Booking Flights With Pets

[KnightAndMagpie 7]

Heya guys,

To those who've travelled with pets over a long distance (in my case, from the UK to Anchorage, Alaska), how did you go about booking? You can imagine what a new experience this is to me...I'm not sure whether I should approach a specific airline or just turn up at the airport and poke around. I'm going to have my kitty in the cabin and I know that the flights + pet fares can be expensive. I want to plan how much money I should be saving right now so I'm not panicking about it later on.

This is the little troublemaker in question.

Advice would be great!

Magpie.

Edited February 21, 2009 by KnightAndMagpie

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Continental has a page about their pet policies and you can book the pet when you make your online reservation. You might poke around on your airline of choice and do a search for 'pets'.

Continentals policies are interesting if you want to read the rules. http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/conte...s/in_cabin.aspx

[KnightAndMagpie 7]

Continental has a page about their pet policies and you can book the pet when you make your online reservation. You might poke around on your airline of choice and do a search for 'pets'.

Continentals policies are interesting if you want to read the rules. http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/conte...s/in_cabin.aspx

Ooh, thanks a million! I couldn't find pet booking on other websites, but maybe I'm searching wrong...I'm just trying to find as minimal a price as possible considering how expensive the tickets can be.

Hugs!

Magpie.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Try PM'ing Jeraly -- I know she did a LOT of comparison shopping when she was getting ready to bring her cat Daisy over to SoCal. Daisy also travelled in the cabin and not in the hold. I'm sure she can give you some tips.

[KnightAndMagpie 7]

Try PM'ing Jeraly -- I know she did a LOT of comparison shopping when she was getting ready to bring her cat Daisy over to SoCal. Daisy also travelled in the cabin and not in the hold. I'm sure she can give you some tips.

Thank you! I'll send her a message, then.

Magpie.

[britty 1]

Heya guys,

To those who've travelled with pets over a long distance (in my case, from the UK to Anchorage, Alaska), how did you go about booking? You can imagine what a new experience this is to me...I'm not sure whether I should approach a specific airline or just turn up at the airport and poke around. I'm going to have my kitty in the cabin and I know that the flights + pet fares can be expensive. I want to plan how much money I should be saving right now so I'm not panicking about it later on.

This is the little troublemaker in question.

Advice would be great!

Magpie.

Magie, there are a number of factors to be taken into consideration before you can fly your pet to the US from the UK. Firstly, no pets can fly in the

main cabin - they must travel in the hold. They must also have a flight approved carrier to transport them. A vet must approve your pet for travel and it will need shots before it leaves the UK. The vet will provide you with a signed certificate of health, however, there is a wait required between the rabies shot and the actual travel. You need to contact your local vet in the first instance, then contact a company who deal in transporting animals (I will post the company I used later today). Your cat will not be allowed to fly unless all the above is complete. Its not cheap - the total for my 2 cats including vet and shots was $3,200 total. Expect all this to cost around $1600.

[Laura+Tom 2]

Heya guys,

To those who've travelled with pets over a long distance (in my case, from the UK to Anchorage, Alaska), how did you go about booking? You can imagine what a new experience this is to me...I'm not sure whether I should approach a specific airline or just turn up at the airport and poke around. I'm going to have my kitty in the cabin and I know that the flights + pet fares can be expensive. I want to plan how much money I should be saving right now so I'm not panicking about it later on.

This is the little troublemaker in question.

Advice would be great!

Magpie.

Magie, there are a number of factors to be taken into consideration before you can fly your pet to the US from the UK. Firstly, no pets can fly in the

main cabin - they must travel in the hold. They must also have a flight approved carrier to transport them. A vet must approve your pet for travel and it will need shots before it leaves the UK. The vet will provide you with a signed certificate of health, however, there is a wait required between the rabies shot and the actual travel. You need to contact your local vet in the first instance, then contact a company who deal in transporting animals (I will post the company I used later today). Your cat will not be allowed to fly unless all the above is complete. Its not cheap - the total for my 2 cats including vet and shots was $3,200 total. Expect all this to cost around $1600.

