Cat in the cabin

Hi all,

My partner is hoping to come over on a marriage Visa in the coming months and would love to bring  their cat!

Jen has checked out Aer Lingus and Delta and neither allow cats in the cabin. Lucky is an anxious cat at the best of times so cargo is a no go!!

Jen will fly Cincinnati to the UK, preferably to Newcastle. Can anyone recommend a cat friendly airline for cabin travel?

Also,any cat tips and travel experiences will be handy...think this may be more stressful than the move itself!!

Cheers,

Jill

Hi all,

My partner is hoping to come over on a marriage Visa in the coming months and would love to bring  their cat!

Jen has checked out Aer Lingus and Delta and neither allow cats in the cabin. Lucky is an anxious cat at the best of times so cargo is a no go!!

Jen will fly Cincinnati to the UK, preferably to Newcastle. Can anyone recommend a cat friendly airline for cabin travel?

Also,any cat tips and travel experiences will be handy...think this may be more stressful than the move itself!!

Cheers,

Jill

Unless the rules have changed (but I doubt it or we would likely have heard), the UK does not accept animals in-cabin into any UK airport, they have to be flown as manifest cargo. This is also what makes it so expensive.

If Jen wanted to keep kitty in-cabin, they would have to enter via mainland Europe and come in to the UK via ground/sea. It's something that several of our members have done so have a poke around and you should be able to find some threads on the subject.

Just want to add, that I believe flying in the hold (which is climate controlled and dimly lit) is actually the best place for an animal. They tend just to sleep the flight away to the sound of the engines rather than potentially getting spooked by all the in cabin activity. That's just my opinion though,  for what it's worth!

Our two cats travelled well in the hold.

Thanks,we really appreciate that information. Good insight on the calm element of the hold, I am glad you have had good experiences.

If cats travel in the hold,when do you hand them over? With luggage at checkin or is there a special spot they can be taken to for a calmer hand over?

Also, you advise the hold is expensive. Are we talking £1000s or £100s?

Thanks!

Thanks,we really appreciate that information. Good insight on the calm element of the hold, I am glad you have had good experiences.

If cats travel in the hold,when do you hand them over? With luggage at checkin or is there a special spot they can be taken to for a calmer hand over?

I expect it will vary by airline or even by airport. We flew United from LAX and we dropped the cats off at the cargo depot before we checked in at the airport.

I had already taken a trip to the cargo depot a couple of weeks before to make sure I knew where to find it and I also had them check the crates to make sure they were happy with them. It was a very useful exercise! They deal with animal import/export all day long.

I'd start reading up on the general process now. There are strict timings to adhere to in terms of microchips and rabies shots and vets visits. The paperwork can seem a bit overwhelming too so the more prepared you are, the better.

https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad

Also, you advise the hold is expensive. Are we talking £1000s or £100s?

Thanks!

It was more than $1,000 per cat but I can't remember exactly. That's not including the medicals and paperwork, crate etc.

When flying into Europe, the cat can travel as excess baggage for a couple of hundred dollars which is one of the reasons why some people choose that route. It's not the easy option though, it makes for a longer trip and the logistics of getting from say France to the UK and then to the final destination can be challenging.

I flew from Canada (as that was the closest to me with a direct flight), and to land in the UK pets have to fly as cargo it cost a little over $1000cad. My insanely nervous kitty was fine, settled in once we landed instantly and the lady at animal reception said she was able to give her a little cuddle. It would have been far more stressful for both of us if we'd gone to Europe with her in the cabin, because it means many more hours of travelling in a carrier and not being free to settle down.

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