Pets from Heathrow to Houston

[Keeto 12]

The merger has not been good for long-time Continental flyers like us. And the (former) Continental employees grouch about it often here in Houston. Did you find links on those pages showing cargo drop-off location for LHR and another for IAH. That's assuming the dog isn't small enough to travel in the cabin with you.

Are you and your spouse flying together or will one be awaiting the other in Houston?

Yeah, I thought the merger wasn't going to do us and them any favors. The 5 stories we have heard range from: Petsafe is: "It's only for the military...." To: "The website has not been updated in MONTHS".....To: "We don't accept animals...."

We'll be flying together. Leo is too big to travel in the cabin. I sure did find the address of the cargo drop off's. But I'm guessing because of the "bleeping" olympics access to said cargo drop off areas are a no-no...

We used Lufthansa from Minsk to Frankfurt to Seattle last year to bring my wife's dog. If the dog is going into the cargohold (we had to do this route because her dog was too big), make sure the airline can accommodate this due to the warm weather. Some airlines allow small dogs to be in the cabin, but they limit it to like 2 pets plane so call ahead if you plan to go this route.

Our dog had to get rabies shots 30 days before departure flight, we microchipped the dog (check with airline), and did a veteranarian checkup 24 hours prior to flight (they gave us a document verifying dog was in good health for the flight). When we arrived to Seattle, CBP basically checked to make sure the dog was healthy and the rabies shots were up to date. It cost us 150 euros.

http://www.lufthansa.com/de/en/Animals

Eventhough you are using a different airline, the US custom part should be the same still.

Goodluck.

Thanks, because I'm trying to be my own pet agent, I'm trying to find flights that will go directly from London to Houston. Lufthansa and Air France does not cater for this unfortunately.

Hi, if you read the following post it includes a list of what I needed to do to bring my cat to Alabama.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/348288-taking-dog-to-usa-from-uk/

Thanks Jayne D, so in the end you also went with an "agent".....at this stage I just can't justify the costs these "agents" are quoting us. There must be a way of doing it yourself and saving lots. It reminds me a lot of what we do here with our own visas. "agents" = "attorneys" But at least it seems the "agents" actually know what they're doing!

My wife and I are going to pop over to the "ARC" Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow on Saturday - we live only 15mins away from the airport - and pick their brains as they should know what to do.

Edited July 17, 2012 by Keeto

[Reyan 56]

Keeto correct me if I am wrong on what you said about Lufthansa or Airfrance, but Lufthansa does offer non stop flights from LHR to IAH (I just did a random Kayak search). Is my understanding correct (unless I am I using the wrong airport codes), or do you mean something else? Just trying to help out.

[Boiler 43,977]

One is German the other French, you would need to look for flights originating in those countries.

[Reyan 56]

I guess the process is different/difficult in UK. I just called the airline in advance that I will be traveling to Belarus, and that on my return trip to the US I will be bringing a dog. They annotated the dog on my ticket reservation (to ensure cargo space will be available). I just did a check in on the day of the flight with my wife and dog. Paid the 150 euro fee, and they loaded the dog into the cargo hold. This was my first time ever to travel with an animal, and was surprise of how easy the process was from a country that I thought would make it difficult. I wish the OP the best of luck though.

[Keeto 12]

Keeto correct me if I am wrong on what you said about Lufthansa or Airfrance, but Lufthansa does offer non stop flights from LHR to IAH (I just did a random Kayak search). Is my understanding correct (unless I am I using the wrong airport codes), or do you mean something else? Just trying to help out.

I just checked here in the UK on their websites - available flight routes - and couldn't see anything direct to Houston from Heathrow. Maybe yours is cabin sharing flights etc - but I have already read that, that should be avoided if you travelling with your pet.

I guess the process is different/difficult in UK. I just called the airline in advance that I will be traveling to Belarus, and that on my return trip to the US I will be bringing a dog. They annotated the dog on my ticket reservation (to ensure cargo space will be available). I just did a check in on the day of the flight with my wife and dog. Paid the 150 euro fee, and they loaded the dog into the cargo hold. This was my first time ever to travel with an animal, and was surprise of how easy the process was from a country that I thought would make it difficult. I wish the OP the best of luck though.

Yeah, we tend to like to do things the difficult way around here....not the logical way.

[jayne d 12]

Yeah, I thought the merger wasn't going to do us and them any favors. The 5 stories we have heard range from: Petsafe is: "It's only for the military...." To: "The website has not been updated in MONTHS".....To: "We don't accept animals...."

We'll be flying together. Leo is too big to travel in the cabin. I sure did find the address of the cargo drop off's. But I'm guessing because of the "bleeping" olympics access to said cargo drop off areas are a no-no...

