Best airline to bring dog home with me from US to UK
Jan 28th 2019, 10:30 pm
#1
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Joined: Oct 2018
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Best airline to bring dog home with me from US to UK
I am returning home with my family this year and we intend to bring our 9-year-old dog with us. We want to avoid quarantine so we are in the process of getting a US health certificate. We researched travelling by boat from the east coast but there is no availability before we need to travel. We will be flying out of SFO and the airlines available are Air Canada, American Airlines, Continental, Delta, Lufthansa, Thomas Cook, Virgin Atlantic, London Heathrow, United, British Airways World Cargo and US Airways. We need to fly into Manchester or Heathrow which restricts to these airlines.
Does anyone have any recommendations on the best airline to fly pets,/dogs? There are so many considerations and I am open to all experience and research (cargo temperature, noise, animal handling, anything else...). We are thinking that my husband will take him to SFO and I will already be waiting for him in the UK at Heathrow, so I will travel on a different flight.
Thank you!
Does anyone have any recommendations on the best airline to fly pets,/dogs? There are so many considerations and I am open to all experience and research (cargo temperature, noise, animal handling, anything else...). We are thinking that my husband will take him to SFO and I will already be waiting for him in the UK at Heathrow, so I will travel on a different flight.
Thank you!
Jan 29th 2019, 10:06 am
#2
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Re: Best airline to bring dog home with me from US to UK
US Airways no longer exists - swallowed up by American Airlines about 3 years ago. Essentially any major airline is likely to be OK. The best airline IMHO is the one with the shortest flight time and no connecting flights. We used Delta a few years back, and British Air a LONG time ago going the other way (UK-US).
You need to make sure that the airline will accept an unaccompanied pet, and what the requirements are for drop off and pick-up. We had to take our cat to Delta cargo in Atlanta, and my husband was on the same flight. A lot has changed since then, so make sure you have the most up to date info.
You need to make sure that the airline will accept an unaccompanied pet, and what the requirements are for drop off and pick-up. We had to take our cat to Delta cargo in Atlanta, and my husband was on the same flight. A lot has changed since then, so make sure you have the most up to date info.
Jan 29th 2019, 11:22 am
#3
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Joined: Nov 2018
Location: North West England
Posts: 240
Re: Best airline to bring dog home with me from US to UK
I am returning home with my family this year and we intend to bring our 9-year-old dog with us. We want to avoid quarantine so we are in the process of getting a US health certificate. We researched travelling by boat from the east coast but there is no availability before we need to travel. We will be flying out of SFO and the airlines available are Air Canada, American Airlines, Continental, Delta, Lufthansa, Thomas Cook, Virgin Atlantic, London Heathrow, United, British Airways World Cargo and US Airways. We need to fly into Manchester or Heathrow which restricts to these airlines.
Does anyone have any recommendations on the best airline to fly pets,/dogs? There are so many considerations and I am open to all experience and research (cargo temperature, noise, animal handling, anything else...). We are thinking that my husband will take him to SFO and I will already be waiting for him in the UK at Heathrow, so I will travel on a different flight.
Thank you!
Does anyone have any recommendations on the best airline to fly pets,/dogs? There are so many considerations and I am open to all experience and research (cargo temperature, noise, animal handling, anything else...). We are thinking that my husband will take him to SFO and I will already be waiting for him in the UK at Heathrow, so I will travel on a different flight.
Thank you!
we used a pet relocation company so we did not mess up the paperwork and timing of vaccinations.
Our dog is a cocker spaniel about 6-7 years of age he was a rescue that we got about 2 years ago next month. He is also on medication and because that medication had to be administered only Lufthansa would accept him.
We are still in the USA so he also had to fly commercial since an owner was not flying to the UK within 5 days of his flight. This then costs more $ and he also had to fly into London Heathrow even though he was going to the NW of England.
So his flight was Tampa Florida to Frankfurt Germany to London Heathrow and then by car to the NW england
We did pay for the VIP dog service at Frankfurt because he had a 4.5 hour Kay over which meant he would be fed and watered and walked at Frankfurt ( they also sent us a picture)
He was able to stay at LHR for 24 hours from arrival free of charge, which was ideal as h is Frankfurt to LHR flight was delayed and he did not arrive in the UK till after 6pm.
The timeframe for animals to clear customs can take 4-6 hours so be prepared.
He was fed watered let out of his cage until the pet relocation company picked him up the next morning he was then transported by car to my mother’s home.
He was jet lagged and it took him a few days to get back into his routine.
Overall he did well. He is a very happy chappy taking long walks in the sand dunes and the English countryside.
Having a microchip and the vaccines and all the appropriate paper work is key and will prevent any delays. Oh and make sure the kennel is the right size. We had to get the large kennel based on our dogs height and length. I also got a larger water bowl as the one provided was tiny.
