windsong

I know if you fly directly into the UK, you pay substantial pet fees at the animal reception. However, I would like to be able to nail down exactly what those fees are. Many people here have quote different fee amounts - and then varying those fees depending on which airline they flew with.

How can I find out exactly how much I would have to pay for my pets? I would hate to land there with insufficient cash to pay for them. And that's another thing - will they accept cash? If so, does it have to be in local currency?

lgabriel73

The landing fees should be the same if they are not included in the airline ticket. price last year for my 1 dog in an extra large crate was 290 GBP. Fee is for James Cargo so you might want to call them, although you could call any airline that doesn't include it in the ticket price and they will tell you. I was told that they only take cash and it has to be in pounds sterling.

windsong

Does it go by the weight of the dog?

I am assuming James Cargo is at Heathrow. Can I be certain that the fees either James Cargo or the airline quotes will be accurate upon arrival?

I am glad I asked about the cash part because this means I have to convert it to GBP before I leave.

lgabriel73

They didn't even ask me about the weight of my dog when I called. Maybe call virgin just to enquire. They were very helpful and answered all my questions even though I wasn't booking. Even if you don't fly with them at least you will know about all the costs and what they are based on. Yes, James Cargo is at Heathrow. Someone else posted in another thread about calling them directly and that they were very helpful.

Dashie

we just made enquiries about taking our pets back, the fees vary by airport. Heathrow is substantially more expensive that Gatwick.

windsong

Does anyone know if you pay these pet landing fees when you buy their airline ticket to fly over or on arrival at the airport in the UK?

Are the landing fees the same for every dog or does it vary with the airline you fly in on or the weight of the dog - or what?

rebeccajo

Read the BA website about pet fares.

The airline usually states if the fare is all inclusive or if there are other possible charges at pet reception.

MoshiMoshi

It depends on the airline. Back when we flew in 2012, BA included the fees in their ticket cost, but Virgin didn't. We used BA and we didn't pay anything on arrival.

As far as I know, it's a fixed fee for the first animal, then a reduced fixed fee for each subsequent animal on your booking. So if you do pay your clearance fees separately, you don't need to worry about arriving at Heathrow and getting a huge unexpected bill. It's a set amount.

If you contact James Cargo or the Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow, they will be able to give you accurate current prices. Then you can compare costs between airlines which include the fees in their ticket prices, and airlines which don't. Back in 2012, it worked out slightly cheaper to fly the cats 'all-inclusive' with BA than it did to pay for ticket plus fees with Virgin.

lgabriel73

If you are flying BA it should be included in the price of your ticket. It isn't connected to weight its simply a handling fee for when they arrive.

rebeccajo

Soooooo, lgabriel, could it possibly be cheaper to fly on BA with dogs as a add-on fare?

I believe United and other airlines just sell the pet travel on a separate ticket. On United the fee for animals (in our girls weight ranges) is $898 and that is just for the airfare.

lgabriel73

Dogs flying with BA are still classed as cargo so its a separate fare for them. Dogs are cargo which makes the cost more expensive. The ticket for my dog cost me more than my ticket did and I flew premium economy LOL.

I paid $1200 for my dog on Virgin and I had the fee to pay at the other end which I think was 237gbp. BA had quoted me about $1300 for the dog but it included the ground fee. However that being said Virgin pick up the pets for you when you land and take them over to ARC themselves not using James Cargo. They have a rep who waits there to ensure that your pet is cleared in a timely manner and that there are no problems. I was happy to pay the extra as my dog was released much quicker than others. Also there were people from different airlines waiting who had no idea how to get their pets back (its a buzzer on the door and they don't always answer if they are busy with the dogs). They had no one that could help them with the process. Even when they buzzed for James Cargo upstairs they were told just to wait. Someone had been waiting four hours I got my dog back within 2 hours of landing.

windsong

If the ticket for your dog cost more than your ticket, then something is not quite right with what BA is telling me - or there is something I don't understand.

They told me the cost to fly my dogs is - and I can't remember exactly which figure - but it is either $200 or $300 per dog. One dog is about 8 lb and the other is about 25 lb. I assumed that in addition to that I would have landing fees at the other end of about $600 per dog. That makes it no more than $900 to get one dog to the UK. Tickets for me are in the region of $1700, although I did find one at $1500.

I have budgeted $2000 per dog to include all costs (paperwork, vet, crate, flight, landing fee) and will spend more if necessary but I need to get a handle on the British Airways costs.

rebeccajo

Then that is what I thought then. A separate fare entirely. Thanks.

MoshiMoshi

I don't think any airlines will sell the pet travel as an add-on fare to your own ticket when entering the UK. All pets have to arrive here as manifest cargo, and so their bookings are dealt with by a separate department. It's annoying, because this plus Heathrow landing fees is what really drives up the cost.

I agree that this doesn't sound right. For one thing, BA usually include the Heathrow clearance fees in the ticket cost, so it's odd they haven't done so. For another, it's very cheap! I paid $1500 with BA to fly two cats from LA to London.

I would call again and make sure you speak to someone at British Airways World Cargo, not a regular bookings clerk. It sounds to me like they've quoted you the mainland EU rate, not the UK one.

windsong

If you paid $1500 for two cats and I have my flight and landing fees/clearance fees totaling $1800 (allowing $300 for flight and $600 for landing/clearance/inspection fees per dog) for two dogs (one small and one medium), doesn't it sound about right?

You are right. They clearly didn't include the inspection fee when they quoted the $300 but thankfully, I knew about it and budgeted for it.

I will call cargo and see what they say.