Thanks, because I'm trying to be my own pet agent, I'm trying to find flights that will go directly from London to Houston. Lufthansa and Air France does not cater for this unfortunately.

Thanks Jayne D, so in the end you also went with an "agent".....at this stage I just can't justify the costs these "agents" are quoting us. There must be a way of doing it yourself and saving lots. It reminds me a lot of what we do here with our own visas. "agents" = "attorneys" But at least it seems the "agents" actually know what they're doing!

My wife and I are going to pop over to the "ARC" Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow on Saturday - we live only 15mins away from the airport - and pick their brains as they should know what to do.

Sounds like a plan.

You may be interested in the cost of using the agent:

Flight ticket from Gatwick to Atlanta - £718

Out of hours fee for 05:00 check in at Gatwick - £75

Collection from my home on day before the flight - £50

Overnight cattery stay for Tom - £20

Veterinary fit to fly examination and certification - £50

You can do the fit to fly exam at your own vet but it cost pretty much the same. I had my own crate.

The flight ticket cost included the actual cost of the flight, all the required taxes and duties, a handling fee, security, insurance, airway bill, export customs entry and transit fees. You should be able to save on this if doing it yourself.

I was on my own and had to get to the airport in a taxi, so getting my cat to cargo on top of traveling with extra luggage and all the other things I needed to do, it just didn't seem feasible. I was also staying in a hotel the night before my flight. In the end I went with the agent. They picked my cat up the night before so it worked out ok.

Do the customs clearance on arrival yourself as it is very straightforward, assuming you can get him cleared before customs closes. I did hear that some customs officials can be a little difficult when you do the clearing yourself as they are used to seeing agents who know what they are doing, be prepared and stick with it.

Good luck.

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

My wife and I are going to pop over to the "ARC" Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow on Saturday - we live only 15mins away from the airport - and pick their brains as they should know what to do.

We live only 15-20 min from IAH so if you need a contact on the ground for unexpected problems then PM me. I've found customs in Houston pretty accommodating, but I've never dealt with a pet. I like your can do attitude. I'm the same way. We cleared our belongings that came into the port rather than having an agent. I called the office to ask some question about filling out the forms. He said, "I like to make things real easy. No forms. Just bring me an inventory list." So we did and it took about two minutes for him to glance at the list and give us a customs clearance to present at the warehouse where the container was unloaded. Usually DIY works if you can find the right person to talk to.

[JohnR! 5,495]

I just checked here in the UK on their websites - available flight routes - and couldn't see anything direct to Houston from Heathrow. Maybe yours is cabin sharing flights etc - but I have already read that, that should be avoided if you travelling with your pet.

Yeah, we tend to like to do things the difficult way around here....not the logical way.

Keeto, here are some other things to consider. Although neither LH/AF flies non-stop from LHR to IAH, you can book a connecting flight over CDG or FRA. Where pets are involved, these airlines offer special handling at the connecting airport so your pet is transported with priority from one flight to another.

IMHO you should do what seems better for you, but the reason I never used a pet agent is because when I travel with my pets I want them in the same aircraft with me, if only in the cargo hold. Also if you are a DIY person, there is nothing the pet agent can do you cant do yourself.

You can book space for the pet at the time you book your seat, so you are assured your pet will be on the same flight as you. All you do is pay the pet fee, which varies from airline to airline, but they can tell you what the charges are at the time you book.

On departure, you bring your pet in an approved kennel, and check in normally. An agent will take your pet and put him/her on the plane. A flight attendant would normally come to your seat and confirm your pet has been put on board the aircraft, just so you can relax.

Upon arrival in the US, your pet will be delivered with your luggage, albeit NOT on the conveyor belt. Normally they are brought in and placed with the oversized luggage, such as kayaks, surfboards and golf bags. At that point all you need do is pick up the kennel and walk thorough customs. There is no quarantine or any other charges involved. By luck or design, customs never checked the papers for my pets or anything.

The entire experience is far less stressful than you would presume.

[Keeto 12]

Once again, thanks for the help and suggestions guys.

Thanks Nich-Nick for your offer, I might have to take you up on that...

Gegel, thanks for that insight, I was expecting things not to be as complicated as some "pet agents" are making it out to be...but what is annoying me at this stage is:

Continental/United's absolute incompetence dealing with our quite simple request to book a ticket for Leo. They keep on passing the buck to the "Petsafe" people, and the "Petsafe" people don't seem to know what they're doing.... We have now eventually got a "managers" telephone number at the cargo depot at Heathrow so after our visit to the ARC we will see if this person will be able to sort this out.

BA Is just refusing to help and keeps up with their story of using a "pet agent". 4 Pet Agents have quoted us between £700 - £1000.

We don't have that kind of money right now.

The move is already going to cost us a fortune.

[JohnR! 5,495]

Another thought...

