When you bring your dog on an airplane there are some elements that you must be aware of. If you do not plan this out, your Chihuahua's crate (with him or her in it) may be treated equal to a bag of luggage placed under the plane in the cargo hold. This is a dangerous place for pets; in some cargo holds temperature is not regulated and additionally, you will not have access to your dog throughout the entire flight.
Here are some tips to make flying on an airplane with your Chihuahua safe and happy:
1)
Call the airline in advance to make sure that they allow small pets in
carriers
to be brought along into the passenger section of the plane. Ask for specific measurements for the maximum size of the crate. The sizing is for how big the area under the seat in front of you is, as that is where your Chi will be placed.
Planes are usually very strict in this area; if they tell you that they will not accept a crate higher than 15 inches and your Chihuahua's crate is 16 inches, the airline will have a right to deny your dog onto the plane.
In the hypothetical case of this unexpectedly happening, we would strongly suggest refusing to fly finding alternative means of traveling.
Note:
Some airlines will allow dogs under a certain amount of weight to be un-crated. We know of an owner who took a 90-minute fight on Allegiant Air on which dogs under 5 lbs. were allowed to just be carried by their owners. So, you may want to call your chosen airline to check about this.
However, do keep in mind that even for a very short flight, your dog may still need to pee or poo. For the few airlines that do allow passenger to hold very small dogs, you'll want to have a doggie diaper on your Chihuahua.