Flying with a cat to the US.

[ThomasNC1988 762]

1 minute ago, Loren Y said:

That has to be a rare occurrence, I am not saying that couldn't happen, but it is not very likely. Why pay to bump flight up a few hours, I could see if it was 4-6 hours maybe, but I would have made her wait 2 hours for the original flight, or I have been able to sweet talk the airline into an earlier flight a few times, but of course I speak the language, and would have an easier time doing it. Even with my global entry and mobile passport and all the other fast pass goodies the best time I ever did was about 7 min coming thru Salt Lake City of all places, and that is with no human interaction. It would take CBP 10 min just to get the K1 envelope open the way they roll. I'm really glad it went that fast, and I hope when I bring my fiancee back thru LAS later this month it is only 10 min.

It is my understanding that they didn't bother with actually opening it. I didn't feel like she should have to sit in the airport for several hours after already traveling over 24 hours, and I've gotten free flight changes from Delta before as well but the flight was about 30 minutes from boarding so I didn't want to take the time to wheel and deal, it was a first class rewards flight so I am sure they would have. I'm not saying it would happen often if ever again but it is in fact possible.

[Ksenia_O 696]

2 hours ago, PirateLiker said:

YOu would think so, but that approach cost me a cancelled ticket and a loss of $250. I bought one ticket on 2 other airlines. One allowed the cat addition, the other didn't. The ticket was useless at that point. The booking agency refuned $550 and kept $250.

It happened because UIA doesn't have a codeshare  agreement with JetBlue ot any other airlines within United States. The airline has very few partners.

 

I'm really sorry you are facing these difficulties.

Thousands of People , if not more, travel every day with their pets, across the world, often with two pets - not a problem. And it's really not.

Can be expensive, yes, and often takes a lot of things to do, but doable.

Just some research should always be done before making a reservation. 

 

Once again - really sorry you are facing the situation...

Edited November 2, 2018 by Ksenia_O

[Antanasia 11]

I'm not sure if this helps at all, but I just wanted to shared my experience flying from Prague Czech Republic to Redmond Oregon with a cat. 

 

I booked a round trip ticket almost four months in advance to see my husband in the Czech Republic, and we were planning on the return flight to bring our cat back to the USA with us since we adopted him in the Czech. I searched Kayak, and purchased my plane ticket on Expedia via their website, my flight all together would technically be through KLM via Delta for the US legs. I called KLM and they instructed that Delta could book my cat for me for the leg back as carry in (in cabin the flight with me). I called Delta and explained to the woman that our cat would not be flying roundtrip but one way from PRG to RDM, she mentioned it was great that I was planning in advance because there's a limit to the amount of animals allowed to fly in cabin. (I think she mentioned a max of 4, not including service animals though, but I'm not positive). She also made sure to give me information on the bag size that would fit under the seat for all my flights which was three separate planes. Originally the size she gave me was standard, but then she realized my flight from AMS to SEA had limited space under the seat in economy due to there being a box under the seats apparently for electronics. This wasn't an issue, since I found a bag small enough and that expands on the sides so our cat was able to stretch out in our foot space between my husband and I taking turns. It's something to consider though, for your cat.

 

When we got to the PRG airport though, five months later for our return, they had no record of our booking even though Delta had mentioned it before I left for CZ because they had inquire on payment when I wasn't flying with our cat. They easily got him added to our itinerary though for an extra $250 just for the one way back from Czech to USA. We had a pet passport, previous vaccinations, and a rabies vaccination before flying. Be sure all of these are done at least three weeks in advance because the rabies vaccination has a waiting period of 21 days, we almost barely got our rabies vaccination on time for our cat. Also, the pet passport I believe worked for his Health Certificate requirement (proof of good health). We didn't give our cat any sedatives, just a calming treat before our first flight and after that he mostly endured the long journey with us. He handled everything well, was very quiet the whole time. We had a woman commented when we took him out of the carrier once that she didn't even realize we had a cat with us and that she was surprised he hadn't made a peep. Of course, he was very scared during the whole experience, we worried at times because his chest was moving so fast, but I think that having him with us made him feel more comforted.

