What If I Don't Travel with My Pet After All??

Multiple last minute issues/crises to resolve....

My dog and I are set to move to the UK on July 11 -- save for the last PETS scheme stuff -- appointments all scheduled for next week.

Please forgive, my poor brain is fried.  Somewhere along the line, I've indicated that my dog and I are traveling together...  However, there has now arisen the possibility that I may be delayed because of some real estate problems.

My question:  What do I need to do if I want to send my pet on to the UK on July 11, while I remain behind a short while longer to resolve real estate issues? 

Thanks so much,
~Teddy

I flew my pets over on their own. My mom dropped them off at Dulles, I picked them up at Heathrow. There was no problems, other than my dog's leash going AWOL in transit. BA had no problems with different people doing drop-off/pickup - I'm pretty sure my mom gave them my contact info, and obviously James Cargo had it with the fax thing I sent in.

My dog flew on her own also. I had no problems at all.  I believe that some routes or some airlines require the pet to be accompanied, but Dulles to Heathrow on BA is not one of them (as per EQ's experience)

Okay, I'd pretty well sorted out previously, as you both have kindly said, that it is okay to send pets to Heathrow and have someone else pick them up.  (I had considered sending my pet earlier or later, to make things easier, but in the end decided it was actually easiest for all concerned to go on the same flight.) 

The part I'm stuck over is that my intention had been (and I still hope it happens this way!) for me and my dog to fly together on same plane on July 11.

I *think* somewhere along the line, either BA or BA Cargo or the vet or the USDA vet asked if we were traveling together....  Don't know if I'm imagining this...  Tired, tired brain...  So really, my question is, IF I've already somehow indicated or set it up as if we are traveling together, I wonder if it would be a problem if it turns out that I don't go but want to send my dog on ahead without me??

I may getting my issues completely confused.  I know there is some rule whereby you can't send ordinary luggage on a flight you are not personally boarding.  Don't know if it is truth or urban fiction, but someone told me that if, for example, a person checked their luggage, but then didn't board the plane, that the airplane couldn't depart until either the person showed up or the unaccompanied luggage was removed from the aircraft.  It's a security measure...

My worry is, some sort of similar stipulation might exist for my dog...  Clearly, it is possible for dogs to go alone, unaccompanied, but is it possible to change in mid-stream, once one has already booked the flights having (possibly?) stated somewhere or other down the line that her person was going to be on the plane with her?

I'm worrying way too much about everything... Sorry....

~Teddy

Why don't you just call them and ask? That's really the only way you're going to be certain.

I had originally booked my cats to fly into Bristol with me, but then they stopped accepting pets there. They were to be flown to Gatwick instead. I flew into Bristol, my friend picked me up and we drove to Gatwick. So, the airline changed this, not me, and it was absolutely no problem.

Yikes, CharmCityGirl, I don't know why I didn't just think about calling them...  Except, well, not really sure *who* to call?  BA World Cargo at Dulles or the BA 800 number that I called to book my dog's flight?  Thank you for that imminently sane suggestion ... seems like I have lost all sense of sanity!

I sure hope they didn't redirect your pet to Gatwick without consulting you first!  What if you hadn't been able to get to Gatwick for the pickup??

Cheers!
~Teddy

Call the number you used to book the dog. They'll be sure to tell you if they don't want to have anything to do with it! 

No, they told me a couple of weeks in advance. My friends (who I met on here!) are the absolute best and didn't blink an eye when I told them about the change. Thank god for great friends!

I don't think they'll have an issue with it, since you're giving them plenty of notice (not just showing up on the day to drop your dog off and run). As CCG advised, though, just call them to see if you need to alter the reservation to note that your dog would be unaccompanied.

I don't think they'll have an issue with it, since you're giving them plenty of notice (not just showing up on the day to drop your dog off and run). As CCG advised, though, just call them to see if you need to alter the reservation to note that your dog would be unaccompanied.

Trouble is, many things are colluding at once to make it uncertain if I'll be able to go with my dog or not on July 11.  :-(  So many things in flux... packing, real estate issues, health issues...  I was hoping that a last minute decision would be possible.  :-(  If I can reach a point where I know what the heck I'm doing, then I will definitely take CCG's suggestion and call them.

~Teddy

If I can reach a point where I know what the heck I'm doing, then I will definitely take CCG's suggestion and call them.

You could call them now anyway, just to see what the options are. Then you'll know if a last-minute cancellation is an option, and what you'd need to do to get it to happen.