Pet Cargo

 

As temperatures rise, it's typical for airlines to adjust their pet travel policies. We've updated you about a few summer embargoes thus far from British Airways and United, and Delta has just announced a detailed summer pet program, as well.

Here's what they have to say:

"At Delta Cargo we take great pride in safely transporting live animals throughout the world.  We don’t just ship dogs and cats; we transport everything from hamsters to snakes to chinchillas.  We realize pets are considered family members and it is important for us to provide the same level of care and respect for them as we do their owners."

Beginning May 14, Delta Cargo will launch its 2012 Summer Live Animal Program, which entails allowing them to accept animals for transport even when temperatures exceed 85F/29C. At participating hubs, one or more air conditioned vehicles will be available to bring pets to and from the airplanes in support of their safety.

There are a few exceptions:

-If the station does not have air conditioned vehicles, animals cannot be transported if the temperature exceeds 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Regardless of whether or not a hub is part of the Summer Program, snub-nosed dogs and cats will not be transported if the the temperature is greater than 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Check out the list below to find out which airports are participating in the program, and remember that things can always change, so be sure to check with the airline/airport ahead of time if you'll be traveling with your pet this summer.

As always, don't hesitate to contact PetRelocation.com if you have any pet travel questions.

 

 

Delta Cargo 2012 Summer Live Animal Program

Name: Kathy
Pets' Names: Dolce' and Mollie
From: Rhode Island
To: California
 

Our family (pets included of course) was being relocated from Rhode Island to Southern California, a 3,000 mile trip to take place at the end of Aug. 2011. After checking several animal-friendly airlines (most of which only accept smaller animals that can be in the cabin under a seat.), we decided to fly Continental.

The animals had to be dropped off at a special holding area, and from there they are driven in a van to the plane. We were able to watch them being loaded into the air-regulated cargo area and a stewardess assured us they were on board. At the end of the flight our transportation was delayed. The people at the animal section made a call to our cell phone to let us know the animals arrived safely and were waiting to be picked up. After all the worry of having to have the animals on such a long flight, we picked up Dolce' and Mollie at the animal pick-up area.

They were well cared for throughout the whole process. We made it a point to put tags on their crates indicating live animals inside, along with their names on the crates in several places so that the handlers could call them by name. A big shout out for PetRelocation.com for getting our family from one side of the U.S. to the other!

 

 

 

Pet transportation services aren't just limited to moving a dog or cat across the country when work or military duty calls the family to a new place. Along with technological advances and emerging international developments, transporting animals is a service in demand, leaving airlines and freight companies in the position of stepping up to the challenge or being left behind.

This recently published Bloomberg article goes into greater detail about Lufthansa, KLM, and the other companies who deal with shipping animals. It's pretty fascinating to see how trends have been changing recently and how these businesses are learning to handle exotic moves.

Want to know more? Here are a few details from the article, and you can read the whole thing here.

 

-Last year Lufthansa's Frankfurt facility handled 110 animals of various kinds (including 80 million tropical fish and 300 tons of worms).

-Lufthansa usually transports around 14,000 dogs and cats and 2,000 horses in a year.

-Animal freight makes up about one to two percent of Lufthansa's total cargo revenue.

-One of the most unconventional cargo shipments on record was a plane filled with dogs and cats evacuated from Lebanon following a missile strike.

-Before they fly out of Frankfurt, animals are inspected by up to 24 different vets.

-Some freighters are equipped with up to four different temperature zones, meaning that one flight can safely and comfortably carry warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals (think horses and penguins, for example).

-Large fish, dolphins and poisonous reptiles are not accepted for shipment by Lufthansa due to safety concerns.

 

 

Hannelore Foerster/Bloomberg

 

 

 

 

Alaska Airlines has announced a new partnership with Banfield Pet Hospital that will help travelers navigate the pet transport process more easily. Banfield, which has more than 800 facilities in over 40 states, will now give Alaska Airlines customers a free office visit, a travel consultation, and a $10 discount on the required health certificate.

Alaska Airlines flies pets in both the cargo and the cabin areas of the plane, and in the statement they issued Monday, professes a commitment to pet care and safety. Starting on May 1, they will be implementing new kennel standards for pets traveling in the cargo hold, and through June 9 will offer a 10% discount on PetStreak Animal Express shipments (the service for shipping pets via freight when the owners are not on the same flight).  Visit this website to find out how to redeem these offers.

This partnership shows that travel service providers are truly taking notice of the fact that more people are traveling with pets these days. It's a trend that's on the rise, so smart businesses will likely continue to innovate and expand in order to safely accommodate the needs that go along with shipping pets.

We can't wait to see who steps up next, and we'll certainly keep you informed as life becomes even more streamlined for pet travelers.

