Flying with Mooshu

After I decided to fly home for Christmas, I realized that this would be my first time flying with Mooshu and I wasn't really sure what to do. I read all the rules and was shocked at what a pain it was:

1. You have to get a paper signed by the vet within 30 days of flying certifying your pet is healthy
2. Pay a $150 fee to take her on board (this is just for in cabin, underneath the seat - not even to put them in the cargo area) - I find this ludacris, people don't pay to take their babies on board and they are normally WAY more of a pain.
3. Fill out paperwork certifying the last time you fed them / let them go to the bathroom

Ok, so I did all this and then just assumed Mooshu would be fine. She's spent hours in the car, and is one of the most mellow dogs I've ever met. That being said, the vet had given me Xanax for her to help her sleep. I didn't really want to drug her, but I thought it could be a good idea to help relieve any anxiety from flying / vibration from the plane. Moral of the story = bad idea. Her poor little heart was beating 3x its normal speed the entire trip, she cried from descent all the way into the terminal, and she never once slept in the whole 5 hour flight. Oi, what a disaster.

At one point I decided she would calm down if I just took her out of the carrier and held her. She calmed down and finally started to doze off in my arms. Then a nasty (and I think drunk) flight attendant came and yelled at me that she needed to be in the carrier under the seat (really, what harm was she to anyone?). Needless to say on the return flight I didn't drug her. She still cried a little but it was SO much better.