Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

We have the same arrangement for Manchester to Vancouver in early June but have had conflicting advice from Air Transat on where to take the dog!

Do you take the dog to the cargo area or is it treated as oversize baggage?

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

I will have a look at my instructions (my flight is lgw because manchester flights dont start until may i think

btw, I used to live in lincoln, brant road, one of my fave places with great memories

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

I've a question, there hasn't been a definitive answer on this thread (yet, I think).

We're planning to take two dogs on the same Air Transat flight as us in August from Manchester to Calgary.
One is a border terrier. Him, plus his sky kennel, will be well under the 32kg for excess baggage on Air Transat. We reckon he'll cost us £180 as per this page on the AT website.

The other is an Airedale terrier, (22kg),he plus his kennel will weigh in at around 37kg, so we expect he'll need to go cargo but on the same flight. I checked with AT Cargo today, and they have no bookings to ship dogs on the flight we want, so space isn't a problem at the moment. They're going to ring me back with a quote tomorrow. The lady I spoke to in cargo today was honest enough to admit she had no idea how the "excess baggage thing" worked for transporting live animals, "that is a passenger department thing, we're just cargo".

With the border terrier, we know we have to phone a number on that web page at least 72 hours before the flight to tell them we're bringing a dog, but when it comes to check-in, would we just take him to the desk as we would any other excess baggage, pay for him, and drop him at the outsize baggage conveyor?! :-)
We know with the airedale going cargo, we'd need to take him to the cargo centre at least 3 hours before the flight, that's fine.
What do we do with the little one?! :-)
Thanks!

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

That would be very helpful - thanks. We have the confirmation from Air Transat but no instructions.

Glad you enjoyed Lincoln.

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

Hi all.

My Dog and I are travelling with Air Transat from Gatwick to Toronto on Friday 15th March. The cost for her, 22lbs and a large Vari kennel, was $275 inclusive. I booked her direct with Air Transat in Montreal whilst booking my own flight online (you need your flight booking reference to add to your pets booking) She will be travelling as checked baggage on the same flight as me. I have been told to just turn up at check-in with her and her kennel.

Previously, we both flew from Toronto to the UK in November 2012. She travelled with Air Canada to Heathrow whilst I flew into Gatwick. Travel into the UK is not as simple due to UK regulations. Cargo only on approved routes with approved carriers. Only Air Canada would allow me to book her into cargo myself without using a third party company. She flew into Heathrow, mainly because they have an animal handling company that will receive your pet, clear customs and the vet for you, and they are allowed to release the animal from the cage prior to everything being sorted so that animal can relieve itself. And they will even clean your dog up if necessary! I flew into Gatwick with Air Transat mainly because it was so much cheaper and because it can take up to 5 hours for your pet to clear customs, so there was plenty of time to hire a car and drive to Heathrow and collect her. It cost $1743 inclusive just for her!!! She arrived safe and well, if a little nervous.

Hope this info helps :)

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

Would highly recommend Petair. (this is different to Airpets) Extremely helpful and friendly.

For those of you who are considering flying with pets during the summer months please check with the airline as when I was researching I read that some airlines will not transport animals during these months.

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

As far as we have been told you go to check in with dog and they sort it out then !

Rob

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

Yeah, you just take your dog to check in with you. We got bumped to the front of the queue too :)

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

Hi, We are traveling to Calgary from Gatwick on the 24th April. I have booked our Boxer on the same flight as us direct with Air Transat. I have double checked with Air Transat about weight limit and have been told twice no limit. As my Boxer is more mastiff size and weighs around 40 kg.

Any body else traveled from Gatwick with their pets? Whats the procedure? Do you have to get there earlier if you have your dog with you?

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

Hi, I am on gatwick to vancouver on 9th april

dog booked and paid for

not looked into the details yet, but will post details when i get a chance

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

I flew from Gatwick last Saturday. You just turn up, go straight to check in and they handle it all for you. Really easy

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

That's good to know - thanks. What size dog do you have and how was he/ she after the journey?where did you have to go to to collect him/her?

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

Did you take your dog to the cargo bay?

How far is it from dropping the dog off to check in?

I am on my own with lots of bags and need to pre-plan it

how far in advance timewise did you check the dog in before your flight time?

thanks

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

We flew Air Transat, Glasgow to Toronto ten days ago with our dog Hemi. He is a retriever/husky cross so quite a big guy and generally he's quite a chilled out dog and not nervy. We had got him the largest size vari kennel.

We just took him to the check in desk with us, they didn't really know what to do and we ended up walking back and forward through the terminal building following one of the check in staff as the tried to figure it out, clearly they don't handle a lot of pets! Once they figured it out we got to the right door and two guys appeared. We shoved Hemi in his kennel and away they took him.