 

I can only offer tips with booking your flights together if possible, that way you don't have to repeat paying fees. And if that's not possible, make sure both airlines allow pets in cabin, and call in advance to be sure you can book your cat on the flight with your fiance. It shouldn't cost more than $350 in my opinion. Unless the flight has reached its max pet allowance in cabin, there should be no issue getting your cat added to your fiance's itinerary for a small fee. Booking an extra flight ticket, I can't imagine would make a difference if their limit for pets in cabin is already maxed out.

 

Best of luck! I do hope you're able to get your cat and fiance on the same flight together, to the US.

[hm139 55]

Was it able to work out for you?

 

We also had logistical issues finding the best flight for our cat to come to the US. I was originally going to bring her back from Chile months ago, but encountered the same problem you did -- I was booked on two flights, each on separate airlines, and even though the airlines actually were partners they had different requirements and told me I could not bring the cat. So my husband brought her when he came to visit just a few weeks ago. We spent probably about three hours comparing airline pet policies and before he purchased his ticket he called the airline to doublecheck. Honestly the actual flight was extremely easy. No one at any point checked whether she had vaccinations or paperwork or a chip or anything. My husband did pay the fee for her at the airport but he almost felt as though he could have walked her on as regular carry-on baggage without paying the fee and no one would have noticed.

[TandSarahJane 178]

United/ Lufthansa has been great for cats in cabin.  If you fly codeshare and transfer operators then you'll pay the fee twice. They have a limit of 4 animals in economy class. Call to reserve your spot.  Be sure your pet is microchipped properly,  since some chips don't work with the now- standard international readers. Get a good cat-bag and proper export/import documents as required.

 

Think about how the food/ bathroom needs will work with your flights. If your itinerary is more than 20 hours you should definitely pull food the night before. If you have a long layover maybe hang out in a "family bathroom" for a bit to let the cat walk around/stretch.

[Ksenia_O 696]

29 minutes ago, TandSarahJane said:

United/ Lufthansa has been great for cats in cabin.  If you fly codeshare and transfer operators then you'll pay the fee twice. They have a limit of 4 animals in economy class. Call to reserve your spot.  Be sure your pet is microchipped properly,  since some chips don't work with the now- standard international readers. Get a good cat-bag and proper export/import documents as required.

 

Think about how the food/ bathroom needs will work with your flights. If your itinerary is more than 20 hours you should definitely pull food the night before. If you have a long layover maybe hang out in a "family bathroom" for a bit to let the cat walk around/stretch.

OP's Fiancee is already here, landed couple weeks ago or so. With a cat. 

 

[vistajones 62]

Hi i just flew in with my dog from Indonesia to Houston.

My dog was flying in as checked bag.

 

From what ive read and my experience, you should get flights with least transits. And if your pet flies as checked bag, you should fly with the same airline all the way. Also you should make sure that the airline transits in an airport with animal cargo facility. So they can take care of him/her during transit.

 

I flew with qatar, my pup made it fine at our destination, and i notice that her kennel was cleaned at transit, as  they replaced her pee pads however qatar air doesnt allow animals in cabin.

 

Its harder to find transatlantic flights that allow animals in cabin.

 

[dentsflogged 352]

On 12/19/2018 at 11:54 PM, vistajones said:

Hi i just flew in with my dog from Indonesia to Houston.

My dog was flying in as checked bag.

 

From what ive read and my experience, you should get flights with least transits. And if your pet flies as checked bag, you should fly with the same airline all the way. Also you should make sure that the airline transits in an airport with animal cargo facility. So they can take care of him/her during transit.

 

I flew with qatar, my pup made it fine at our destination, and i notice that her kennel was cleaned at transit, as  they replaced her pee pads however qatar air doesnt allow animals in cabin.

 

Its harder to find transatlantic flights that allow animals in cabin.

 

I'm researching getting my cat here, and I'm told that no matter how the pets arrive (either with a pet transport company or as baggage) when they're going through incoming checks with the customs area (for pets) their carriers are cleaned as part of ensuring there's no contamination. 

