Recent Pet Costs

Does anyone have recent costs for shipping their pet? (Separate and Total costs)

One-Way versus connection?
Accompanied versus unaccompanied?
Cost of doing it yourself versus hiring a pet relocation company?
Costs for various sized crates?
ARC pick-up fees?

Any good cost-savings tips would be greatly appreciated or direct links showing prices from airlines/relocation services.  Thanks!

Does anyone have recent costs for shipping their pet? (Separate and Total costs)

One-Way versus connection?
Accompanied versus unaccompanied?
Cost of doing it yourself versus hiring a pet relocation company?
Costs for various sized crates?
ARC pick-up fees?

Any good cost-savings tips would be greatly appreciated or direct links showing prices from airlines/relocation services.  Thanks!

Nearly everything will depend on the size of your pet(s). The pet's size will determine the crate size, which in turn determines what the airline will charge you to transport the pet. Some airlines (e.g., British Airways, which I used to move my cats over) include ARC fees in their fee, some don't. About the only thing that will be standard is the $38 for your state's USDA veterinarian-in-charge to do the raised seals on your pet's paperwork.

Relocation services will cost you an arm and a leg, and the process already costs quite a bit and is entirely doable on your own. I can tell you the costs of my moving my cats, but with the caveat pricing will change depending on how many pets you're sending, their size, the time of year, the airline you use and the distance you're travelling (the airlines don't post price quotes because the variables make it impossible to do so, but you can ring them and ask).

I brought over two cats, both of whom are pretty small for adults (9.6 lbs and 10.6 lbs). The minimum size carrier on BA is 28"L x 20.5"W x 21.5"H, so that's how they travelled. Here's a run-down:

- two minimum-sized carriers via PetSmart: $100.
- two ISO chips, which I purchased separately and took to the vet: $39
- USDA-certified vet visit with chipping and rabies boosters for both cats: $120
- USDA-certified vet visit within 10 days of flight, to fill out Annex II and airline pet health certificates for both cats: $150
- seal of approval from Pennsylvania USDA area veterinarian-in-charge on Annex II: $38 (plus $30 r/t postage)
- cargo fee, including ARC fees, on British Airways in April from PHL to LHR for both cats: $1532

Total paid to move the ingrates: ~$2010

Again, this is going to vary for you. If you have a dog, you have to also do worming treatment, which adds to the vet visit cost. If you already have ISO chipping, you're good to go. Some people on here have gone with the nine-digit chips used in the States, and bought/rented a scanner to bring along to ensure the chip can be read.

What you really need to do is figure out how big your pet(s) are and the required carrier size(s) for each airline you might travel. Then ring the airlines with the measurements, route(s) and approximate time of year you'd like to travel, to get quotes. You can then use those quotes to compare with those you might get from pet relocation outfits using the same information. Unfortunately, there's no such thing as a 'standard' price.

I brought over two cats, both of whom are pretty small for adults (9.6 lbs and 10.6 lbs). The minimum size carrier on BA is 28"L x 20.5"W x 21.5"H, so that's how they travelled. Here's a run-down:

- two minimum-sized carriers via PetSmart: $100.
- two ISO chips, which I purchased separately and took to the vet: $39
- USDA-certified vet visit with chipping and rabies boosters for both cats: $120
- USDA-certified vet visit within 10 days of flight, to fill out Annex II and airline pet health certificates for both cats: $150
- seal of approval from Pennsylvania USDA area veterinarian-in-charge on Annex II: $38 (plus $30 r/t postage)
- cargo fee, including ARC fees, on British Airways in April from PHL to LHR for both cats: $1532

Total paid to move the ingrates: ~$2010

Thanks for posting your cost's hms_seahorse, it is very helpful!  Also I had no idea you could buy your own microchips, I am going to look into that!

I have been figuring out how and estimating the costs to get my two over to the UK ( 5 lb cat & 6 lb dog) via Paris.

Including the vet fees, US rental car/DH crossing the channel via Le Shuttle & back with the pets & me, but not including my flight, I have worked it out to be approximately $1000 + cost of my flight, which isn't too very bad really.... if I have figured correctly it will be about $400 (more or less)  for the vet and $600 (more or less) for everything else to get them to Paris and then finally into London.

I am going to weigh/measure my crates and call BA & several other airlines to get an estimate of the cost to fly them into LHR or Manchester, then figure out which way to go. Paris is much cheaper, as they can fly as excess baggage, but with the time and effort to get back to the UK, have to decide will the savings be worth it. Manchester, the ARC fees are not as expensive and they get the animals processed much faster, but its a 3+ hour drive to and from the airport from London, so it all boils down to, am I willing to pay more for the convenience of arriving in London with my bags and a dog & a cat!

Some airlines/airports do not accept unaccompanied pets - just make sure before you book.