You may wish to give Delta, American and US Air a ring and see what they have to say. Again, they do not fly non-stop to IAH. Delta connects at JFK or Atlanta, but they do place an embargo on pets during the summer, due to heat factor. American connects at DFW or MIA or O'Hare and US Air may connect at Philly or Charlotte.

Unfortunately if you're not getting anywhere with BA/UA you may have to look at connecting services.

Alternatively, you may also consider putting Leo on the Eurostar, taking him to Paris, or Amsterdam and flying non-stop on AF or KL to IAH, if you can't get him out of GB without using an agent and coughing up a thousand quid...

Once again, thanks for the help and suggestions guys.

Thanks Nich-Nick for your offer, I might have to take you up on that...

Gegel, thanks for that insight, I was expecting things not to be as complicated as some "pet agents" are making it out to be...but what is annoying me at this stage is:

Continental/United's absolute incompetence dealing with our quite simple request to book a ticket for Leo. They keep on passing the buck to the "Petsafe" people, and the "Petsafe" people don't seem to know what they're doing.... We have now eventually got a "managers" telephone number at the cargo depot at Heathrow so after our visit to the ARC we will see if this person will be able to sort this out.

BA Is just refusing to help and keeps up with their story of using a "pet agent". 4 Pet Agents have quoted us between £700 - £1000.

We don't have that kind of money right now.

The move is already going to cost us a fortune.

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Once again, thanks for the help and suggestions guys.

.

Here's something from a person who brought a dog specifically to IAH.

We collected him at excess baggage (yes, really! Right by the luggage). We had to declare him on the agriculture form and as soon as they saw us approaching the agriculture bit with a dog we got led to a side room. Showed our paperwork which they weren't fussed about as soon as they found out he was from the uk. Got asked about any pet food with us, which we had none of. Then we got sent on our merry way. Less questions for the dog than for us and our visas!

The drugs dog got told off as he stopped searching bags to come and see Sam dog!

And I got a reply from my friend who flew from Heathrow to Amsterdam to Minneapolis to Anchorage with a cat. She said like above that the cat was taken from her by an attendant and loaded on the plane.

[jayne d 12]

BA Is just refusing to help and keeps up with their story of using a "pet agent". 4 Pet Agents have quoted us between £700 - £1000.

We don't have that kind of money right now.

The move is already going to cost us a fortune.

BA World Cargo no longer work directly with the public : see the following webpage:

http://www.baworldcargo.com/products/liveanimals.shtml

[Keeto 12]

BA World Cargo no longer work directly with the public : see the following webpage:

http://www.baworldcargo.com/products/liveanimals.shtml

Yep that is what I was referring to on the website.

I have been to busy the past few days with other stuff so the ARC visit had to be rescheduled, but as soon as I have more info I'll update the thread.

[Keeto 12]

OK - latest update on this issue.

United/Continental is at this time not our favorite airline anymore. Useless does not describe the current affairs of this airline. I feel for the people that works for these 2 airlines and really hope this merger will not impact on their service much longer. We have been passed along their services and I even went to visit the cargo dept at Heathrow after the ARC referred me there. These poor people have no idea of what is currently going on, so.....

Delta and American Airlines have been a breeze to deal with at this time. The only unfortunate thing is there are not direct flights serviced between LHR and IAH. So we are going to have to compromise and book a connecting flight. AA goes via Fort Worth and Delta goes via Atlanta.

The good news is both these airlines allows you to book your animal as "excess baggage" and you pay between $175 and $200 for this service.

We can afford that at least!

Delta will also book your animal onto cargo if the weather is not good at the receiving airport - another note is that both airlines have restrictions on temperature at both the departing and receiving airports so you need to check the average temperatures at these airports - Google gives good results.

So far it looks like it will be American Airlines for us. Just because they fly right into Texas and the connecting flight from DFW to Houston (Hobby) is only 50 mins....

[Rachie07 4]

United have gone downhill in my estimations for other reasons.

I am flying out with Delta if interview goes well. I spoke to a Delta representative who said my cat could fly in the cabin with me (LHR to ATL and then onto DEN). Pets can not fly business class cabin with delta. You may need to check with LHR as sometimes they place a block on pets flying out of heathrow.

I researched shipping Freddie with a pet courrier, they were asking for 750GBP to ship him to Denver flying with BA cargo. They would collect him from my home address but I had to provide fitness to fly, pet passport, microchip docs etc to them before they would take him. I also remember reading somewhere you have to be in contact with the shipping agent for 30 days before the pet flies. This is just my experience and research but it may help you.

I am waiting with this and Freddie is flying out with my Mum on another occasion and I didnt want to risk LHR turning him away on the day. I know he'll cope better with being around those he knows and you know you're pet so you will do whats best for you