Any recent Pets shipping experiences?

So this is all hypothetical at the moment, but it seems highly likely that my husband and I will be returning back to the US. I have only been here a very few weeks, but my OH just doesn't like it here (like he thought he would), and he has found out his old company could hire him back into a similar position.

So now I need to understand the process of what would need to be done to move our 2 cats back to the US. We still have all of our DEFRA paperwork (the ink on the stamp is barely dry!), and we have not established a relationship with any vet here as yet. We flew over with Continental, through Manchester and we were very satisfied with how they were treated, as well as the price being reasonable. We are considering shipping them back ahead of us, in order to potentially beat the onset of winter in KY.

I've read you need to enter a business relationship with the airline at least 30days in advance of flying. Would the fact that CO flew our cats over less than 30 days ago constitute a relationship? Ideally, I think we'd try to fly them over before December. Do we need to find a vet, or can we use our DEFRA paperwork somehow as proof of the rabies, microchip, etc?

Does anyone have any recent shipping experiences, or links about the process you can share?

This was a while ago but maybe will ease your mind a bit...  we flew our 2 dogs here  about 5 years ago under the Pets sheme and then back to the US about 2 years ago. It was really no trouble at all as far as the paperwork was concerned.  We just had to get them a fit to fly letter from the vet for the airline but they never looked at it.  Also none of their paperwork was looked at when we arrived in Chicago.  We walked to the person who is supposed to check it, they asked us where we came from and when we said England they said fine you are good. 

We did fly them from Manchester and it was direct so it could have been on continental but I don't remember.  At the time the airline just checked them in as an extra piece of luggage (so maybe $100 a piece at the time??) All I remember was that it was MUCH cheaper!!  It did depend on the airline as to the price to just call around and see what they tell you but as far as any Defra stuff or anything in the US there isn't anything special you have to do.

Was Chicago your final destination? If not, did you have to pick them up on the baggage carousel before going through customs, or how did that work? Who did you show your paperwork to? When you went through Immigration or went through Customs? Did you have to go to a special terminal to pick them up? Sorry so many questions, just trying to figure out how it works!

We may be shipping them to my mother, ahead of us leaving, to try to beat the cold/snowy/icy winter weather. So this makes me wonder if we will have to use a Pet Agency.

If you were going beyond Chicago, did you have any problems with flight restrictions due to the plane size? Coming over here, my folks had to drive me to another airport because none of the Continental flights had planes large enough to handle animal cargo from my local one.  I'd like to get them to my local airport so my mother can pick them up without having to drive 2hrs.

Don't worry about the questions:) I know when we moved them back I couldn't find much info either.  YEs Chicago was our final destination.  We were plying back with the 2 dogs and a 10 month old so I purposely wanted a direct flight.  When we flew them they went with us as excess baggage.  We were instructed to bring them to the check in counter with us and the rest of our stuff (we were a site to be seen to say the least) Once we were all checked in they came with us through security and then taken to the plane while we waited to board.   On the other end we went through immigration and then to collect our bags. I hired a guy to help us with a cart and after we got all our bags we went off to the side where the odd shaped stuff goes and got them from there ( they were with somebody not left alone).  Then we went to the customs agent and told them and they said we were good- like I said they didn't look at any vaccination paperwork or anything.  They may have stamped something to our landing card but I don't remember- it really only took like 2 min at most.  After that we headed out the door with all of our stuff to the arrivals door and to the car.

I am not sure what would have happened if we would have had to continue on.  We live in Wisconsin and it was worth it to me to only have the one leg and drive the rest.  Also I think our experience would be different than if you weren't flying with the animal.  I think if that was the case they would go as cargo and thus the cost would be different.  

At the time we flew I think some airlines would charge the cost of cargo and others did the excess baggage cost but like I said we all flew together so things will be different if you send them ahead.

