Airplanes and allergies

We saw more than one dog in a very nice store (not as nice as Macy's)and they even came into the restaurant where we were eating. They were large dogs...not the cute small ones. Also, saw dogs on trains several different times.

Surprisingly, when we flew from Portland to Amsterdam in Matc of 2012, we had to change our tickets because someone was transporting a dog in the main cabin on our original flight. Delta was great about it, though. It's a ten-hour flight, which seems a very long time for a dog to stay I. It's carrier under an airplane seat... I was surprised.

I think guide or assistance dogs are allowed in the main cabin of planes.

Small dogs and cats are most certainly allowed in the airline cabin! I have seen them many times, and they are not helper animals. They are carried on in small animal duffles that are supposed to fit underneath the seat in front of their owner. Often, you cannot even tell it's an animal bag unless there is a little head peeking out. I am also allergic to cats and I am a hawk about cats near me on the plane. As long as I'm seated several rows away, the plane ventilation system seems to work well enough for me, but that might not be the case for everyone. Flying to Europe, you might have luck on British Airways. Even thought the UK has adopted EU pet tranport rules, they are still pretty strict, which might cut down on the chance of an animal in the cabin. Here's a link to a list of routes and a website published by the UK regarding airlines that carry pets into the UK. http://www.defra.gov.uk/files/pets-air-routes.pdf
Ultimately though, I think you will have to call the airline and see if they can help you.

Dogs and cats 14 lbs. and under are allowed in carriers, under the seat in the cabins. They must stay in the carrier at all times. Most owners give them a tranquilizer.

I never knew this about seatguru.com before, but I just discovered that the site has a section with very specific info about pet carriage on each airline. There is a tab under the General Information section labeled PETS. It appears that British Airways does not allow pets in the cabin at all, but many other airlines do.

I took my cat with me to Germany, in the cabin! This was United Airlines, but Luftansa allows them in cabin as well. That said, I don't think anyone knew I had her with me. She was in a carrier that stayed under the seat in front of me most of the time. Most pet owners who can will take their animals in the cabin, because keeping them in the luggage compartment can and has resulted in death for many, many pets. I wouldn't have taken my cat with me at all when moving to Germany if I'd had to risk keeping her there.

Good information, Angela! Thank you so much, everyone ...

Small dogs and cats are most assuredly allowed in airplane cabins, as are service dogs.

My Pumpkin earned her wings traveling cross-country in the passenger cabin. She was appalled that humans were allowed to run amok >..< Poe, (once upon a time, anyway...) most US airlines would only allow 1 or 2 pets per cabin (NOT per passenger, but per flight); this is probably still the case. I've read (over the years...) that you can request that a particular flight, on some airlines anyway, be pet-free...You certainly could call and see if any pets are scheduled to fly, since they have to be booked with the human's ticket in advance. Also, you might consider taking a two-part flight, such as Portland-NYC, then NYC-Munich, or even three parts. That would reduce your potential exposure time (after, of course, asking to be seated as far away as possible from the pet, who should also be seated at one end of the plane). I'd also travel with any and all paraphernalia to protect myself - an appropriate face mask, epi-pen, whatever is necessary. And of course let the airline know at the time of booking that you have this severe allergy, in case you should need to be rebooked. The flight attendants onboard should be already aware of your allergy, but I'd be sure to mention it to them upon boarding the airplane! Good luck!