airport news

Outside the Air France-KLM Animal Hotel in AmsterdamImagine a place at the airport where you could retreat to your private, air-conditioned room, take a nice walk in a grassy park and grab a bite to eat while you relax and wait for your next flight to take off.  No more loud terminals, uncomfortable waiting area chairs, or worrying about final boarding calls-you're free to relax while your personal assistant makes sure you make it onto your next flight in time.

At Air France-KLM (AF-KL) Cargo's Animal Hotel, your airport dream is your pet's reality.  Pets traveling on AF-KL Cargo get a chance to relax in comfortable surroundings while being cared for by qualified and specially-trained Animal Attendants.  "All animals can eat, drink, exercise and rest to break up a long journey," said Robert van Voorthuysen, International Sales Manager for the Variation Live department at AF-KL Cargo.  "Dogs and cats deserve the comfort and attention we give to our passengers."

The AF-KL Cargo Animal Hotel, sometimes called "a home away from home," is located at the Amsterdam International Airport Schiphol, and serves as the perfect entry and jumping-off point for pets traveling to the Netherlands and other European Union destinations.

Upon arrival at the Amsterdam airport, pets are immediately transferred to the Animal Hotel via climate-controlled, pet friendly vehicles.  There, the Animal Attendant staff is able to provide dogs with their unique KLM cargo dog-walking service! 

While enjoying a short break in size-appropriate kennels, pets' crates are cleaned thoroughly before being transferred to their next flight.

The Animal Hotel is definitely a comfortable place to wait for your next flight.  "It meets and even exceeds all the high European standards in quality and hygiene," said van Voorthuysen.  "We are proud to mention that the Animal Hotel is qualified according to ISO 9002," the most prestigious recognition of industrial quality in Europe.  In addition to being clean, a veterinarian is on call at all times to assist with pets who might have become ill during transport.  The Animal Hotel, which is fully operational twenty-four hours a day, also has its own quarantine station.

If you're headed to the Netherlands or beyond, AF-KL Cargo's Animal Hotel is a great layover option for your pet. Ready to go?  Check back tomorrow for more information on how to book a flight on KLM for your pet!

PetRelocation.com's Pet Friendly Airline Spotlight series features our favorite pet friendly airlines for travel with pets. These Spotlights will highlight one airline each week, Monday through Thursday, through the month of May. We'll take a look at the various aspects of their pet programs, including amenities offered for pets, how to book a pet flight on each airline and their fee structures. For a look at the rest of our Airline Spotlight series, check out the Airline Spotlight page or on Twitter as #PetReloAS.

After a massive volcano eruption in Iceland, pet friendly travel to Europe and the UK has been affected due to volcanic ash dangers.  We have been monitoring all of our pet friendly airlines to make sure that arrangements are being made for pets in transit or due to depart.

The latest updates include:

UK Pet Travel

Heathrow and all UK airports will remain closed for most inbound and outbound traffic until 19:00 Friday night.

However, not all outbound UK flights are cancelled.  Glasgow Airport had a departure this morning to Toronto. Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow look as though some flights my resume a little later, as there is a corridor of airspace which is free of ash at this time, allowing flights to Canada and North America.

Netherlands Pet Travel

Amsterdam Airport will stay closed until tomorrow, Saturday, April 17, until at least 6:00 AM. 
Pets in transit are being kenneled at the KLM Pet Hotel in Amsterdam.
To the right is a photo our agent in Amsterdam sent us of the skies over Netherlands.  Apparently it is so dark, it looks like it could rain any second but it doesn't.  It is just the ash in the air.

France Pet Travel

All PetSafe flights operated by Continental Airlines have been canceled to Paris for today.

We will continue to keep everyone posted on the status of flights to and from Europe in the UK.  If you have any questions about pet travel to these destinations, please don't hesitate to call our offices at +1-512-264-9800.

One of our specialists was recently lucky enough to get to visit the American Airlines Pet Relief Area at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport (check out our previous post on the topic - American Airlines Opens New "Pet Relief" Area at JFK Airport) and chat a bit with the American Airlines staff.  Cara, one of our International Pet Relocation Specialists, was transporting a very small Chihuahua named Mocha from New York to Tokyo. 

