We have started our adventure and so far, it’s going pretty smoothly. Our first leg consisted of a drive from Tampa to Miami to catch a JSX flight up to White Plains, NY. This was the pup’s first flight ever and they actually did pretty well. With the help of our friend Robin, who drove us to Miami and then held the pups during check-in, we got our bags checked and boarding passes and were on the plane about 20 minutes later. The JSX staff was amazing, checked the dog’s paperwork and our bags, and soon after we were on our way. JSX Airline allows you to arrive 30 minutes before take off, no long security lines. We purchased a seat for Bella since she cannot fit in a travel bag but Finn was just a $100 pet fee since he has a travel bag he can go in. Jeff and Bella had the last row of the plane and the flight attendant allowed Finn and I to move back and sit with them since Bella would be at Jeff’s feet and not in her seat with the plane’s 1-1 configuration. They did not require Finn to be in the bag the whole trip but there was a chance he would have to, it seems it depends on the Flight Attendant so don’t assume this will happen on every flight. The dogs both took Trazodone for the drive and the flight and it helped a lot. Bella laid right down and stayed at Jeff’s feet most of the time while Finn was a little freaked out by the takeoff but eventually calmed down a bit.

I highly recommend JSX for traveling within the US as I think the drive would have been much tougher. The price was more than a regular flight but when you compare driving for 3 days with hotels and a rental car and the added stress I would do the flight again in a heartbeat. If you want to see if they fly near you check out JSX.com

The next step, getting over to Milan. Stay tuned!