Depending on the airline some animals can travel in the cabin as long as they are in the appropriate carrier.

[Jeraly 4]

Heya guys,

To those who've travelled with pets over a long distance (in my case, from the UK to Anchorage, Alaska), how did you go about booking? You can imagine what a new experience this is to me...I'm not sure whether I should approach a specific airline or just turn up at the airport and poke around. I'm going to have my kitty in the cabin and I know that the flights + pet fares can be expensive. I want to plan how much money I should be saving right now so I'm not panicking about it later on.

This is the little troublemaker in question.

Advice would be great!

Magpie.

Magie, there are a number of factors to be taken into consideration before you can fly your pet to the US from the UK. Firstly, no pets can fly in the

main cabin - they must travel in the hold. They must also have a flight approved carrier to transport them. A vet must approve your pet for travel and it will need shots before it leaves the UK. The vet will provide you with a signed certificate of health, however, there is a wait required between the rabies shot and the actual travel. You need to contact your local vet in the first instance, then contact a company who deal in transporting animals (I will post the company I used later today). Your cat will not be allowed to fly unless all the above is complete. Its not cheap - the total for my 2 cats including vet and shots was $3,200 total. Expect all this to cost around $1600.

Depending on the airline some animals can travel in the cabin as long as they are in the appropriate carrier.

Your kitty is ADORABLE!!!

I looked around a bit and found things uber confusing at first - I ended up flying with Air France who allowed me to take Daisy in cabin with me - it cost me about 100 quid or so for the pleasure. You can read my full POE review through LAX at the bottom of my timeline here. I used this carrier in the medium size (It was a little over but no-one checked and as it was mesh, it could be squashed down a bit so it could fit under the seat).

For prep, I made sure that she was checked over by her vet before flying to make sure she was ok - he then charged me 18 quid for a piece of paper to say so (I was bummed until I realised how much vets cost here ). I knew that Delta also allowed pets in-cabin but I can't remember the specific reasons we picked Air France as I was such a mess at the time! I know for a fact that AA only allow pets on domestic flights though - I would highly recommend calling any airline before you book tickets - maybe even several times. I called Air France three or four times and was told that I didn't need to book Daisy on at first which I found weird. So I called back again and checked and they said that she did need to be booked on and a bunch of other stuff... you might be able to find my posts about it somewhere (I should really bookmark them so let me know if you do find them!). Eventually I got through to someone who appeared to know what they were talking about and it was all sorted out properly. I wanted to get e-mail confirmation or something as I had been given the runaround so much but they wouldn't. It was fine at Heathrow though.

There may be heat embargos in place as well - I don't recall the specifics, but apparently if the ground temperature is above or below a certain temperature at any landing point then pets aren't allowed to travel - I think that is just in the hold though - in cabin it should be fine (Daisy landed in LA in the middle of summer and we had no problems). I never really understood that part about it though.

I made sure she didn't eat before the flight but I felt so terrible as we had a drive to the train station, got on a train to London then got on a plane for 11 hours so the poor thing was not happy with me! I snuck her a little chicken from the in-flight meal and gave her some of that UHT milk stuff - she was really good though and while she cried a lot at first, she settled down until the first part of the flight and the last part of the flight. I took her into the bathroom on the plane a couple of times to let her stretch her legs and to check if she had been to the toilet in her carrier at all but she hadn't. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get her back in as she normally struggles but she was good as gold.

When we got here she hid for a couple of days - she had to adjust to the temperature change (it was 120f here) and so she explored around the house a lot to find cool places - she soon learned that in front of the AC was preferable to lying in the shadows which is all she had to do in the UK!!! We kept her in for a couple of weeks to adjust and she is now fine (although she doesn't like the kitten we got still!!!)