I brought over two cats, both of whom are pretty small for adults (9.6 lbs and 10.6 lbs). The minimum size carrier on BA is 28"L x 20.5"W x 21.5"H, so that's how they travelled. Here's a run-down:

- two minimum-sized carriers via PetSmart: $100.
- two ISO chips, which I purchased separately and took to the vet: $39
- USDA-certified vet visit with chipping and rabies boosters for both cats: $120
- USDA-certified vet visit within 10 days of flight, to fill out Annex II and airline pet health certificates for both cats: $150
- seal of approval from Pennsylvania USDA area veterinarian-in-charge on Annex II: $38 (plus $30 r/t postage)
- cargo fee, including ARC fees, on British Airways in April from PHL to LHR for both cats: $1532

Thank you for all the info.  I'm confused a bit.  Can you please clarify something for me?    Do you get the APHIS 7001 Health Certificate before the seal of approval or is that the same day?  Thanks!

Hi!  I just moved over the pond with my two cats and dog.  I used petrelocation.com.  They were a bit expensive but took care of almost everything for me, I would recommend them to anyone.  Hope this helps! 

Mike

We are flying over to the UK, landing in Edinburgh. The only approved airline we can use is United. I just booked the flight for my 2 cats yesterday, and here are the costs as outlined to me:

Airfare (for animal total weight between 10-50lbs): $659/ea
Fuel Surcharge (estimated): $37.70
Cargo handling fee: $51.24 each
Customs handling fee: $116.45 each
Broker fee (for the Extraordinaire ARC in EDI): $341.61 each
Overnight kenneling @ Newark Airport: $150 for 1st pet, $65 for the 2nd

Not including vet fees for the exams and getting the USDA endorsement, we are looking at approx. $2588 just for flying the cats over there. They were already chipped years ago, and we already had the medium-size IATA crates from our first move there in 2011.

Rabies shot from vet (for both): $60
2nd Vet visit for health exam/blood screening/certificate signing: $unknown

Oh, we have to have United do the overnight kenneling because due to their airline schedule, they cannot get our cats to Newark airport in time to make the flight to Edinburgh - so they are kenneling them for 24hrs and putting them on the EDI flight the next day. So they will be in transit for almost 2 days. I am not happy about it at all, but I don't have any choice since they are the only airline I can use to get to Edinburgh from here.

Some airlines/airports do not accept unaccompanied pets - just make sure before you book.

This happened to us.  I asked the airline about 3 times and was reassured the dog could fly unaccompanied and just by accident mentioned it to ARC and was told no way-- MAN only took accompanied. 

If you are in doubt of any paperwork/ DEFRA stuff you can call ARC direct-they were the most helpful

Because I could find reasonable oneway tickets for my wife and I on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic (via Skyscanner or Priceline for just over $500 ea) I focused on quotes from the two of those airlines to also ship our 11 lb cat. For Both airlines call ahead before booking your own flight to see if there's room for your pet, book your flight, and then call them back.

Quotes are based off of kennel size and distance.  We're flying from Chicago O'Hare to London Heathrow.

British Airways:
Minimum kennel size is 26"x18"x19". The closest quality kennel that matches this is the Petmate Sky Kennel Medium that's 28" long. BA estimated the costs would be $1,100.  I believe this was for 28" and not a  26" kennel. They claim this included the ARC/Custom fee on Heathrow's end (I wasn't fully confident of that though, but let's take their word for it).

Standard kennel requirements including ventilation on 4 sides, hard rigid plastic, etc. No requirement for all metal hardware (will do anyway). No date restrictions. Max temperature is 85 degrees. No minimum temp as long as they have their vet certificate that says they are ok in low temps.

Some flights will carry dangerous chemicals or cargo on specific days of the week so pets can't travel (ie the flight you're looking at may never allow pets on a Tuesday). They also don't allow certain animals to fly together, ie if a Cat has been booked on that flight already you can't book your Dog.  Which leads me to the biggest issue: You can ONLY book your pet's flight within 2 weeks of your departure date.  Which means if you book your flight 2 months out you have to wait 7 weeks to book your pet's and hope that not only do they decide to change that dangerous chemical schedule to your flight date but also that a Dog/Cat owner doesn't book before you and voids your flight for your animal.

Virgin Atlantic:
Minimum kennel size is 21"x15"x16" which is perfect for cats (28" is REALLY big). It's the exact size of the Petmate Sky Kennel Small. For the 21" Kennel VA's quote was $565 plus a separate £305 (~$500) ARC/Custom fee when we arrive in the UK for a total of $1,065. A rough estimate for the 28" Kennel bumps it well above BA to $1,013 + £305($500) = $1,513 (assuming BA did quote me for 28" and not 26" and all UK fees were truly included).