By this point it was quite close to the flight time and we had to make our way quickly through security and onto the plane. The ground staff spoke to us just before we boarded and assured us he was on the plane and he was fine. They told us he was the only pet on board and to make sure the captain had the hold heating on for him. This ofcourse had me panicking that we'd be picking up a dogsicle at the other end!

Once on the plane we got one of the cabin crew to check about the heating and were assured that the pilot knew and the heating was on.

At the other end it was a bit weird to be honest. We had to sort out the kids visitor permits at the border, so going through immigration took a bit longer than normal. By the time we got to the luggage area most people had gone and our cases were just going around the carousel. We then went to find Hemi and were directed to excess baggage and there he was, just sat quietly in his kennel on his own beside the golf bags and push chairs!!

So we just took him from there. We then got directed to customs where they stamped our goods to follow list and said hello to Hemi, but no vet check, no-one asked for his paper work or anything, despite us being very meticulous about making sure we had everything in order!

Then that was it we just walked out of the exit doors and let him out of his kennel! He was fine, hadn't been sick or anything and was VERY pleased to see us and be free again.

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

didnt you have to pay at customs ? when we came (nov 2011) from gatwick-toronto we had to take our dog to freight terminal with all the paperwork and then had a real run around to pick him up at toronto. we had to go to freight terminal, then customs to pay a fee then back to freight to get him. he had been in his kennel 15 hours but didnt wet his bed,although he did have yellow eyes when i picked him up and stood at the tree outside for 10 mins :rofl:

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

A very helpful post, thanks, and it's great your dog was fine after his adventure. Your post throws up several questions from us..:

It sounds like your dog would be about the same size, if not bigger, than one of ours (we're taking two in August from Manchester to Calgary). Our dog, at 23kg, plus his extra-large sky kennel (15kg) would be well over what we thought was the single-item limit for excess baggage, of 32kg. That seems to be the limit put in place as the maximum weight of one item that the baggage handlers will lift.
So we've booked our larger dog to go as cargo, still on the same flight as us, and so we will take him to the cargo area 3 or 4 hours before the flight, and leave him there, we wouldn't be taking him to the check in desk. A space has been reserved on the flight for him, they are allowed to take 4 dogs as cargo on that particular flight, our dog is the first one booked in. The cost will be around £760.

Our smaller dog is only 10kg, and with his sky kennel he'll still be below the 32kg weight limit for excess baggage, so we'll be taking him on the same flight. We had to call Air Transat in Canada to book him a place on the flight, and pay $275. We'll take him to the check-in desk with us on the day and he'll be taken from there.

So, I think our questions are:

• Did your dog go as cargo or as excess baggage?
• Was the combined weight of dog and kennel over 32kg?
• Did you book a place for him in advance, by calling Air Transat in Canada at least 72 hours before the flight, as per this page on their website, or just turn up with him on the day?

Thanks!

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

Hi,

I paid $275 but my kennel is 14kg and my dog 34kg

We go 9th April

(or not if I have got this wrong with the weights!)

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

Hey,

Just spotted this.

We used http://www.worldcarepet.com/home.html

Can't comment on cost, as it was all done via my work.

However, they were excellent. Picked up our cat from wherever we wanted. We lived in Glasgow (so they could have picked her up there), but we were actually heading to London for a few days before we went, and they were happy to pick her up from there too.

Took her to get her a fitness to fly certificate, and checked we had all the vaccinations required. They also built her a crate suitable for flying, so no need for us to provide one.

They booked her on a flight the same day as us. We didn't arrive till quite late, and couldn't guarantee when we'd get to our house in Toronto. So they boarded her for a night and then delivered her to us in the morning.

They completed the full customs process, so nothing for us to do at all. We did note down we were bringing a cat on our customs form, but they were just confused because we didn't have a cat with us at the time, lol. We explained the moving company had her and would clear customs. That was fine, no problem. Sounded like we didn't need to declare because they were doing it, but wanted to be safe.

All in all, great experience, no complaints whatsoever and our little cat was great when she got to us. Very happy to see us, and no problems from the flight.

Highly recommended. We dealt with a gentleman called Brian Hahn. He was very responsive before, during and after the move, dealing with our questions and keeping us up to date.

As I said, I have no idea about the cost as it was organized through my work. However, if you can afford it, it was great!

Hope this helps.

Graham.

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

We have a medium sized springer/collie cross. Just as we were about to take off he started barking and we could hear him below in the hold but not much we could have done at that point, when we collected him from outsize baggage next to the suitcase carousel he was hyper, barking and whining but when we got him into the car he soon fell asleep and seemed pretty exhausted....to be expected. He just needed some extra TLC for a few days lol

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

You check in first then someone will walk round with you to where he/she will be dropped off. We were given priority check in which was helpful so dont worry, they really looked after us at Gatwick. Just plonk him in his box onto the luggage trolley and head for check in. Really simple :)

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

No - we expected we would have to, but we were never asked to pay.

