Pet shipping cost

I'm looking at flying the first week of January 2012.  I called BA World Cargo today for a price quote.  I'm flying from Philadelphia to London Heathrow.  My dog weighs 32 lbs (Shetland Sheepdog). 

Here are the prices I was quoted with crate size options:

36L x 25W x 27H - $1565

39L x 26W x 30H - $1813

I think those prices seemed reasonable from what other people have said.  Do they sound about right?  I do realize that prices change all of the time and vary according to crate size, weight and where you're flying to/from. 

That seems a bit higher than I paid in 2010 (think I paid ~$1700 for my 60lb dog, and $500 for my cat), but fuel/airline prices have likely gone up in the past 18 months.

You could call the other airline options for your route, and see if they're in the same ballpark. BA was cheaper than Virgin when I flew, though, so I don't think they're price-gouging (any more than everyone is, anyway).

You could also check Continental from Newark to LHR. I'm not going to comment on the price since I did it in 2006, but it might give you something to compare with what BA is quoting.

I'll be using Delta to transport my cat next year. They quoted me for a 15 lbs. cat in a medium sized crate at $680. And then there is the fee the UK charges to bring the animal in which when I called was $700.

I did a call around too this week for a 20lbs dog and the prices all came to $1200-$1300 too

Hi JessM. Sorry to bring such an old post back from the dead but I'm in the process of getting price quotes for shipping my dog from Washington DC to Heathrow. The price BA quoted was very similar to yours but I saw that someone flying with Delta had to pay an additional $700 UK handling fees when they picked up their pet.

Question for you since I hope you've completed this now. Was the BA price inclusive of all fees or did you have to pay additional charges upon picking up your pet?

Question for you since I hope you've completed this now. Was the BA price inclusive of all fees or did you have to pay additional charges upon picking up your pet?

I flew a dog and cat in April 2010 (Dulles->Heathrow) and the price I paid to BA was the only thing I had to pay - there were no extra fees on the UK side.

The cost of flying my cat from ATL to MAN in June was around $700. The cat is around 13 lbs and the crate was wooden and quite heavy. Can't remember the exact weight.

The clearing fee charged by Pets on Jets in MAN was 130 pounds. Someone at Delta had said this was $730, but I think the agent was misreading from her info sheet. The clearing fee isn't charged by the UK, but by the firm that checks the paperwork.

Vadio, so you didn't have to pay the $730 Delta quoted you? I'm flying from Atlanta on Delta myself in Oct and teu quoted me $730 as well on the other side.

Hi!

I'm in process of arranging a move from the US to England, hopefully for the end of June - at the moment I'm getting together info needed for moving my dog.

Delta just quoted me $625 airfair from Atlanta to Heathrow, plus apx $650-$700 for 'clearance/handling' payable to the party that takes my dog from the plane to the Animal Reception Centre.

Is this (somewhat) accurate? Or should it have been around 130 pounds as someone said upthread? I'm trying to make sure I have accurate info when comparing their fees to United's.

Thanks!

That sounds about right. My 24 lb dog had to go in a larger than average crate because his ears are so pointy and my total came to around $1,400 on BA.

I don't see United listed as an approved air route carrier - is there a codeshare airline for that flight?

http://www.defra.gov.uk/files/pets-air-routes.pdf
that air route list is brand new btw and much clearer to read than the previous one!

I would say the quotes are close.  My 20 pounds dog flew to Manchester for just shy of $1000 but we were told the clearance fees we cheaper than for flying into LHR.  Some airlines include everything in what you pay them and others keep it separate so just ask when you are getting your quotes to be sure.

Continental has merged into United, so I presumed that since Continental is still on the list, United is by default also approved.

I actually sat on hold with United for over an hour, and in the end had to hang up, so I might be flying my dog on Delta just by default!

The one thing that makes me feel better about this is that I could be on the same flight, a direct flight straight into LHR, whereas with United, there'd be at least 1, probably 2 layovers - and I'm a little concerned the extra transfers would stress him out, or allow room for something to go wrong (missed connection, getting loose, etc)

Or is this just wishful thinking??

I agree with trying to use a direct, non-stop flight right in.  layovers just seem like a bad idea in general when a pet is involved. 

Did you try BA too?  They fly Atlanta to LHR every day and have a good reputation for treating pets with care.

I can't wait to find out what you decide to do.  I will be flying with my dog from Atlanta to Heathrow in October.