blanket.
• Please secure but do not lock the container because an agent might need to have access to your pet in the case of an emergency.
• Placing a toy that is a favorite of your pet or any other article inside the kennel is a good idea to help calm your pet.
• Please put a label with the pet’s name outside of the container, so that the airline’s agents can better reassure the pet when talking to it.
• Pets that are less than eight weeks old, pregnant animals and pets in heat (estrus) should not travel, because the animal’s health might be affected. Please ask a veterinarian for more information.

Service Animals

Hearing and visually impaired passengers are welcome on all the flights of this airline with or without a Service Animal. Passengers who are visually impaired will be pre-boarded, with or without a Service Animal, which will be transported in the passenger cabin, free of charge. It is required that the Service Animal stays at the passenger’s feet at all times. The Service Animal must wear a harness during all flight. Calm Air will accept a valid certificate, an identification card or other written document issued by the professional training institute as a confirmation that the animal is a certified Service Animal.

Emotional Support Animals may be carried in the passenger cabin free of charge, but Calm Air Reservations must be notified 48 hours before travel. Only dogs not exceeding 20 lbs are accepted as Emotional Support Animals. Only one Emotional Support Dog, properly leashed and/or harnessed, is permitted per passenger. A passenger requiring the assistance of an Emotional Support Dog must present a letter from their licensed mental health professional (e.g., a psychiatrist, psychologist or licensed clinical social worker), dated within one year of the passenger’s departure date.

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