Another valuable source of info is Magenta - she calmed my nerves through the whole thing so if I didn't cover anything then she might be able to help fill the gaps - if you have any other questions though just ask

[Jeraly 4]

Oh - can I just say as well that I got her vaccinated for Rabies even though it wasn't required - it didn't cost much and it was worth it for my peace of mind

[Mags 112]

Magie, there are a number of factors to be taken into consideration before you can fly your pet to the US from the UK. Firstly, no pets can fly in the

main cabin - they must travel in the hold. They must also have a flight approved carrier to transport them. A vet must approve your pet for travel and it will need shots before it leaves the UK. The vet will provide you with a signed certificate of health, however, there is a wait required between the rabies shot and the actual travel. You need to contact your local vet in the first instance, then contact a company who deal in transporting animals (I will post the company I used later today). Your cat will not be allowed to fly unless all the above is complete. Its not cheap - the total for my 2 cats including vet and shots was $3,200 total. Expect all this to cost around $1600.

Incorrect. Many VJers (myself included) have flown with cats in the cabin. It cost me $35 per cat for an in cabin flight from Gatwick to Cincy with Delta. Vet certs are not always needed and cats do NOT need rabies shots to enter the USA if travelling from the UK. They must have them done once you are settled in your new home though.

There is a pinned topic at the top of the UK forum full of information regarding bringing pets from the UK.

For the record though, you book the cat at the same time as you book your own ticket. There is normally a limit of how many animals are allowed in cabin per flight (2 seems to be the norm).

Another valuable source of info is Magenta - she calmed my nerves through the whole thing so if I didn't cover anything then she might be able to help fill the gaps - if you have any other questions though just ask

I just remembered how stressful I found it all, so was glad to be of help!

Edited February 22, 2009 by Magenta

[KnightAndMagpie 7]

Oh - can I just say as well that I got her vaccinated for Rabies even though it wasn't required - it didn't cost much and it was worth it for my peace of mind

Thankums so much for your response...I've read your post on taking Daisy to the US previously and it was a lot of help. I think that when the time comes, I'll just pester different airlines until I find the right deal. I'm aiming for the shortest flight possible because I don't want to keep him hungry. I'm planning to get all his checkups done once I've secured a flight that will let my little Beanie come with me in the cabin. The pets thread recommended getting them checked two to three weeks before flying out, so that's what I'll do!

Magie, there are a number of factors to be taken into consideration before you can fly your pet to the US from the UK. Firstly, no pets can fly in the

main cabin - they must travel in the hold. They must also have a flight approved carrier to transport them. A vet must approve your pet for travel and it will need shots before it leaves the UK. The vet will provide you with a signed certificate of health, however, there is a wait required between the rabies shot and the actual travel. You need to contact your local vet in the first instance, then contact a company who deal in transporting animals (I will post the company I used later today). Your cat will not be allowed to fly unless all the above is complete. Its not cheap - the total for my 2 cats including vet and shots was $3,200 total. Expect all this to cost around $1600.

Incorrect. Many VJers (myself included) have flown with cats in the cabin. It cost me $35 per cat for an in cabin flight from Gatwick to Cincy with Delta. Vet certs are not always needed and cats do NOT need rabies shots to enter the USA if travelling from the UK. They must have them done once you are settled in your new home though.

There is a pinned topic at the top of the UK forum full of information regarding bringing pets from the UK.

For the record though, you book the cat at the same time as you book your own ticket. There is normally a limit of how many animals are allowed in cabin per flight.

=D Yeppers. I do know that Alaska Airways and Lufthansa (in addition to Continental and a couple of other companies) allow up to one or two pets in the cabin. I'll be booking a month or so in advance so I can be utterly sure of having a place secured for him. I also do have an approved in-cabin carrier (Sherpa, as recommended by VJers!) which Bean does fit into. I had to roll a ball into it so he'd crawl after it so I would have an idea of how well he fit =D.

I did have a look at the pinned topic, but I have had previous experience where it takes a little time for people to respond on there. Hence, posting here =D.

Thank you guys for all your responses!

Magpie.

Edited February 22, 2009 by KnightAndMagpie

[Mags 112]

=D Yeppers. I do know that Alaska Airways and Lufthansa (in addition to Continental and a couple of other companies) allow up to one or two pets in the cabin. I'll be booking a month or so in advance so I can be utterly sure of having a place secured for him. I also do have an approved in-cabin carrier (Sherpa, as recommended by VJers!) which Bean does fit into. I had to roll a ball into it so he'd crawl after it so I would have an idea of how well he fit =D.

