Airlines...Good, bad...Ugly? (opinions please?)

Hello 

My cats (3 of them) are nearly finished with the Pets program and will be cleared to fly out as of 6-28-06. My fiancee and I are actually planning to leave the week after and we are trying to find out the best airline to book our tickets (well, our seats don't matter but I want to make sure that I can get the best airline for the cats)

So this is what I do know:

We are flying from Newark--either to Gatwick or Heathrow, depending on what I can find out here.

The Defra Pets Program airlines approved for our route are: British Airlines, Virgin (these are only for Heathrow) and Continental (continental only for gatwick)

From the experience of those of you who have done this already with cats:

Which airline did you use? Why?

What was your impression and how were your animals treated?

How did you collect your pets at the end of the trip? Did the airline direct you?

Was there anything that the carrier didn't tell you about prior to booking but that you found out at the time you picked up the animals?

Any fees that they don't mention?
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And please, if you have heard or experienced something unpleasant, I'd like to know.
2 of my cats are geriatric and are of particular concern for me.

Also, as an after thought, does any one know the loss # of pets on any of these carriers?

thanks!
 

Which airline did you use? Why?

What was your impression and how were your animals treated?

How did you collect your pets at the end of the trip? Did the airline direct you?

Was there anything that the carrier didn't tell you about prior to booking but that you found out at the time you picked up the animals?

Any fees that they don't mention?
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I flew Dulles, Virginia to Heathrow on Virgin because it was the only choice.

They treated the pets great (there were 3 cats and 1 dog on the flight).  It was August so they didn't board them until they started boarding passengers.  The rep. from the cargo department came to the gate and found each owner to let us know our animals were doing fine and when they would be boarding them.

I collected my cat 5 hours after landing from the Animal Reception Center.  I was given directions by the Virgin rep. in the states as to how to get there.  We took a taxi.

The carrier told me everything I needed to know. 

There were no unexpected fees...I was aware of the 220 pounds in London prior to flying out.  And I was aware of all the airline fees stateside.

See my post on the board about BMI

I was aware of the 220 pounds in London prior to flying out.  And I was aware of all the airline fees stateside.

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Err... At the cost of sounding stupid, what fee is the London fee? (I've looked at all three airline websites and it isn't mentioned anywhere (that I saw). Is it part of the handling fee, or shipping fee? Taxes? Or is it something else?


I appreciate your feedback on this!

Err... At the cost of sounding stupid, what fee is the London fee? (I've looked at all three airline websites and it isn't mentioned anywhere (that I saw). Is it part of the handling fee, or shipping fee? Taxes? Or is it something else?


I appreciate your feedback on this!

Honestly, I'm not quite sure what that fee encompassed.  It was collected at the Animal Reception Center so I believe it covered Customs costs and the costs of housing your pet for a few hours.  Complete rip off, but it's mandatory if you fly into Heathrow.  It seems if you fly elsewhere, they don't have that fee and if they do it's not as expensive.

I flew with my dog from SFO on British Air.  The fee to the UK (£250) is included in your ticket.  I believe Virgin requires you to pay when you arrive in Heathrow.  I love BA, expensive, but love them!  When you check your pets into the cargo area, they give you a map to the animal reception center.  Your pet is taken off the plane and transported to the ARC, then it takes up to four hours for them to be processed.  From what Ive read, Virgin and BA are really good about pet transport.  Good luck!

Continental's fee is $125.  They said it was for their animal handling company to transport the pets to the reception centre and take care of the paperwork.  It sounds like each airline might have contracts with handlers in the UK who pick the animals up from cargo and cart them around to the appropriate places.

I flew my dogs from Germany into Heathrow on Lufthansa (long story), and I think the Animal Reception Center is run by James Cargo Ltd. Their fee is for collection and transport of the animals to the ARC and the exam the animal goes through to be certified for entry into the UK. Their fee was included in the quote I got from Lufthansa, but not every airline may do that. The James Cargo people are absolutely wonderful -I was in touch with them (as well as Lufthansa) in the course of planning the dogs' travel, and they answered every question I had and were extremely reassuring. The dogs were picked up in an a/c van and the ARC people let me know when they had arrived. It took about 30 minutes for them to be cleared.

Here are a few tips about the ARC: Absolutely make sure you have directions on how to get to the ARC before you go. It's sort of in the underbelly of the Heathrow service areas, and my cab driver had no idea how to get there (he also didn't speak any English) and neither did the airport staff (the ARC building does have a weird 70s architecture tower with a large Q on it, for visual orientation). I had to take a 'mini-cab' because apparently black cabs won't take a short-distance fare like that. That being said, the ARC staff were able to get me another cab fairly quickly after I'd collected the dogs, and it wasn't a problem having the dogs in the cab.

