Originally Posted by paolob99

a bit nightmareish

Air Canada, until the middle of last year did accept private bookings, and the price for a 34 kg dog was around £700

They now only deal with pet travel agencies...I guess because they get the detail correct every time and there is less faffing about.....so your price, at best, is doubled.

I am not happy because the option to choose has been removed.

Pet agencies no doubt provide a great service for those who want to use them, especially for those who want extra services such as collection, boarding etc

But for those who simply wish to bung pooch on the plane and collect at the end of the flight, the option has been removed and we're being forced to pay double or more for a service we don't need.

Are there any airlines that take dogs direct from the UK?

It seems this is a UK thing, the assumption that people have money, general apathy and the knowledge that people will pay.

My friends in Canada have just shipped their dog from Vancouver to Frankfurt for $295

Originally Posted by matty_c

Got a quote air transat for my English Springer Spaniel from London to Calgary £486 + admin fees at Calgary airport. Hes 20kg the vari kennel was £70 vet fees are £25 for his check up and cert £38 for rabies jab !! job done

Originally Posted by sms1984

Do you know why they are charging you £486 when they can fly in baggage for $275 (£176)??

Originally Posted by matty_c

Not sure! I phoned Air Transat in the UK. My dog is flying 2-3 weeks after me as the company im going to work for are putting us in a hotel for 2 weeks.
If I book through air transat in Calgary it is only $275 + admin fee ?

Originally Posted by matty_c

Not sure! I phoned Air Transat in the UK. My dog is flying 2-3 weeks after me as the company im going to work for are putting us in a hotel for 2 weeks.
If I book through air transat in Calgary it is only $275 + admin fee ?

Originally Posted by sms1984

Sorry didnt realise the dog was following so yeah it probably will be more

Originally Posted by Neljx

Having done some pretty intensive research I came to the conclusion that cheapest one way direct flight (in this case to Montreal) which would allow my dogs to travel as excess baggage was actually Air Transat, mainly because they actually do allow you to book a cheaper one way ticket vs most of the other airlines where return tickets are cheaper than one way flights! Unfortunately they have a list of animal breeds they will not carry and as one of my dogs is listed, I am having to fly KLM instead (with a stopover) Not ideal but needs must.

It is very worthwhile checking into what they can offer.

Originally Posted by sms1984

Sorry didnt realise the dog was following so yeah it probably will be more

Originally Posted by lins and Stef McLachlan

We considered going across to New York from Southampton on the Queen Mary to include a six day cruise. They have facilities for pets, their own deck and carers, but space is limited and availability is first come first served. That would only work if you were going to Ontario, Quebec or the Maritimes as they are driveable from New York. We managed to book Air Canada Cargo back In 2010 as sadly the cruise we wanted was booked.

Has anyone thought to challenge the airlines about forcing you to use an Agent. As I remember, the rules with regard to crate type, size, documentation etc were laid out and easy to get right. maybe someone should challenge them, I wonder how this monopoly would hold up to legal challenge?

hope this helps
stef

Originally Posted by lins and Stef McLachlan

We considered going across to New York from Southampton on the Queen Mary to include a six day cruise. They have facilities for pets, their own deck and carers, but space is limited and availability is first come first served. That would only work if you were going to Ontario, Quebec or the Maritimes as they are driveable from New York. We managed to book Air Canada Cargo back In 2010 as sadly the cruise we wanted was booked.

Has anyone thought to challenge the airlines about forcing you to use an Agent. As I remember, the rules with regard to crate type, size, documentation etc were laid out and easy to get right. maybe someone should challenge them, I wonder how this monopoly would hold up to legal challenge?

hope this helps
stef

Originally Posted by matty_c

Not sure! I phoned Air Transat in the UK. My dog is flying 2-3 weeks after me as the company im going to work for are putting us in a hotel for 2 weeks.
If I book through air transat in Calgary it is only $275 + admin fee ?

Originally Posted by Almost Canadian

What monopoly? They may be fed up with having to deal with people that don't bring the correct sized crate, have the correct paperwork etc? They don't have to transport pets. It is not unreasonable of them to be able to state how you are to transport pets.

Originally Posted by matty_c

Got a quote air transat for my English Springer Spaniel from London to Calgary £486 + admin fees at Calgary airport. Hes 20kg the vari kennel was £70 vet fees are £25 for his check up and cert £38 for rabies jab !! job done

Originally Posted by veereid

I would be grateful for any recommendations of good and reasonably priced Intl pet transport companies from UK to Alberta, Canada. I might require some boarding of my dog prior to transportation so that should e included if possible.