On that note, have you taken our pet travel survey yet? We're checking in with as many pet owners as possible so that we can get an idea of current and future trends. Let your voice be heard by taking the survey, too!

 

We do our best to keep you informed regarding the best pet travel tips and the newest trends, but it never hurts to check in with others in the field to see what they have to say. Today we're featuring a guest post from our friends at CheapOair, an online travel company that keeps your budget in mind.

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Air travel with pets requires lots of research to make the trip hassle-free. If you’re traveling for the first time with your pet on a flight, you need to put some extra effort not only to make the reservation and get the documents completed, but also to train your pet physically and psychologically. Here are a few tips that might help you in making your pet travel unperturbed.

Air Travel Policies for Pets 

The first and the foremost thing when planning to travel with your pet is to check the airline policies. Pet air travel policies vary from one airline to the next depending upon in-flight and cargo space and other factors. Therefore, it’s important to check with the airline for the latest pet flight regulations regarding carrier sizes, health documents, and other things required for pet travel. For example, as per the latest travel updates, AirTran Airways no longer accepts birds for travel on any flight.

Cargo or Cabin

It is crucial to select what is the best mode of travel for your pet. No doubt, pets too large to fit in cabin carriers have no other option than to fly in the cargo area, but certain snub nosed breeds and pets with medical issues should not fly in cargo. That doesn't mean it's unsafe to fly in the cargo area, though. It's advised that you choose a pet-friendly airline with safe pet practices as you plan your trip, and also discuss your options with your vet and a pet travel specialist before you fly.

Say No to Sedatives

Sedating animals before flights is prohibited. Sedation may affect the pet’s abilities to regulate his/her body temperature, your pet may become confused or even aggressive once the tranquilizer begins to wear off, and most airlines do not allow pets to fly if they’ve been sedated.

Overall, the best way to make pet air travel cozy and comfortable is to enlist the help of a pet relocation service provider.  They take care of each and every aspect related to pet relocation, including completion of documentation, vaccinations, and flight arrangements.

Author Bio:
Rachna works for CheapOair, an online travel company that is committed to provide cheap airline tickets along with hotel reservations and car rental services.
 

 

Yesterday we discussed some of the changes United Airlines has made regarding its pet policies, and now they've made another announcement.

Beginning April 6, 2012 United Cargo will now offer nonstop flights from New York/Newark to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Buenos Aires is the largest city in Argentina and is home to many large corporations, so connecting it to a major US hub will surely make life easier for customers interested in cargo services -- which includes pet travelers moving to Argentina, of course. Remember, now that United and Continental have merged, United is operating under the PetSafe program.

This flight will depart from Newark Liberty Airport (EWR) daily at 9:50 p.m. and leaves Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) each day at 8:10 p.m.

Please contact PetRelocation.com for more information about moving pets to Argentina.

 

 

We've been following the progress and after effects of the recent Continental/United merger, and it looks like the changes aren't favorable to every kind of pet traveler.

On the positive side, United has adopted Continental's PetSafe program, which has been in place for years and has been a model for the pet air travel industry. United now bans nine dog breeds from flying, however, so owners of Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Terriers, Cane Corsos and a few others are prohibited from flying with United.

United originally made a change regarding cargo classifications that would have made pet travel much more expensive for some travelers (primarily military families), but they have since eased those rules in reply to the backlash the announcement inspired.

Thus far the "dangerous breed" rules remain in effect, but many pet owners have come together in protest through an online petition at Change.org. United is the only airline with such restrictions so owners of these breeds do have other options, but this remains a divisive topic in the pet world.

Changes is often in the air when it comes to pet travel, so remember to start planning your trips well in advance of departure, do as much research as you can, and check with airlines directly to find out about the most up-to-date rules regarding fees, breeds, and seasonal procedures.

Also, remember that PetRelocation.com is here to help! Contact us anytime for a free quote, or give us a call if you'd like to find out more about our services from one of our Pet Relocation Specialists.

Keep in touch as we continue to monitor this issue and other pet travel updates.

 

Sparta, a Pitt Bull we moved to Guam last year.

Name: Claire
Pet's Name: Simon
From: Los Angeles, CA
To: Wilmington, NC
 

 

After learning that we could not easily fly with our snubbed nose breed Boston Terrier named Simon for our temporary work relocation to North Carolina, we searched online and discovered PetRelocation.com. We were very nervous to fly our baby in cargo and separate his travels from our own, but Pet Relocation had so many wonderful stories of past successful trips, and the information requests and quote process was so easily and professionally handled by our rep, Joe, that we were quickly put at ease.

Our baby was picked up and transported on two flights with a pet hotel rest in between, and we recuperated him the next day. He wasn't phased by the trip at all and seemed completely relaxed on arrival. His crate was well marked and you could tell he had been closely handled.

