Travel plans... Looking ahead

[Hanxa 9]

Hi everyone. Hoping for a little advice on the travel aspect, assuming everything goes well in May/June. 

 

I'm a teacher so I won't be travelling until the end of July (UK summer holidays start) if I'm approved. This is complicated by me having a snugglebug of a cat to bring with me. 

 

I'm looking at flight options. So far, I will fly London to Frankfurt (Lufthansa) so I can keep fuzzlebutt in the cabin with me. Then to Saint Louis. There is only one direct flight that would work. Others are indirect. 

 

Obviously, one layover in Detroit is much much cheaper... But I'm worried about the time to clear immigration. Normally, a two hour change is more than enough time. More than. I fly back and forth a lot... But with an IR1 visa, I'm assuming this may take longer. 

 

So how long am I likely to be at my first airport where I officially enter the US? Is the standard rule for layovers enough time or should I be allowing for longer? What is the process like on entry? 

 

NB: I am not booking anything at all until we get the green light. We may be denied or may need something else. Who knows? But I'm trying to plan out upcoming finances because there is a lot of costs to think about with moving. 

[Letspaintcookies 2,310]

We just had somebody else asking something alike 😊

Especially when traveling with a pet I would allow for some extra time since it's not just you immigrating but also your fluffy companion that might has to be seen by a vet to get cleared by customs.

 

 

[powerpuff 6,746]

~~Topic moved from CR1/IR1 Process to Moving to the US forum where similar topics are discussed ~~

[Hanxa 9]

10 minutes ago, Letspaintcookies said:

We just had somebody else asking something alike 😊

Especially when traveling with a pet I would allow for some extra time since it's not just you immigrating but also your fluffy companion that might has to be seen by a vet to get cleared by customs.

 

 

Thanks! My options are currently a layover in Detroit (2 hours or 6 hours) or an extra £600 to go straight from Frankfurt to St Louis. Would 6 hours be enough time? Downside is I think I have an extra fee for crazy cakes as it's more than 4 hours inside the US...depends on the airline but I saw that on a couple of them. 

 

Floofmeister has her rabies booster next month along with her other boostersand I'll be getting her cleared to fly. Its so freaking stressful!!! She's my world and if I couldn't bring her, I might have had to reconsider the whole husband! (I jest... Mostly). I didn't think about customs. Ugh. More stress for the spoilt and pampered purrsky. Poor thing will hate me for a week! 

 

I am assuming that Frankfurt is not like Dublin where I preclear immigration... If it is, that makes it much more complicated. 

[Mike E 11,742]

1 hour ago, Hanxa said:

 

 

I am assuming that Frankfurt is not like Dublin where I preclear immigration... If it is, that makes it much more complicated. 

No pre-clearance in all of continental Europe. 

 

Frankfurt is not my preferred city to connect and I generally allow 3 hours. 
 

Munich is significantly

better. I’d be comfortable with a one hour layover.  
 

 

[Hanxa 9]

1 minute ago, Mike E said:

No pre-clearance in all of continental Europe. 

 

Frankfurt is not my preferred city to connect and I generally allow 3 hours. 
 

Munich is significantly

better. I’d be comfortable with a one hour layover.  
 

 

Perfect! Munich is more expensive for me to try to connect through and would mean multiple tickets and multiple pet fees 😑. Very few airlines permit a pet in the cabin leaving the UK (even though the restriction is only on entry). But I'm also practiced at various connections. Without preclearance pains, and with smart seat selection, I'm not too worried as long as I have 90 minutes or more. 

 

Worst experience ever was trying to clear immigration in Detroit on a 90 minute connection (single ticket). I much prefer Chicago as a result.  🤣

[Letspaintcookies 2,310]

1 hour ago, Hanxa said:

Thanks! My options are currently a layover in Detroit (2 hours or 6 hours) or an extra £600 to go straight from Frankfurt to St Louis. Would 6 hours be enough time? Downside is I think I have an extra fee for crazy cakes as it's more than 4 hours inside the US...depends on the airline but I saw that on a couple of them. 

 

Floofmeister has her rabies booster next month along with her other boostersand I'll be getting her cleared to fly. Its so freaking stressful!!! She's my world and if I couldn't bring her, I might have had to reconsider the whole husband! (I jest... Mostly). I didn't think about customs. Ugh. More stress for the spoilt and pampered purrsky. Poor thing will hate me for a week! 

 

I am assuming that Frankfurt is not like Dublin where I preclear immigration... If it is, that makes it much more complicated. 

Oh I completely understand. Never would I have left mine behind 😊 they had to fly unaccompanied cargo tho so I don't know how much time it takes for pets to clear customs and what's all involved. Plus they had to stay a night in Houston or otherwise they would have gone over the allowed travel time for pets in a day.

 

For the security checks you can ask for a private screening room if you don't want to get her out of the carrier in the open.

[Hanxa 9]

5 minutes ago, Letspaintcookies said:

Oh I completely understand. Never would I have left mine behind 😊 they had to fly unaccompanied cargo tho so I don't know how much time it takes for pets to clear customs and what's all involved. Plus they had to stay a night in Houston or otherwise they would have gone over the allowed travel time for pets in a day.

 

For the security checks you can ask for a private screening room if you don't want to get her out of the carrier in the open.

That's the plan. I can't risk her in cargo as she has a heart murmur which presents under high stress. The vet only caught it when the pandemic stopped me being in the room with her for her checkups... It' s undetectable when I'm there. When she's in the car I have to have a hand on one of the vent windows as much as possible and she's calm as anything. If I don't, she hyper stresses. 

 

So yeah... Cabin baby. 

[Asterix78 27]

Have you thought about staying overnight in your port-of-entry city, giving yourself and the pet a bit of a break (and no stress) , then moving on fresh the next day? Could be done as a completely separate ticket. Could be a road trip if your spouse comes to get you.. Just an idea.