Flying the pets along for summer vacation

Q. I am traveling to Oregon this summer and would like my dog to fly with me. Will this be possible, and will it be expensive?

A. It really depends on your airline. Some allow small pets to fly in the cabin, as long as they're in a kennel bag. Other airlines will have you check your dog and fly him in the cargo hold below, and a handful of airlines (including Frontier) refuse to transport pets entirely, although Southwest recently reversed its no pets in cabin policy and now carries them for a $75 each way fee.

As far as costs go, flying pets doesn't come cheap. Even in cargo, it's possible that your dog's fare could exceed your own. For pet fees by airline, visit our fee chart.

Too bad there aren't any Oregon stops included on newbie Pet Airways, set to begin flying mid-July. Pet Airways allows pets (pawsengers, they call them) to fly in the cabin, where they receive much more attention than if they were crammed in the underbelly of the plane with the golf clubs and the surfboards. Ideally we'd prefer to fly alongside our pets, rather than separately, but --as we said-- it sure beats flying them in cargo, and for $149 one-way (intro fares), the price is right.