Pet friendly travel at the Pet Relief area: John, Cara, Mocha, Joseph and Liz from American Airlines

The American Airlines Facilities Manager, Joseph Daly, took some time to talk with us about the new facility.  We got tons of great video footage that we'll be releasing soon in a special miniseries on traveling with pets.  In the meantime, here some interesting facts we picked up:

A search-and-rescue team from Spain was transported to Haiti to assist with recovery efforts.It's difficult for us on the outside to look at the devastation and tragedy in Haiti and not be able to do anything.  Those who are able to assist financially are urged to donate through the Red Cross.  Thankfully, the airlines have been stepping in and flying teams of medical professionals to Haiti to help those who need it the most.  In addition to health professionals, pet friendly airlines like Continental have been assisting with the transportation of search and rescue dogs, key players in the rescue and recovery efforts currently going on in Haiti.

The Management team at American Airlines advises that Port Au Prince Airport (PAP) in Haiti is still operating at a minimal standard.  Their report is as follows:

“Aftershocks are still occurring. The Air Traffic Control tower has no glass. Runway lights are working, but not on typically to save power.  There is no fuel available. I do not have word on stairs, loaders etc. The perimeter fence is OK and there are armed guards posted around the airport. The four roads leading into the airport are still mostly impassable. The terminal is badly damaged. We are taking engineering support in tomorrow (Thursday) to review the terminal structure."

Despite all of this, a search-and-rescue dog team from Spain was able to travel on Continental Airlines via Newark, New Jersey to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where they then made their way to Haiti.  The 10 handlers were traveling with four specially trained search-and-rescue dogs in the cabin of the aircraft (a special arrangement made for the extenuating circumstances -- normally dogs of this size would not be allowed in the passenger cabin of the airplane).  Continental waived the pet fees typically associated with in cabin and cargo travel as a way of contributing to the rescue efforts in Haiti.

The picture was taken of the group at Terminal C in Newark Airport during the team's connection from their origin in Madrid.  Continental's PetSafe team relieved the handlers of the pets by walking, feeding and watering the dogs during their layover.

We will continue to keep you updated on the status of Port Au Prince Airport as well as keep the people of Haiti in our thoughts and prayers.

Flying just got a little easier for furry travelers going in and out of Atlanta.  In a new Ground Transportation center that recently opened, a 1000 square-foot fenced in dog park was designed to make transit easier for pets arriving and departing from Hartsfield-Jackson.  Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport now adds to the growing list of pet-friendly airports for pet travelers, including New York's JFK Airport that opened a pet relief area in July.

Costa Rica's major port of entry in San Juan (SJO) will not be accepting live animals as manifest (unaccompanied) cargo from December 18, 2009 through January 4, 2010.

If you're moving pets to the UK in thA PetRelocation.com customer Cynthia with her dog in front of Big Ben in Londone near future, you now have a new option as to where you can fly into.  This week, DEFRA approved the London Oxford Airport as the second General Aviation/Business Aviation Airport in the UK for the importation of domestic pets.

Here's a little airport trivia from USA Today:  Penn Station was found to have nearly twice as many daily passengers pass through it than all three of the airports in the New York area.

A new pet hotel is now available for pet owners who are traveling to and from the Pacific Northwest.  Air Pet Hotel has locations in both Portland (PDX) and Seattle (SEA). 

The hotel will accomodate boarding for dogs, cats and some other animals as well as quarantine when necessary.

They also have services  which are 24-7, with staff always available to supervise and tend to the animals.

This is an update to let all people moving with pets to India know that the Ministry of Agriculture has approved the following airports as "Pet Friendly Airports" in India.  It's worth mentioning that in India, "pets" are defined as domestic dogs and cats.

Most notable of this news is that Bangalore International Airport is now ready to begin receiving pets, which will benefit anyone wanting to travel to or from Bangalore with their pets!  The airport had stopped allowing pets arriving with passengers when they switched over to a new airport.