The people we used to coordinate everything was petrelocation.com and even if you don’t use them they have a good website you just have to click on some of the links to get to some of the great info.
Our dog had not been in a kennel before so we got the kennel a month prior to his flight and started acclimating him to it. ( the petrelocation company sent us the tips on how to do this )
I have also heard that Virgin Atlantic is good.
Good luck 🍀
Jan 29th 2019, 4:04 pm
#4
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Posts: 946
Re: Best airline to bring dog home with me from US to UK
You can only fly animals into the UK as *cargo* (not as additional baggage and not in the cabin) and it costs a fortune (around $2000 or more). Most people use a pet relocation company because shipping cargo/importing animals involves a lot of paperwork and organization. There is no quarantine for the UK from the US but you must comply with the strict entry requirements as outlined on the .gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad
To minimise stress for all involved, try to fly direct. If you are doing indirect, you may have issues at the layover airport because of temperatures - many airports will not transport animals during periods where there are extremes of temperatures (too hot/too cold). Fortunately SFO and LHR are pretty temperate! From SFO you'll need to go to LHR because you cannot fly direct to Manchester from here except maybe with Virgin at certain times of the year.
I am considering a move to UK and would fly to Amsterdam or Paris with my dog as he can fly in the hold as baggage (around $200) and would then take the ferry (foot passenger + ship's kennels) or train (can only take dogs in a vehicle) over to England...assuming that will still be possible after Brexit � ����.
To minimise stress for all involved, try to fly direct. If you are doing indirect, you may have issues at the layover airport because of temperatures - many airports will not transport animals during periods where there are extremes of temperatures (too hot/too cold). Fortunately SFO and LHR are pretty temperate! From SFO you'll need to go to LHR because you cannot fly direct to Manchester from here except maybe with Virgin at certain times of the year.
I am considering a move to UK and would fly to Amsterdam or Paris with my dog as he can fly in the hold as baggage (around $200) and would then take the ferry (foot passenger + ship's kennels) or train (can only take dogs in a vehicle) over to England...assuming that will still be possible after Brexit � ����.
Jan 31st 2019, 7:57 pm
#5
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Location: Iowa
Posts: 6
Re: Best airline to bring dog home with me from US to UK
I’m planing on flying my 80 lb lab mix from Chicago to Heathrow this spring. I’m using a pet relocation company so I don’t screw it up. I’m sure they will use a good airline. Total cost is about $4,500 for the crate, airfare, all taxes, vet and relo company fees. That’s me taking him to and picking up from airport. It’s extremely expensive but can you do... they are out kids!
Feb 3rd 2019, 4:34 pm
#6
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Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 111
Re: Best airline to bring dog home with me from US to UK
In August last year i flew with my min in via Virgin from Seattle to Heathrow - mainly because I wanted to be on the same fight and it was direct. As others have indicated, the paperwork can be a bit overwhelming, though I did do it myself. There s a lot oof information on both the government website and HARC also have some youtube content which goes about advising on kennel requirements etc. Virgin do not handle pets over weekend, other airlines may differ - best to check with airline policy which can be found on the website or give them a call. Hope all goes well!
Feb 4th 2019, 10:36 pm
#7
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Re: Best airline to bring dog home with me from US to UK
I flew my dog (Jack Russell/dachshund cross) from SFO to LHR in Sept 2013 on BA. The cost was around $1400.00 and I needed to book him with the BA pet passport office in Toronto onto our flight back about 2 weeks before the flight departure. Here is the phone number of BA pet cargo at SFO 650 877 0606. I arranged the booking myself through BA pet cargo and dealt with his entry requirements, health certificate and paperwork (C5) myself and dropped him off at BA cargo at SFO before we went to the main terminal (dropping him off was a bit of a nightmare trying to find the cargo building and making payment). If the temp is over 85 degrees they won't fly them out of SFO. When we were at the gate I confirmed with the ground crew he was being loaded onto the plane and then once at LHR, we went to the Animal Reception Centre and about an hour later he came through having cleared all his checks and very happy - some dogs came out shaking like a leaf!
Feb 5th 2019, 7:54 pm
#8
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Posts: 15
Re: Best airline to bring dog home with me from US to UK
Flew our Boxer from Orlando to Gatwick 2 weeks ago with Virgin Atlantic using an Atlanta based company called Pet Carrier. Pleased to report that all went well but feel that we could have probably done the procedures ourselves if we had used a more experienced vet.
I can report that 2 weeks later our Tampa born Boxer is very much enjoying both the temperature and freedom afforded by the Dorset coast, and so are we!
I can report that 2 weeks later our Tampa born Boxer is very much enjoying both the temperature and freedom afforded by the Dorset coast, and so are we!
