New Options for Pets to London Gatwick - Pet Shipping

Options in life are usually a good thing, and this week British Airways announced they now offer service for unaccompanied pets to London Gatwick as they were just approved by DEFRA for this route.

However, this new option does have some restrictions:

"Unaccompanied dogs, cats and ferrets will be cleared at the LGW Animal Reception Centre (ARC), for Veterinary inspection between the hours of 07:30 and 17:00, Monday to Friday only.

Please note that unaccompanied dogs, cats and ferrets, traveling under the Pet Travel Scheme, will not be allowed carriage on BA flights arriving into LGW on a Saturday, Sunday or a UK Public Holiday.

For any unaccompanied dogs, cats and ferrets traveling under the Pet Travel Scheme, arriving on a BA flight where the scheduled time of arrival is before 07:30, Monday to Friday, the animal(s) will be transferred to the LGW ARC to await Veterinary inspection for clearance.

Unaccompanied Pet Travel Scheme animals require a TRACES entry to produce a Common Veterinary Entry Document (CVED) upon arrival at the London Gatwick ARC. For British Airways customers, the TRACES entry charge has been incorporated in their existing PTS fee of USD 500.00."

The extra charge is fairly significant and while British Airways does a good job, they often have inconvenient temperature restrictions and a limited schedule from the US. Consequently, we usually recommend using Continental.

International Pet Travel - KLM Animal Hotel

By Dana Siler, Animal Land's Senior International Personal Move Counselor

One of the most important services we provide is choosing the correct airline. For international pet shipping, KLM is one of the best.

They have a dedicated Animal Hotel where all pets are held during transit. Here are some excerpts from their website:

KLM Cargo Animal Hotel – a home away from home
Dogs and cats deserve the comfort and attention we give to our passengers. The cargo compartments in our aircraft are temperature controlled and pressurised, ensuring that your pet travels under the best possible climate conditions.

When in transfer at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, your pet will visit the KLM Cargo Animal Hotel. Although you cannot visit your pet at the Animal Hotel, you can rest assured it will always benefit from that KLM trademark – dedicated care and attention.

At the Animal Hotel, our own specially trained Animal Attendants will look after your pet as if it were their own. They’ll temporarily house your cat or dog in a larger kennel and give it food and water. They’ll even provide KLM Cargo’s dog-walking service – a service that’s unique in the airline business.

KLM Cargo’s Animal Hotel meets and even exceeds the high European standards in quality and hygiene. Before travelling onward, the kennel will be thoroughly cleaned. Both your pet and its facilities will be fresh and ready to travel on.

KLM Restricts the Import of Puppies to the EU

Apparently there has been quite a problem with puppy mills sending unvaccinated puppies and kittens into EU Member Countries.

Consequently, the VMA (The Netherlands equivalent of the USDA/FDA) has decreed that puppies and kittens which are not vaccinated against rabies may not enter The Netherlands, NOR may the transit through Amsterdam to other destinations. This is a vital ruling as KLM's is one of the primary airlines used to safely transport companion animals and Amsterdam is KLM's hub.

As a practical matter, this means that pets must be at least 16 weeks old before they can travel on KLM as most Vets will not vaccinate against rabies until the pet is 12 weeks old, and then regulations require the rabies vaccine to be at least 30 days old before travel.

This new rule only applies to un-accompanied pets and not when the owner is on the same flight.

Continental's Pet Safe Program

Here is a video about Continental's Pet Safe program. In our opinion, Continental is absolutely the best airline for shipping your pet and this video gives you a great idea about how the process works.

**BIG CAVEAT** While this video is made and distributed by Continental Airlines, we are a bit surprised about the size of the kennel they used for the dog featured in the video. In our experience, Continental would refuse this shipment because the kennel is too small.

However it is a good visual guide. For a dog that size, get the next kennel size up! (which would be a #400 kennel 36x24x26). For a good guide on how to measure your pet for travel, see our post HERE.

Delta's New Policy for Pet Shipping

This summer Delta has implemented a new Pet First program for shipping pets.

It appears to be well intended, however there are aspects which pet owners will have to pay attention to when shipping their companion animals.

"No Heat Restrictions on Direct Flights" - Apparently Delta will accept any pet, regardless of the temperature, if they are booked on a direct flight. They have stated a commitment to retrieve all companion animals within 15 minutes of flights landing.

While this certainly sounds good we strongly advise you not place your companion animals on a Delta flight where it is going to be above 90 degrees. This is not a hard and fast rule as there may be days in Portland, OR where it would be ok, however it is a good guideline.

Atlanta, which is Delta's hub, may be the sole exception as their are several air conditioned vans which meet the flights upon landing. However, caution should still be exercised.

"Acclimation Certificate" - In order to place your pet on a plane when it is above 85 degrees, you will have to get an Acclimation Certificate from your vet. The thought is your vet will know the maximum temperature your pet can endure. There is no template published so you and your vet will have to improvise. The Acclimation Certificate is a prerequisite to flying your pet.

"Soft Launch" - Delta has decided to role out the program in bits and pieces. What this means is most likely inconsistent information. Consequently you should check and double check the bookings as well as confirm right before you leave for the airport.

Delta is certainly making strides, however until the program is more fully developed pet owners are well advised to keep their pets out of the heat.

Pet Travel - Best Airline to Use when Moving Your Pet

There are many airlines to use when attempting to relocate your pets. As with any business, some companies are better than others.

First a quick word about airlines that won't move your pets. Jet Blue, Skywest and US Air are the main ones who do not move pets at all. Air Tran will allow small pets on the plane, but you should check with them about availability as they restrict the number of pets they will allow on any one flight.

When it comes to the airline to use when transporting your pet, there is one that stands above the rest, Continental Airlines. They have dedicated equipment in addition to well trained, friendly employees who truly have your pet's safety in mind. The easy answer is if your routing is serviced by Continental Airlines, you should use them.

Pet Travel - Best Pet Friendly City in the Country

In the "Who would have thought" category, New York City was named as the top pet-friendly city in the United States by Animal Fair Magazine.

Animal Fair also named Continental Airlines as the best pet-friendly airline because of their PetSafe Program. We at Animal Land Pet Movers could not agree more. Continental is a wonderful organization to work with and we use them whenever we can.