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

We booked him in on the same day as we booked out own tickets, which was a couple of months before the flight. They asked the weight and breed, I don't know the combined weight, but he's about 5 stone (32 kg) without his kennel if that helps! It was $275 for his ticket. I don't recall anything about cargo being mentioned, he just went in the dog bit of the hold.

Hope that helps!

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

Hey Guys

Wow, many Eurovisionphobes out there.

So you are there.

How are things so far?

Rob x

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

I agree, Ladyhaye was very good for our pets, they had no problems at all. They picked them up three days prior to leaving and they were at the airport when we arrived.

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

Thanks for posting this, it prompted me into action, and I've just booked our bigger dog onto our flight as excess baggage, he's the 23kg one in a 15kg crate. I checked with the Air Transat guy on the phone about the weight and he was certain it was not an issue, the main thing they care about is the type of crate, not the weight of it and its contents (of course it can't be one of the no-no breeds, and we must have the right documentation etc..).
So the cost of moving our airedale has just dropped from £737 to $275 :D

Thanks again everyone for posting their experiences, it really helps.

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

The company is called Pet Air UK, web address www.petairuk.com.
The woman who i dealt with was called Jackie. Her contact details are:

Jackie I'anson
PetAir UK Travel Consultant
Direct Tel: 01725 551032
OfficeTel: 01725 551124
Fax: 01725 551206
E-mail: [email protected]

Here are the different packages they do,

Our Silver quote includes the following:
Airline ticket with Air Transat from Gatwick to Calgary Canada
Airline surcharges (Handling / Security / War Insurance / Fuel / Airway Bill / Transit Fees)
Custom made PetAir UK wooden IATA approved travel container (see below cm)
Export customs entry
Airport visit on the day of travel and check-in
The Gold service also includes:
Collection from home postcode SK postcode
Overnight stay with us
Application for DEFRA paperwork
Pre-travel veterinary health examination
Fitness to fly certificate (Vet completed document)
Acclimatisation Declaration (Vet completed document)
Completion of DEFRA paperwork
Transport to the airport on the day of flight
Check-in


We went for the Gold service and all we had to do was arrange for them to pick up the animals, everything else was taken care of. We didn't get the Rabies vaccination for our animals, they will say you don't need one, but we had a bit of hassle at customs so i would say to get it done! We did a lot of research for our animals and found these were the cheapest. We have two cats and a very large dog which at the time was 40+kg. The prices of ours (so you know what to expect) We can provide the above services for a total cost of: Silver £1462.10 and Gold £2165.10 (VAT not applicable as destination is outside EU). Obviously it all depends on weight! Also we had them build us the crates as then there is no way they can get refused ad they have to be accepted by the airline!

Hope this helps

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

Quotes for 1 small cat from LHR to Toronto - all offering much the same (cage, airfare, customs fees, shipping documentation etc):

Airpets - £1104
Petair UK - £606
Parair - £665
Passportforpets - £460

I called BA and they don't accept pets unless through a 3rd party so will need to use one of this lot!

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

Are you sure? On their website they say they recommend to use a 3rd party but I couldn't see that you had to. "..British Airways World Cargo highly recommends the professional and very experienced services of a Pet Travel Agent if you are considering transporting your pet overseas.."

You could use a different airline - Air Canada or Air Transat from Gatwick.

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

hi doing this for a friend ...yup his wee dogs coming transat (glasgow)..----..pearson ..
but how tae get to winnipeg?? do air jazz,,,westjet carry dogs.
jimmy.

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

http://bit.ly/10VIFsG ;)

Westjet Pets

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

thank you ..

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

We thought all was sorted for our dogs - however we went to Vets yesterday and the receptionist asked us about an export certificate. Did anyone who took their animals themselves need one of these?

Don't remember needing one last time, the reason she was asking was that she had just filled one in for a dog traveling to Turkey.

Does Canada need one?

Thanks

R

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

We have been advised that you do need one and we've spoken to DEFRA who were very helpful. The form was simple and they are going to send it direct to the vets in time for the final certification that the dog is fit to travel.

Good luck.

Re: Question about Pet Transport UK to Canada
 

You only need a DEFRA if you are not having your pet inoculated against rabies. You can also choose not to have it inoculated nor get a DEFRA but pay a higher import fee.

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Transporting_Pets

Importing pets to Canada - Govt. website.
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/.../1331876307796

Specifically about dogs: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/.../canin3e.shtml