The waiting room of the ARC is in a glass addition to the building, and it is absolutely boiling in there on a sunny day. If you can, bring some water or something else to drink/eat while you wait for your animal (they have a soda machine but it didn't work when I was there). There are some magazines to read, and fairly comfy couches. There's also a restroom, and a small grassy area to let your dogs relieve themselves and walk a bit.

You go in and ring a bell at the door and tell them what animal you're there to pick up, and they will bring the animal out to you when it's been cleared (they also provide updates, as I said). When I was picking up Ede and Atze, there was a couple waiting with me who'd come in from Canada, but their dog hadn't received an approved tick treatment and so the dog had to stay for another 24 hours (my dogs had gotten Frontline, and I just assumed that everybody would just use that).

Hope this helps!
Ness

Continental and Virgin are codeshare partners. Virgin only arrives in LGW from Orlando, Newark and Las Vegas (US). They used to have a SF route and I am sad they stopped it.  Good thing you are only flying from the East coast because if you fly Continental from the West you have to change planes. Let me tell you how much that sucks! Another thing to think about is where are you travelling to once you arrive. That can make a difference for some people where they want to land.

I didn't use either of these airlines but I flew into Gatwick and was treated fantastically!  There was no extra fee to pay.  It cost me $500 for both cats.  Whatever airport you land in, and don't know exactly were the ARC building is, make sure you go to the Information desk.  That is what I did they were extremely helpful!  After I cleared Immigration and Customs and entered the arrivals hall, I found the nearest Information desk and they actually placed a call to ARC and I talked to them directly getting instructions. if you have to take a cab, that would be the best thing to do that way the cabbie will have the instructions as well.

I just flew both my senior cats back with me on the PETS approved route from Chicago->Newark->Gatwick on Continental ( newcomer link: http://www.continental.com/travel/policies/animals/uk.asp?SID=29AE002321E948FD8C3804B86640ADEC [nonactive] ).  Had to drop them off in cargo (which is not near the passenger terminal) in Chicago, so be sure to leave yourself some extra time.  lot of details to consider from reading the defra site, but the actual shipping rep who checked them in didn't seem aware of all the issues (nor did my vet for that matter).  Also, I was told by the airline that I needed the EU journal (ie. pet passport) endorsed by the USDA (raised seal) before they would be accepted but they didn't even check for that when I dropped them off!  Each cat was shipped in their own carrier and the cost was around $500/cat and was paid at the cargo desk.  A bit pricey but not sure if other airlines were cheaper. 

Continental works with PBS International ( newcomer link: http://www.pbs-int.com/ [nonactive] ) to clear the animals through customs.  There was an additional $175 charge for this ($125 during normal working hours).   This took around 2-3 hours after our flight arrived but they were able to keep me informed over the phone of their status.  Even still it was a long time to wait after a trans-atlantic flight.  You have to pick the pets up at the BA cargo area (again not nearby the passenger terminal) but I arranged for them to pick us up at the terminal once the cats were cleared and drive us back to Brighton for an additional 55 quid.  The driver was a nice enough chap and had been doing this for a while.  He said that our paperwork must have been impeccable for them to clear so fast (which made me wonder how long it could take if there was a problem). 

I primarily went with Continental as both BA and BMI both were significantly more money for the passenger tickets.   At the end of the day it was a big effort, but they arrived safe and sound without any major complaints.

Hope this helps.  Good luck.

-Matt

I went with Continental on the way to the UK.  The airline is good.  JUST MAKE SURE YOUR PAPERWORK IS IN ORDER!!!  I did not have the USDA raised stamp on my paperwork and I had to fly to the UK while my two dogs were stuck in Newark over the weekend while the paperwork was sorted.  But, the silver lining was that Continental handled it brilliantly, they have a kennel they work with in Newark in case there is a problem like this and the dogs were taken care of while they were in Newark.  Then the people at Continental arranged for another flight and we were able to get them. 

we are flying them home in 3 weeks on Continental again.  I had some problems booking the flight.  I am flying them home out of Manchester, which is good, saves 3 hours of driving to Gatwick.  I originally booked and paid for them on a Saturday flight, had it confirmed, bought my wife and I's ticket, which was nonrefundable, and then had Animal Airlines call me back and say that Continental changed thier flights and that my dog kennels would not fit on ANY connecting flights from Newark to Columbus.  So the dogs are flying out of Manchester now on Friday and DW and I fly out on Saturday.  Which means, I get to rent a car and drive them two and a half hours to Manchester on Friday, just so we can do it all again on Saturday.  WOO HOO

Silverlining on that though.  I think i'm going to drive to Stonehenge on that Friday.  The dogs fly out at like 9:30 so I have the rest of the day.  It's still like a 4 hour drive to Stonehenge from there I think, but I should see it once while i'm here right?

