Charma1ne

Err it isnt me that started this thread haha I have a dog and will be putting her into the hold. I wasnt agreeing/disagreeing with wha posters were saying just stating that it seemed that a bunch of the posts seemed harsh and unnecessary.

I just think this is supposed to be a source of solitude and help/advice. I know that some comments here and others that I have seen on posts severely discourage me from posting myself. Not because I'm not strong enough to stick up for myself but because I dont feel it necessary to start an internet back and forth when all I am looking for is advice.

It just got a tad out of hand in my opinion.

Slow day at the "forum office" I guess

LOVE the Cat in the Barbie Plane haha!

Cx

Jerseygirl

Haha...thanks for pointing that out...I have edited my post.

lisa67

As someone who has a severe allergy to cats, sitting next to one on a long flight would be a night mare and make me very ill. I'll definitely be giving Lufhansa a wide berth.

supercarrie

Just FYI - not getting back into the debate ;-), you should also steer clear of KLM and Air France, as previously mentioned, along with Swiss Airlines. United and Continental also allow animals from non-UK destinations internationally to the US. There could be others, but these are the ones we looked into.

Domestically (in the US), American, United and a few others definitely allow cats in the cabin. I know, because as previously mentioned, our first choice was the QM2 and then either Pet Airways or an internal flight. Unfortunately, this didn't work out as the pet berths on QM2 were booked up until mid-2013.

Ailidh

Thanks for the information! We've taken the Paris-Houston Air France flight a dozen times.. and our luggage has NEVER arrived at the same time we did! We usually take British Airways.. as much as we HATE Terminal 5, especially because you can get more legroom buying Premium Economy - the other airlines don't have that option.

I have heard some good reports about KLM though. Swiss wanted to send us Geneva-Zurich-Chicago (yeah, Chicago at Christmas...) to Houston. British Airways said we have to book all the pets separately by airfreight. I'm still waiting for their quote. I hadn't heard back from them in 3 weeks, so I called up on Friday to figure out what was going on. The agent told me "I was too afraid to give you the quote... I'm trying to find a cheaper alternative" - sounds ominous.

I've never taken the Lufthansa flight but some colleagues of mine have and claim it's very good.

I wish the cruise ships would transport pets. The QM2 won't take any dogs taller than a labrador, so that isn't an option for our big girl + we'd have to get to Southampton and then from NYC to Texas..

Jerseygirl

Have you tried Continental? They allow small pets in the cabin and their base is Houston.

Ailidh

Continental (isn't it United now??) does fly direct from Geneva to Newark - it's the thought of the Newark changeover for the dogs that scares me. We've taken this flight a couple of times - always for Christmas and it was always either late, or claiming inclement weather.. and flights cancelled/delayed. We'd rather fly directly from Europe to Houston - fewer risks of the dogs getting stuck somewhere because of snow. I may give them a call though and see what they say.

Jerseygirl

Yes of course it's United now...old habits die hard.

I thought they may have flown direct from Europe as Houston is their hub. Any flights to and from the north east at that time of year are likely to be delayed...so avoiding that is a good plan.

Bob

And they might not allow animals during winter months anyway, because of the extreme cold.

cosmicjunkie

I flew with Delta from Milan to San Diego last year.I brought my old 45 pound Border collie with me. She traveled in the hold and it cost me 200 euros from Milan to JFK and $200 from JFK to San Diego. It was quite a positive experience considering I was absolutely shitting myself for the fear of something happening to her. Delta were kind, friendly, helpful and very reassuring. I had my own crate that I had bought a couple of months before the flight in order to get my dog used to being in there. I really recommend that you do this because flying is a very scary experience-top that with being locked in a cage for the first time. You don't want to freak your animals out any more than necessary. Another thing is if you decide to fly them in the hold, you need to take into consideration the weather conditions. While the hold is pressurized and air-conditioned, the baggage and cargo room at the airport is not and there could be a lot of waiting around before the flight.
I did A LOT of research on this and I'll be happy walk you through the whole process if you decide to go this route.

lisa67

Thanks for the info, good to know

Ailidh

Well.. I FINALLY got a quote from British Airways - CHF 5,000 (about $5,500). So far, Lufthansa is winning... Wow, is this expensive.