Hope this helps and feel free to ask anymore questions

Contact the airline and ask. Since you flew with them so recently the 30 day thing shouldn't be a problem. I contacted Continental when we were first planning to fly our cat back and she said that since I had flown pets with them before (4.5  years prior) there was no problem. We ended up flying the cat via Aer Lingus because they fly them as excess baggage, not cargo, so it was hundreds of euro cheaper. We flew into JFK and while DH was going through his immigration interview, I got a cart and picked up the cat and our luggage in baggage claim. The poor mite was just sitting all alone in baggage claim, meowing at the top of her lungs. Once he finished the interview, we all went through customs together. I had all the paperwork for the cat (her fit-to-fly form, and proof of her rabies vaccine), he barely glanced at it, asked if it was a dog or cat, stamped everything, and basically told us to have a nice life! We didn't fly on (JFK was our final destination), but I'm fairly certain that's how it would have gone if we were getting a connecting flight. We would have had to recheck our luggage and cat. Since you're considering having the pets travel on their own, you'll definitely want to see how the airline would handle that.

This pet shipping is doing my head as much as bringing them here!

We're trying to avoid the New England area, in order to avoid the potential for a cold weather embargo. All the flights leaving Glasgow (our local airport), Edinburgh and even Manchester all seem to go through Detroit, Newark, Chicago or Philly by way of Amsterdam or London. I was hoping to find a direct flight to Atlanta or further South. Or I have the problem that the flights only give me like a 90 minute layover somewhere, and I just don't trust that to be long enough for us to transfer flights, and go through immigration/customs.

So far, I've only found a flight on Aer Lingus, on a flight from Glasgow to Dublin to Orlando. However, reading the fine print, it seems that on the short haul flights (which I assume would include GLA to DUB), they do not allow pets due to insufficient ventilation.

Can anyone give me some help on the whole travel arrangement side of things? This almost seems as restrictive as the approved air routes into the UK! 

I flew in Aug on Delta Manchester to Atlanta- is that route closed now?  I know its far for you but does LHR have anything direct? That may be a way?

Sorry I couldn't be more help

Hmmm..it didn't show up on any of the travel websites (expedia, etc), but does show as available when I go to Delta's website directly. Ahh, so you went from Manchester to Atlanta to Chicago? In Atlanta, how/where did you go to pick the cats up? Did you have to pick them up from a cargo area separate from the actual airport, or was it internal to the airport? Did you go through customs with them in Atlanta? I know Louisville doesn't have a customs area, so I'm curious how the whole customs thing works.

Do you happen to have the number for the pets dept at Delta? The only phone number I have found costs £.12/min! 

Oh sorry to confuse you- I travelled alone to Manchester via atlanta in Aug.  When we flew the dogs to the US 2 years ago we flew direct Man to Chi.  I would assume though that the process for pick up and paperwork would be similar though as long as you are traveling with them but I guess only the airline or airport could confirm that.  I would also think that all the customs would be there as it is your first entry point into the US.  I think only the airports with international flights have a customs area.  OUr "home" airport is Milwaukee and because they get a few flights form mexico and maybe from Canada they have a special place but unless you are on something like that you never go near it.

As far as a Defra number I think the one we have always used has been the one on their website and we probably just paid whatever it was.  There is also another number I found at main "contact us" page and that said it was 5p/min from a BT line.  I do know from calling them they are very helpful with paperwork stuff but I know they weren't involved at all with us moving the dogs back to the US- I doubt that I even called them at all to look into anything.

I asked for the Delta's UK phone number, not the DEFRA number!  Its easy enough to get the two confused though!

Just to confirm, you're right about Aer Lingus. They definitely don't fly pets on a shorthaul flight. When I flew to Dublin from the UK I used Aer Arann.

Just to confirm, you're right about Aer Lingus. They definitely don't fly pets on a shorthaul flight. When I flew to Dublin from the UK I used Aer Arann.

<sigh> I called Aer Arann and the agent said that Aer Lingus actually operates the flights out of Glasgow. So since Aer Lingus says they don't take animals on the short haul flights, that one is a no go. Only option for using them would be to find a ferry over to Ireland from Scotland.

I've called Delta, and they pretty much said I need to use an agent, which will be pricey I have no doubt! This is the one time I wish were down nearer to London as I think the planning would go infinitely easier!

Oh sorry I did read it wrong.  I wish I had more ideas for you but I am out Are there any options to fly them to Paris or Amsterdam then to the US? Just a last efforts I guess.