At Last!!

Me and the cats (and my DH) made it to the UK safely.

My thanks to everyone who posted about this topic and who private messaged me with your input. It's all been very helpful!

For the record this is what happened:

Pre-move: I had to have my 3rd cat (15 years old) euthanized because her renal failure kicked into end-stage. It was sad and I missed her but was also glad that she didn't have to go through flights and adjustments. So with a  heavy heart I booked everyone else's flight.

1) We decided to go with Virgin-Atlantic since they were one of the approved carriers going out of Newark. (we had researched BA and found it almost double the cost quoted to us my Virgin-atlantic cargo --and continental wasn't a choice since the way they treated me on my flights in january). BA had quoted us at 2,500 just for the cats on cargo (3 cats by volumetric weight of the carriers). Virgin-Atlantic quoted us 1,400 (3 cats by volumetric weight of the carriers), and with my 3rd cat gone it went to 785.00 for the 2 remaining cats (1 maine coon (20 pounds) and one regular domestic shorthair (11 pounds))

The only real difficulty with booking for the cats on virgin was that I had to have a letter from my vet faxed to them saying that my Pudgy Kitten (14.5 years old and insulin dependent diabetic) was cleared to fly and could be on the flight for an extended time without suffering). Once they had that it was all fine.

2) we checked in the cats at 4pm at the Newark Virgin atlantic cargo center.
(Why don't they actually locate the cargo spots nearer the terminal I dunno! But we had rented a car that had a GPS system in it and I am soooooo glad!)
Over all it took an hour and a half to get them checked in and settled. And I was pleased that they not only accepted our paperwork, but double checked it twice by two people.
(There had been some mad-dashing on our parts the day prior to make sure that we could get a new USDA form & sign off since my poor kidney kitten had to be taken off the sheets--but that all went okay too)
 They went through the paperwork and weighed the cats (in the carriers) and had us remove all their tags. We had (as my vet directed) placed newspaper at the bottom of the carriers and a towel in the back for the cats. Apparently the staff at the cargo depot thought that was against regulations and had us remove it. they gave us virgin blankets to put in instead, and then the towels. I didnt see the point in arguing (the one woman said it was because cats could eat the paper and choke which I thought was bonkers, but ok if they want the cats to pee on their blankets!!). A funny side note is that most of the people there must not ever have seen a maine coon who'd reached mature growth. 2 people asked me if he was a DOG!!!  LOL funny!
He is a big cat though and he has to travel in a larger dog carrier. Heh heh.

3) We paid the shipping fee. My fiancee took a gulp out of his water bottle and started to choke. *I am embarrassed to admit that at the time I thought he was getting sick and that was why he ran outside into the anteroom.** He continued to choke and I asked if he was choking --he choked more and I ran inside to see if anyone could help--I didn't do much good. He wacked himself (I did too) someone came out and by that time (thankfully!) Mark had gotten the water out/down and was wheezing in some air. I was scared by this near miss (If anyone can give me pointers on how to do the heimlich on someone a foot and a half taller than me I would realllllllllly welcome it. seriously!)

AFTER THAT....we drove back to the terminal to return the rental car. Checked in (there were a few luggage snags what with it all being overweight and stuff) and after the plane was delayed an hour we were allowed to board.

4) Before take-off the Virgin-Atlantic cargo people came onboard and showed us pictures of the cats stowed in the cargo hold. This was _very_ reassuring as I could see how they were strapped down and how there wasn't anything in their hold to crush them. They also looked kind of put out in the picutres which reassured me also. Cats with attitude better than comatose (which was a mild concern due to the 14.5 year old one being diabetic)

5) We landed in Heathrow and went on a merry goosehunt to find a rental car and the virgin cargo area. Got a car, couldnt find Virgin's cargo area but we found the Animal Reception center (in our search for terminal 4 and the Virgin Cargo facility and decided to stop and checked in there.

They let me give my Pudgy Kitten her insulin and they rang up Virgin cargo.
During that time we sat in the waiting area (like a little conservatory) and listened to other people complain about their aircarriers not taking care of paperwork and so on.
Within  20 minutes Virgin's cargo guy had the paperwork there, it was stamped, we paid the 220 pounds and got the cats and left. (Much faster than the 4 hours everyone at the ARC kept saying we would probably have to wait)

All in all it was much much smoother than I had imagined.

*breathing a deeeeeeeeeep sigh of relief* now we're all getting settled in! So glad that part's done!