Flying with pets - help!

[Momit]

We have a 10 year old dog, 10 year old cat and 11 month old DS. We're moving to Germany this summer so we have no choice but to fly everybody over there (there is one transatlantic cruise line that offers kennel service but they are sold out through 2010).

We love our pets very much and are quite nervous about flying with them. They have come with us for several vacations and moves but always by car.

I've found 2 flight options with airlines that seem to do a good job transporting pets safely - one offers a direct flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt (11 or 12 hour flight plus time spent in the crate at origin and destination), one offers a layover in Newark (with a kennel facility where they could get out of the crate, use the bathroom and eat/drink). Is it better to do one long flight and just get it all over with, or is it better to split it into 2 parts? And are there other options we should consider?

Thanks!

[bubbaray]

I have heard that KLM is the "go to" airline for animal transport (not just pets, things like horses etc). I would look into flying with them (they are a great airline too) and ask them what they recommend. You could also ask your vet. You'lll likely need a bunch of certificates of fitness from your vet anyway. I would find out what shots and when the animals need them prior to entry into Germany. For example, they might need to have a particular shot at least 2m prior to entry. You don't want them stuck in quarantine on your arrival.

[Momit]

Thank you so much! We just talked to KLM and they were very helpful. They definitely recommend a direct flight rather than the layover, they said that it's the handling at the airport, etc. that's more stressful for the pets than the flight itself.

[JdrKuhnert]

We have flown our 3 cats (ages 7-9) to and from Germany and back again. The first flights that the cats made were done with us in the cabin in a carrier. We knew we were moving and were able to stagger the flights among 3 separate trips. When we flew back to the US, we flew with all 3 at once on our flight. Two of the cats went in the climate controlled area of the cargo hold for pets and we took our more nervous cat on the plane with us. She was in a soft sided carrier under the seat in front of us. On the trip back to Germany, they also went on the flight with us (2 in cargo & 1 in the cabin). If it's at all possible to have the animals on your flight, I would do that. At least you know where your pets are. We had direct flights on Lufthansa both times. I think that this was better for the animals. They really did not want to go back into their cages after the flight. I can't imagine how they would have reacted to strangers taking them out of their cages and then putting them back in. The cats were fine upon arrival and were waiting for us when we arrived at baggage claim in Frankfurt. The cats were supposed to be seen by the airport vet in Frankfurt, but the vet wasn't there at 7am on a Sunday.
For shots, we needed a rabies shot that was performed a month before the flight. We also needed a physical performed 7 days before arrival.
On one of my first flights with a pet, I had an issue with the airline because the vet documents were not translated into German. The airline was not going to allow me to take my cat and I was moving to Germany. They called the German consulate for clarification, etc. Another employee translated something short that let me take the cat. However, on two other occasions customs did not even look at the cat or the documents.
Here is an official site of what you need to know and a bilingual form for the vet.
http://www.usa.diplo.de/Vertretung/usa/en/04__Legal/02__Directory__Services/06__Customs/Pets/__Pets.html

[Momit]

Wow, thank you! I've been doing a lot of research about this and I hadn't come across the bilingual form.

[Zansu]

Flyertalk has a great board discussing Travel with Pets

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-pets-645/

[Momit]

That message board is great, thanks!

[Den21]

We flew from SJ, CA to Kansas with 3 cats in January.

Our biggest problem was the temperatures - the airlines won't let them fly if its too cold or too hot. Its not the temp-controlled hold/cabin but the ground time that's the issue.

You should be ok with Germany but check average temps in case

[Momit]

We made our move from California to Germany about 8 weeks ago. We chose a direct flight on KLM, which worked out very well. They were really nice about letting us know that DDog and DCat were on board and very helpful during the flight with DS (1 year old) as well.

We had all of our documents translated into German and Dutch (we landed in Amsterdam), and of course - no one even looked at the pets or the paperwork.

Just wanted to update in case anyone else is looking into travel with pets.

[kozachka]

Our Lab flew with us from California to Ukraine twice, both times with KLM, with no problems. I would not hesitate to recommend KLM for pet handling. We did not have to translate any of the paperwork.

Glad you had a safe trip and everybody arrived safely.