Kyle,
We had recently adopted a 6-month puppy, a Terrier/Lab/Pointer mix
from the shelter. In the last 3 weeks, Maggie had accumulated 8 hrs of
flight time. First, we gave her several rides in the car then we took
her to the airport just to smell the plane and hear the noises. It was
a no event for her first plane ride. She looked around a bit during
takeoff then promptly lied down and went to sleep. In all subsequent
rides, she slept most of the time in the plane and only got active when
on the ground.
We have owned several dogs but Maggie was the first dog to ride in
the plane. The other dogs were too big (a German shepard and a
Doberman) and too active to be trusted in a plane with thin plexiglass
windows.
I don't really think that dogs are bothered by loud noises. I also
know that puppies are shipped routinely by air. We almost adopt a pup
from Arkansas and they suggested us to ship it by American Airlines. My
sister got a pup from Lousiana also by air. I believe animals are kept
in small crates in the cargo area and there are rules regarding
temperatures.
The foam lined box with airhole is a good idea. You may want to keep
the box inside a small crate. An excitable puppy can cause a lot of
commotion in a small plane if not in a crate.
BTW, when we fly with Maggie, we also try to make our take off and
landing as gentle and smooth as possible and with very shallow gentle
turns.
We will be taking Maggie for a long cross country trip this
weekend from NY to Denver. We have no doubt that she will be an
excellent passenger.

Hai Longworth