Same kennel requirements as BA aside from dimensions, 4 sided ventilation, hard plastic, metal grated doors, food&water dish, absorbent pad, etc.  No metal hardware required.

They didn't mention any embargo dates for their flights like BA. They also didn't have a max heat requirement (they use AC vans) but some super hot cities like Orlando they don't do in the summer. They also don't mind transporting Cats & Dogs together.  They will face animals of the same species towards each other so they can see each other, and other animals will face away from each other. Only 4 animals a flight max though.  Most Importantly though, we could book our pet's flight immediately after booking our own!

We hands down chose Virgin Atlantic since we could book right away. Both have great track records for handling pets, but I wasn't going to wait and leave to chance that we could get a booking for our cat with BA. Since we have a cat and can manage the smaller kennel we saved a few bucks with VA also (we also saved about $200 in baggage fees and ticket price).  If you have a larger animal, then BA may be a better bargain, but you'll need to get a quote regardless to confirm which is better.

With Virgin both the place we drop him off our cat and pick him up are not part of the airport terminal.  They are both in Cargo type facilities that are on the airport grounds but you really need to drive there, not easy to get there by foot.  Consider that when arriving in the UK, a cab may be pricey.  Maybe take a cab from the terminal there for just a few quid then ask them to call you a cab when you're all done to take you to your destination? We are super lucky and have friends picking us up.

This happened to us.  I asked the airline about 3 times and was reassured the dog could fly unaccompanied and just by accident mentioned it to ARC and was told no way-- MAN only took accompanied. 

If you are in doubt of any paperwork/ DEFRA stuff you can call ARC direct-they were the most helpful

MAN does accept unaccompanied pets.  Petsonjets which is the ARC at Manchester airport said I didn't have to be on the same flight or airline or even fly the same day as my pet as long as someone picks up my pet within 4 hours of landing.  I have been in contact with them since I booked my cat's flight in July making sure all the paper work and procedures were correct.  I have in writing that she can be unaccompanied.

I did have a problem trying to book her on United tho.  When I filled out the online form I got an email back from them saying MAN doesn't accept unaccompanied pets.  I called them directly and forwarded the email I received from pets on jets saying she could be unaccompanied and the woman booked her in.  She told me to make sure I just kept pets on jets and servisair (the customs clearing) informed. 

arg this is already giving me a headache and my move is two years out.  A tiny cat and a Greyhound. Plus two kids and all of our worldly belongings. I'm already having a hard time figuring out what size crate I need for the pup.

Thanks for posting this I will be needing it!

The crate size will depend on what airline you're taking. You'll just have to wait till you know what you're doing in that regard, and take it from there.

It was Pets on Jets at animal reception MAN I spoke directly with a number of times, however this was almost 2 years ago so things must have changed (for the better it seems)

It is an expensive headache but well worth it in the long run

Now that my own visa app has just been submitted, it is now the dog & cat's turn for paperwork! 
 They are going to the vet next week to get this whole process started, I will post the costs for the two of them as I get further along 

I am glad that those who have already gone or about to go have posted the costs, etc... to get their pets over, it is really very helpful! Thank you all

It was Pets on Jets at animal reception MAN I spoke directly with a number of times, however this was almost 2 years ago so things must have changed (for the better it seems)

It is an expensive headache but well worth it in the long run

Here is the email i received from Pets on Jets in July about my cat coming unaccompanied:


Hi Jennifer,
 
Answers below in red.
 
I hope this helps, please let me know if you need anything else
 
Kind Regards
Lesley
 
Pets on Jets
Building 300
World Freight Terminal
Manchester Airport
M90 5BA
 
Tel 0161  209 7670
Fax 0161 209 7672
email info@petsonjets.com
Website www.petsonjets.com
 
 
 
From: Jennifer 
Sent: 21 July 2013 02:21
To: Pets on Jets Mail
Subject: Moving my pet to the UK
 
Hello.  I will be moving to the UK at the end of August.  I will be shipping my cat via Newark on Continental.  My cat was microchipped and I have kept her rabies vacinations up tp date.  I do have a couple of questions.
 
1. Is the third country certificate Annex II?  Yes
 
2. I had read some where that Manchester didn't accept unaccompanied pets.  Is this true? No
What if my husband is at the airport to pick her up when she arrives?  Continental has said They sometimes have to put the pets on another flight close in time to my flight.  You do not have to travel at the same time, be on the same flight or airline. You do not have to accompany your pet as long as you or someone you nominate can collect within four hours of your pets arrival







I was able to book her flight.  Pets On Jets and Servisair both have all my documentation and both know my husband is going to pick her up.  When I was filling out my customs form, servisair told me to make sure the customs form has the date my cat was arriving and not the date I was arriving.  They told me that several people not accompanying their pets put the date they (the human) were arriving and it caused some confusion with HMRC.