dogs on a plane

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milo'n'molly

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ok, not as catchy as snakes on a plane but just wondered if anyone here has travelled dogs on planes? just wondering really, mine is pasported and comes camping with us (only really done France) but on a ferry not a plane. Does anyone know the routine/costs involved of going on a plane?
Also i might have to move to america for a short while which could be 1-6 months and wondered about the options of taking him with me.
Any advice?
 
Honestly I.will never travel my dog in cargo on a plane again unless I 100% have to. The baggage people have little respect for a dog in a crate.
 
never would i travel my dog on a plane in a crate - ever.

boat yes asi could have them with me but id never leave them on a plane.... mine would probably have heart failure anyhow - shes very nervy.
 
Yes. We imported a Husky from Alaska. He flew with Continental Airlines from Anchorage to Belfast via Newark. He had a day stopover in Newark. We used Belfast as we were going over there anyway and although it was a non approved route we used the PETS early release and he was out within a couple of hours.

I wouldn't hesitate to do the same again. He was happy and clean, you would never have known he'd had such a long journey when we picked him up. If you are travelling to the States I would 100% recommend Continental Airlines. They were very easy to deal with and I know a few other people who have used them. For some reason it's a lot cheaper going West than East. I think it's to do with the charges to enter the UK which are billed to the airline. We paid about $1200 USD if I recall correctly (remember though that that was 2 flights and a 'human' ticket is not far off that price!). That was him flying on his own and $150 of that was the stopover. You also need to buy an approved crate which is about £100. I expect it's cheaper if you travel with them.

You book through Quickpak and the prices are here
http://cargo.cocargo.com/cargo/files/pdfs/rates/petsafe.pdf

I don't see prices for UK to USA but I know they definately do it as friends of ours have done it 'in that direction'. Also, Continental will deal with directly you whereas BA will insist on you using an agent which is just a ridiculous expense. Quickpak will advise you where you drop off and collect. You can call them in the US for free or email them, they are really helpfull. At Heathrow it'll be the animal reception centre. As you already have a passport it'll just be the tick and tapeworm 24-48hrs before check in on your way back and just make sure the rabies jabs are up to date.

Finally, the comment about people having little respect for animals in crates from what I have seen is totally wrong. It's very strictly monitored, there are rules about extreme temperatures, and in a crate in the hold of an aircraft is probably far more comfortable than a car. They travel in way more comfort than the average passenger in cattle class does!!
 
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Here he is following a run the day after he arrived :-)
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I second the person who said that baggage handlers treat animals onboard well. I work for an airline as cabin crew, and the animals are loaded seperately and gently. Can't say the same for your bags though! Animals are loaded in the rear (heated) hold under our galley, and you can hear them barking now and again, but generally when we are on the ground and other things are being loaded The only problem that I have ever witnessed with an animal is when a dog got out of its crate in the hold, and stood at the top of the loading ramp when they opened the hold door, growling at the handlers!

That said, I wouldn't travel my dog to the USA for just a few months. Kinder to leave them with someone that you trust while you're away.


On a completely different note, I have had two dogs in the actual cabin with the passengers during my cabin crew career. Both were guide dogs, and they were amazing. They didn't go to the loo for nine hours, and sat quietly at their owner's feet for the whole time. Best behaved passengers that I've ever had!
 
Well having worked in air cargo I wouldn't fly my dog unless I really really had to, having opened the hold up on several occasions where the captain hadn't been adivsed of dogs being on board and therefore no heating turned on, that was a very hard part of the job :(
 
If you do travel to America, and your dog happens to be under 20lbs, you can fly within the States with your dog flying in the cabin. We've done it several times with our Boston terrier, and she snoozes in her carrier the whole time.

As for travelling cargo, I would only do so if you really need to. We adopted a pug from Florida, and the only viable way of getting him to NYC was to put him on a plane. He did travel via Pet Airways, which is an airline exclusively for pets, meaning he was in the crate in a cabin, but he was extremely terrified/panting when we picked him up, and he is literally the most mellow dog I've ever encountered.
 
My husband and I have flown our two dogs to Canada and then back to the UK a year later with no issues at all.

We did go for a complete door to door service rather than doing it ourselves and although it was expensive it was definitely worth it in our eyes.

Both are rescues, the oldest spent a couple of years in kennels before we adopted him and generally doesn't like leaving his comfort zone (i.e. our house or the houses of people he knows!!) and the youngest had never been away from us before and yet they both sauntered out of the van in Canada as if nothing even remotely unusual had happened.

When the time came to come back home the same (lovely!!) woman from the kennels we used for the Canadian side of things came to pick them up and they were absolutely thrilled to see her and hopped into her van without a backward glance. They arrived back in Yorkshire (having been driven up from Heathrow pretty much as soon as they landed) and aside from being slightly jet lagged they were both completely happy and chilled about the whole affair.

I'd definitely travel them in the same way if it was necessary, not that we have any plans to move abroad again!!
 
Thanks, the more i look into it the more i hope i dont have to go. Couldn't leave him in kennels (he was a wreck for weeks after having to stay in vets over night) and not sure theres anyone i could leave him with for such a long time (parents cope with the one week hol, just)

afraid he's a bit bigger than your dog, he's the biggest mini jrt in the world. He's 18kg at mo :o
 
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