I did have a look at the pinned topic, but I have had previous experience where it takes a little time for people to respond on there. Hence, posting here =D.

Thank you guys for all your responses!

Magpie.

To be honest, in cabin is the only way to go, imo. The cat is with you at all times, the cabin is much quieter and you can keep an eye on your precious cargo!

Sherpas are a great little bag. I still have my two and use them for vet visits! Well worth the cost and very sturdy.

One thing I will mention is that even though the carriers are supposed to fit under the seat in front of you, they actually don't. You kind of have to squeeze them a little. I ended up with my feet on the seat, curled up. It wasn't comfortable for me, but my 2 cats were fine.

[KnightAndMagpie 7]

To be honest, in cabin is the only way to go, imo. The cat is with you at all times, the cabin is much quieter and you can keep an eye on your precious cargo!

Sherpas are a great little bag. I still have my two and use them for vet visits! Well worth the cost and very sturdy.

One thing I will mention is that even though the carriers are supposed to fit under the seat in front of you, they actually don't. You kind of have to squeeze them a little. I ended up with my feet on the seat, curled up. It wasn't comfortable for me, but my 2 cats were fine.

Aawh! Well, I don't mind doing that for Bean =D. He's got one of those American Kennel Club carriers and he's pretty small, so here's to hoping that I'll have space for my legs! I agree with you that in-cabin is the best way...it's going to be quite an experience for him and him and I have already been through quite a bit. It's best if I'm with him and he's with me =D.

Hugs!

Magpie.

[britty 1]

=D Yeppers. I do know that Alaska Airways and Lufthansa (in addition to Continental and a couple of other companies) allow up to one or two pets in the cabin. I'll be booking a month or so in advance so I can be utterly sure of having a place secured for him. I also do have an approved in-cabin carrier (Sherpa, as recommended by VJers!) which Bean does fit into. I had to roll a ball into it so he'd crawl after it so I would have an idea of how well he fit =D.

I did have a look at the pinned topic, but I have had previous experience where it takes a little time for people to respond on there. Hence, posting here =D.

Thank you guys for all your responses!

Magpie.

To be honest, in cabin is the only way to go, imo. The cat is with you at all times, the cabin is much quieter and you can keep an eye on your precious cargo!

Sherpas are a great little bag. I still have my two and use them for vet visits! Well worth the cost and very sturdy.

One thing I will mention is that even though the carriers are supposed to fit under the seat in front of you, they actually don't. You kind of have to squeeze them a little. I ended up with my feet on the seat, curled up. It wasn't comfortable for me, but my 2 cats were fine.

I was clearly duped by BA and a greedy vet. Both informed me I had to have all the shots and checks etc before the cats could get their passports, and AirPets made me pay for the containers the cats flew in and for the cats to stay at the heathrow pet hotel before their flight. I wasn't even on the same flight as them ! Still. now they have their passports they can travel in and out of the USA if needed in the future.

[elkfarmer 4]

I can not tell you all the rules in a cat coming from Europe, but can tell you about travel to Colombia, from USA and back. (nine months between flights) The cost to fly on an airliner is $100-$125 per flight. Some airlines want a hard carrier, and some allow soft carriers. It can travel with you if the carrier is small enough to fit under the seat in front of you. On one flight, she had to go in the hold with luggage. I was HOT !!!! My cat and one bag were lost for about an hour. be prepared for stress. Yours and the cat. Watch out where your seat location is. Some have more room then others. Rabies and distemper shots at least 10 days before flight. A vet can get you the certificate you need and give the required check up. All airlines have different rules. Book early and make sure you cat is on manifest. Sometimes they only allow two pets per flight. I had three flights going to Colombia. Cost $300. Return was done as two flights and was $200. I can not refute the person who paid a couple of thousand, but that was not my case last July, 2008.