Which if any airline is recommended for transporting a 25 lb Dog

Continental will only transport a dog that size in baggage, which I do NOT recommend! You may need to consider driving to provide the best care for your best friend.

"When it down to an airline, I have narrowed things down to; Alaska and their partner Horizon. Does anyone know anything about these airlines or company ?" I flew back and forth from Puerto Vallarta to Vancouver, Canada, with my Standard Poodle for six years running (at least one round trip per year). I raved about their cargo service to anyone who would listen. In the early days, they'd let me get off the plane and even take him for walks at SFO and LAX, provided I had him back in plenty of time for take-off for the last leg of the flight. He thought flying was fun and exciting. (Even flew to Warsaw with me in 2004 with no repercussions ... on a different airline, of course).


The last flight from Vancouver to PV in January 2009 was the last flight he will ever be put on by me. Apparently, he was transferred at LAX without incident, though I'm not sure of that since they wouldn't let me check on him. But when I opened his battered crate at PVR, I found a dog who was shaking uncontrollably, scared sh*tless. He had never soiled his crate before (he's 11 years old). When I put him in the car, I noticed blood streaming from his ears and rushed him straight to my vet in Bucerias. The vet told me the cargo hold was not pressurized properly and his "ears had blown out". It's almost two years later and he still has hearing problems, and is terrified of approaching his crate, which was his little sanctuary for many years.

Needless to say, I have not flown my pooch since, with Alaska or any other airline. We live in Mexico year round, so the old fella will pass his last years here. He'll never fly anywhere again.

The reality is that no one gives a hoot any more. It's all about the bottom line and has nothing to do with customer service. Lucky folks who want to fly their pets domestically in the U.S. .... they have Pet Airways now, whose ONLY passengers are pets. Too bad they're too young to have gone international. Great airline!