HELP! Delta no more- need new shipping option for 2 cats

For months now, I have been planning to ship my 2 cats to England via Delta Cargo for when I move there in August.


I talked to them and got all the info and have been doing everything necessary to meet regulations.

When I called today to make sure I had everything in order, they said as of 3 weeks ago, they no longer fly Detroit to London direct, which I needed.

The best they could do was get to Amsterdam, which doesn't help us.

The plan was to ship the cats unaccompanied before we leave the second week in August for our move.  (Just in case something goes wrong with the cats, we aren't stuck having to leave the cats behind when we move.  We'll have options to try again or whatever.)

All this time, I've been banking on Delta and now I just don't know what to do.

What have you guys done?  Please help!  I'm really running out time!

Thank you!

Doesn't KLM fly direct to London from Detroit?

No, they don't. Nobody does, apparently.

Although I did tons of research and answered my own question, I'm posting it here just in case it helps anyone else.

United/Continental came through.

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/animals/uk.aspx

There was a terribly long hold time on their PetSafe line, but in the end, I ended up booking a flight for my 2 cats (est. cost about $1300, with an additional fee in London) to fly from Detroit to Newark to London next week!
They were very helpful.  The hold time was over a half hour though.

Now I just have to get the final examination and proper papers filled out.  (And worry about their safe arrival at my new home in the UK.) 

Best of luck with shipping your animals! That can be very stressful/emotional..

Hey Joy,

Just wondering if you know what the fee in London is.  My husband called BA and they said it would cost $1900 to ship two cats and a small dog but this seems too low compared to others on here so I wonder if something is missing although my husband said it was suppose to include everything.  Seems to me that the fee in London is missing.  Thanks and hope the move goes smoothly!

Sorry it's taken me so long to answer.  I'm in the home stretch now and RIDICULOUSLY busy!

That does seem pretty low.  I was quoted about that for just my 2 cats.

I shipped 2 cats and it was about $2500 total.

The freight charge depends on the size and weight of the animals.
Mine went up from the phone estimate when I got there because of the weight of the carriers.

Keep in mind you will also have to pay CLEARANCE.
I'll copy and paste the charges from the email I got.

PBS International Freight LTD
Phone: 011.44.129.355.1140
Fax: 011.44.129.355.1169
Email: info@pbs-int.co.uk
Website: www.pbs-int.co.uk & www.shipyourpet.com

Customer Must Contact PBS to make all arrangements!

-PBS/ARC/Customs/Cargo fees to be collected from shipper:

Clearance during 830am-6pm Mon-Fri:
$567.43 USD - 1 animal
$640.02 USD - 2 animals
$712.61 USD - 3 animals
$785.20 USD - 4 animals
$857.79 USD - 5 animals
$930.39 USD - 6 animals

Clearance during after hours Mon-Fri(for all flights arriving before 830am):
$644.05 USD - 1 animal
$716.64 USD - 2 animals
$789.24 USD - 3 animals
$861.83 USD - 4 animals
$934.42 USD - 5 animals
$1007.01 USD - 6 animals

Clearance on Sat and Sun
$672.28 USD - 1 animal
$744.87 USD - 2 animals
$817.47 USD - 3 animals
$890.06 USD - 4 animals
$962.65 USD - 5 animals
$1035.24 USD - 6 animals

Clearance on Bank Holidays
$720.68 USD - 1 animal
$793.27 USD - 2 animals
$865.86 USD - 3 animals
$938.45 USD - 4 animals
$1011.05 USD - 5 animals
$1083.64 USD - 6 animals

I left the contact information for your convenience.

I was charged extra because my cats landed at 6:45 a.m. London time, something I had no control over.
AND $100.00 in kennel fees because they had a layover in Newark, NJ.
That reeeeally ticked me off because I didn't want the layover.  I wanted the shortest travel time as possible to keep them stress-free.
But the booking agent (a dum-dum) said it was the best she could do.
So I got charged while my babies sat there for 6 hours, scared. 

Overall, I was extremely unhappy with my customer service experience with Continental/United and I will never use them again for anything.

You won't necessarily need to pay anything extra. BA quoted me a price that included all fees, so when I shipped my pets (dog + cat) I just had to fax an information sheet about my animals to the agent on the UK end, but did not have to pay any more. Virgin quoted a lower price, but then there were fees on top of that (as noted above, they varied depending on what time of day the pets arrived, and whether they were accompanied or not).

2 cats and a small dog for $1900 sounds pretty reasonable - I paid $2300 for 1 cat and a large dog. They calculate price based on volume and weight, so the cat was only ~$500 of the fee, but the dog needed a very large crate and weighed ~60lbs, so his fee was the majority. If your dog is about the same size as your cats, I could see $1500-$2000 as a fair price range.

(Note: my numbers were in April 2010, so prices/policies will have changed since then. But if BA says you won't need to pay any extra fees, I would take them at their word. )

(Note: my numbers were in April 2010, so prices/policies will have changed since then. But if BA says you won't need to pay any extra fees, I would take them at their word. )

But the clearance is a customs thing.  Surely BA knows about that.

And yeah, I imagine prices have gone up some since 2010, with gas prices having risen and everything else reflecting that.
Sheesh, they rob us on luggage fees when they can, right?

But the clearance is a customs thing.  Surely BA knows about that.

Yes, I was told that BA's quotes were inclusive of all fees. Virgin (my other option for the locations I was using) did not include any fees, so those were on top of the quoted amount.

You won't necessarily need to pay anything extra. BA quoted me a price that included all fees, so when I shipped my pets (dog + cat) I just had to fax an information sheet about my animals to the agent on the UK end, but did not have to pay any more. Virgin quoted a lower price, but then there were fees on top of that (as noted above, they varied depending on what time of day the pets arrived, and whether they were accompanied or not).

2 cats and a small dog for $1900 sounds pretty reasonable - I paid $2300 for 1 cat and a large dog. They calculate price based on volume and weight, so the cat was only ~$500 of the fee, but the dog needed a very large crate and weighed ~60lbs, so his fee was the majority. If your dog is about the same size as your cats, I could see $1500-$2000 as a fair price range.

(Note: my numbers were in April 2010, so prices/policies will have changed since then. But if BA says you won't need to pay any extra fees, I would take them at their word. )

Thanks!!!!  That is so good to hear.  My dog is about the same size as my male cat so their crates are all the same size.  We have called BA a couple of times to make sure clearance fees are included and they assure us they are but I was skeptical.  I am glad to hear that you think the quote is reasonable.  It is also good to see that the clearance fee for three animals is not 3x the fee for one animal.  That is really what I was worried about.  Didn't want to get there and get surprised by $1800 in clearance fees.