We will not hesitate to use PetRelocation.com for our return home! Thank you!!

 

 

Name: Rosa
Number of Pets: Two
Pet Type: Dogs
Pet Breed: Dachshund
From: Italy
To: California

 

Because of their weight they cannot travel in the cabin. What do you suggest? Is it better to send them on a cargo trip or to take them on our same trip, but below, in the dedicated area?

Thank you,

Rosa

 

Hi Rosa,

Thanks for the question! The most important thing you can do is choose a pet-friendly airline so that your dogs will be safely transported in the cargo area. Take a look at our blog for more information about pets traveling in cargo if you have any concerns about it.

Please contact us if you have any more questions about importing your pets to the United States, and good luck with everything!
 

If you follow the world of pet travel at all, you've probably heard some news about a United Airlines policy set to go into effect March 3. Following the recent Continental/United merger, all pets using the airline's newly standardized PetSafe program must now be sent as cargo, which means that some travelers might be facing much higher costs.

In particular, military personnel changing stations in the Pacific would see their pet travel rates dramatically increase. Currently United charges a flat rate, but under the new cargo rules, these travelers would be required to pay a third party freight handler (by Japanese law, items sent via cargo must go through a freight forwarder).

As you might expect, this news was not welcomed by travelers planning pet moves in the coming months, and after a day or so of dealing with backlash and complaints (check out the United Facebook page to see what people have been saying), it looks like United will make adjustments so that military members facing Permanent Changes of Station will not have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars more to move their pets. Individuals who think they fit this category are invited to contact the United PetSafe desk (800-575-3335) for more information.

Read more about the United PetSafe policy here, and please contact PetRelocation.com if you have any questions.

 

 

Name: PC
Pets' Names: Jaja and Leia
From: San Jose, Costa Rica
To: London, UK


Jaja and Leia are sisters, both 10 years old, and of mixed shepherd dog breed originally from Turkey, the first country I lived in overseas with my husband. My husband brought them home when they were pups on the day they were about to be taken away from his factory grounds by the local municipal who were rounding up strays.

Since then, they've moved with us to Honduras, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Costa Rica and now UK! Though they're seasoned travelers, we still dread the day when we have to pull out the carton boxes for packing.....the reckoning of what's coming and the resigned look in their eyes says it all.

The difference with this move is for the very first time, we're using the service of a door-to-door pet agent. For every single relocation in the past, I've personally handled all related paperwork, from the vaccinations to the relevant country's import and export documents, using agents only for certain route of the journey. The reason why we used PetRelocation.com this time was due to the trauma my husband and I experienced at Los Angeles airport when we had to fly with the doggies from Bangladesh to Costa Rica.

We were patting each other on the back after our first two flights went without a hitch, from Bangladesh to Hong Kong (overnight to rest the doggies), and then from Hong Kong to Los Angeles. During our last leg from Los Angeles to Costa Rica whilst we were on board, no one would tell us if our doggies were in the hold! After threatening to walk out of the plane, they finally told us that the doggies are still on the ground and have not been loaded due to missing paperwork! The airline then had to reopen the cabin door, remove our luggage and we then made a few frantic calls to try and retrieve our doggies from the cargo building. This all happened at 2 a.m. at the Los Angeles airport, us standing at the airport with two large dogs and crates, four suitcases, no taxis and no one in sight! To cut the long story short, after finding a taxi kind enough to accept the doggies we then hopped from hotel to hotel to search for a pet-friendly hotel. The following day was equally stressful because then we had to rebook all our flights and cargo space for the girls!

When we heard we were relocating to UK and knowing the quarantine laws have changed effective Jan 1, 2012, we both decided that we definitely cannot afford to have a repeat of our last experience and we wanted to make sure that everything goes smoothly this time. Not even the snow at Heathrow airport posed a problem....just unbelievable!

The girls went on their first walk in the woods today. We're introducing them to their walks slowly to acclimate them to the freezing weather in UK now. How I wished I could've read their mind when they saw snow since the last time they saw snow was almost 10 years ago in Turkey.

Everyone involved from Costa Rica to Houston to London were wonderfully attentive and professional. It makes such a huge difference not to worry about the "what ifs"! We'd like to thank Andreas and Dr Jose in Costa Rica and Jayne in London, and last but not least dear Ashley and Sarah. Your prompt replies by email and more importantly how you never hesitated to pick up the phone to call really makes all the difference. Thank you for bringing our girls home safe and sound.

Name: Stephanie
Number of Pets: 1
Pet Type: Dog
Pet Breed: Lab
From: Florida
To: Australia


Is there a good website that reviews/ranks specific airlines for history in moving pets as cargo? Just when I think I have figured out our dogs travel I Google and end up getting horror stories!