As for the flights - I wasn't able to find any carriers that allow pets in cabins from Australia - USA (at least none without extra stops - all those flying direct don't allow it) and honestly I can understand why.   No one wants to be the person sitting near an animal who spends a 10+ hour flight crying because they're crammed in a small carrier and in a loud and unfamiliar setting, and can't even get out to relieve themselves (and thus do it in the cage - imagine smelling THAT for half your flight). 

Glad your pup got in OK.  I'm still desperate for my kitty to come home, but we have another month until we move into our newly purchased house and the landlord of this rental has made it explicit that he's VERY allergic to cats and if he comes in after we vacate & he has a reaction (because we "snuck" her in) that we won't see a penny of the deposit back so she's staying with a friend until we have our own place.

[NikLR 13,227]

On 11/1/2018 at 6:21 AM, Ksenia_O said:

Forgot to mention - there are some vaccinations/shots/check-ups have to be done in curtain time, like  " not earlier/later than XX days before flight" or something - don't recall for sure, but remember there was some kind of time requirements. But any vet.clinics know the protocol.

 

Beside, after all of the above the cat has to be 'cleared" by State vet clinic and this, if I remember correctly, has to be done like 3-5 days before departure The State paperwork will serve as a "permission" for the pet to go through airport vet.control.

 

So, before buying any tickets, it should be checked if the cat is "ready" to fly

 

it sounds like a lot of work, but it's actually not that difficult as it sounds,  Doable

 

Good luck!!

no actually we don't know the protocols for importing and exporting pets.

You need an animal transport company to take care of those issues for you. Or you contact the relevant government entities.  A vet clinic can give vaccines, domestic travel docs, do major surgery on your pet, but they don't know the protocols for international travel. 

[Ksenia_O 696]

1 hour ago, NikLR said:

no actually we don't know the protocols for importing and exporting pets.

You need an animal transport company to take care of those issues for you. Or you contact the relevant government entities.  A vet clinic can give vaccines, domestic travel docs, do major surgery on your pet, but they don't know the protocols for international travel. 

I was talking about vet.clinics in Ukraine. They may not be able to do the whole thing since the issuance of Int. Health Certificate is up to Gov.vet clinic  (and I've mentioned that in my comment to the OP), but they know exactly what needs to be done,  depending on a country you are moving in.

 

 I brought my cat in the US in 2014.

The local  vet clinic told me what had to be done to bring my pet to the US.  The clinic then did what they had to do (basically checked if everything needed for int.travel was in cat's passport -vaccinations, chip, etc).

 

After that I talked to a person from an airport vet.control , along with airline representative, to confirm the place (buying the tickets, my husband mentioned there would be a pet, so the place was pre-booked, but needed to be confirmed with airline later anyway), to make sure I had the right size transportation carriage for my cat, and also - that I was given the right "direction"  from my local vet, clinic.  Well,  I was.

 

After that, I think it's like  "5-10 days before flight" requirement , I had  to go to the  State vet clinic - they checked the cat, her passport,  something else was done  to addition to my local vet. clinic (don't recall what exactly) , and she  was given her International Health Certificate.

Then you do the last thing  - a vet.control at the airport before flight . You bring the pet,  pet's passport,  Int. Health Certificate - vet.control at the airport "clears" the pet to travel. Done. 

 

Then you are good to go and pay a travel fee for your pet. But this part, probably, depends on a Airline. 

 

Mine was KLM/Delta. And the cat was traveling with me,  on the same  flights (we had 3) - I got her for a little bit at POE in Minneapolis, after I was done with my K-1 things. Checked in for the next,  last flight within US . And then -  finial 'meeting" in St.Louis. My husband actually got her  before I showed up 

 

My friend brought her labrador, 2 years ago - no animal transport company got involved either. The same steps as we had. She flew with Lufthansa. Dog was on the same flights with her. 

 

 

Edited December 21, 2018 by Ksenia_O

[Ksenia_O 696]

P.S.  The OP's Fiancee is originally from Ukraine. The OP has changed her country of origin from Ukraine - to Columbia, for whatever reason. 

 But anyway  - that's why I've advised what was advised and  described in details how it works/can work , when you leave our country for the US. with a pet. 

 

She landed here, in the US, about month ago or so. With a cat.  So, it's been already taken care of.