Are there any airlines that PetRelocation.com suggest to use/not use?

Thanks,
Stephanie




Hello Stephanie,


You're right to place a lot of importance on this decision. Choosing a pet-friendly airline is one of the key parts of planning a successful pet move. We definitely prefer some airlines over others, as some have made an effort to follow pet-safe programs and made pet safety a priority.

We actually wrote a whole series of on our blog about pet-friendly airlines (hopefully you'll take a look!), and for Australia we generally choose Qantas and Air New Zealand.

We'd be happy to offer more specialized advice to you if you need it -- you can fill out our free quote form or give our office a call at your convenience. Good luck!

Name: Linda
Company: US Department of State
Pets' Names: Snowy and Sheila
From: Arlington, Virginia
To: Hong Kong



My name is Linda and I am a traveling spouse with the US State Department. We are a traveling family and we take our senior dogs, Snowy (13) and Sheila (14), everywhere we go - no matter the country. I am fully aware of the details of shipping our pets, as I had prepared all the paperwork, vaccinations, etc. for shipping, as excess baggage, our two large dogs to Chennai, India and back.

However our next post, Hong Kong, proved to be more than I could handle alone. The regulations are much stricter and our dogs would have to be cargo shipped -- something I was not prepared to handle by myself. I had read information from other people, blogs and ex-pat communities and all of them advised using a pet shipping company.

I chose PetRelocation.com and I must say it was a great choice! I worked with Jon, who informed me every step of the way of all the details, vaccinations, paperwork and items I had to prepare. He calmed my nerves when at the last moment our chosen airline decided to cease processing pets on the weekends. He rejoiced with me when the airlines said yes to arranging a shot of insulin for my diabetic dog, Snowy, on the Frankfurt stopover. He was thorough and informative and did not seem to mind my long emails and phone calls with many many questions.

Yes, pet shipping can be expensive, but just look at all the information that must be acquired, the phone calls, agents to arrange, pet pick up, pet drop off, USDA certifications, etc... PetRelocation.com agents are pros at all of this, and it was wonderful! I highly recommend them!

We are now in Hong Kong (see picture) and Sheila loves looking out at the city, while Snowy just sleeps the day away. Thanks again, PetRelocation.com, for all your help. You made a difficult task easy!!!

Hi Taylor,

Thanks for submitting a question to us. First of all, here are the pet import requirements for Norway. We definitely recommend starting the process well in advance of your date of departure, and it's very important to choose a pet-friendly airline. We often use KLM and Lufthansa for international pet travel.

Take a look at our blog for more information about cabin vs. cargo travel and common pet travel misconceptions (most people assume that cabin travel is better, but when orchestrated correctly cargo travel is actually safe and even preferable). Hopefully you find this information helpful!

Please contact us if you have any more questions, Taylor, and good luck with your trip!

Name: Charlotte
Number of Pets: 1
Pet Type: Cat
Pet Breed: Domestic Short Hair
From: Norfolk VA, USA
To: Turkey

What do I have to do to take my cat to Turkey in terms of shots, etc.? Can she travel with me in the plane as a carry on?

Thanks,
Charlotte



Hi Charlotte,

These are the pet import requirements for Turkey. It's a good idea to allow yourself plenty of time to complete these, and in terms of flying you'll want to contact the airline to find out about their pet-policies and most up-to-date rules regarding cabin travel. Remember that, with a pet-safe airline, flying your pet in the cargo area is a safe choice.

Check out these links to find out more, and please contact us if you have any further questions. Good luck!

Name: Maya
Number of Pets: 1
Pet Type: Dog
Pet Breed: English Lab
From: Miami
To: Costa Rica

Is the flight on American Airlines as checked baggage safe? The flight alone is 2.5 hours. My research shows that a certificate is needed from Costa Rica and the dogs vaccination papers must be kept with us. Will cabin pressure and temperature be comfortable for our dog? Costa Rica's high temperature this time of year is around 85 degrees, will the dog be allowed to travel now?

Thanks,
Maya



Hi Maya,


First of all, in case you need them, here are the pet import requirements for Costa Rica. Let us know if you have any questions about these rules.

There are many misconceptions about pet travel -- one being that cargo travel is somehow inherently risky. The most important thing is to choose a pet-friendly airline (we often use Continental) who will diligently see to all the details. When handled correctly, the cargo area is pressure and temperature controlled, and pet crates are secured and kept apart from the luggage. Animals shuold not be left on the tarmac (thus weather doesn't play as big a role because your pet is not subjected to the outdoors for more than a few moments). Finding a pet-friendly airline who follows these conventions is vital.

The bottom line is to investigate the airline you plan to use to find out about their most up-to-date pet policies -- the last thing you need is to encounter surprises on travel day. Please contact us if you have any more questions, and good luck with everything!