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The Pet Optionless
Anyone know how I can get my cats from Idaho to Florida on less than 300 bucks (not including the vet check-up), and without traumatizing them and a whole lot of people in the process? When I left Idaho, I left them with my SIL and BIL. They have been amazing with them, and they swear they don't mind taking care of them even though they live in a tiny duplex with their son and dog and cat. But my husband and I are about to have a more permanent place now in FL. We miss them desperately, and want them to be there when we bring our daughter home (I just entered my third tri). I've looked into services that will help us get them home, and even though they give a military discount, I'm looking at 500 bucks, and that doesn't include the vet check-ups, the carriers or the flight costs! Also, Delta (not that I'm a big fan of Delta, but they are who I've most researched) says they wont transport a pet by cargo/baggage on trips which are more than two flights because of the potential for them getting mishandled (after reading an article on pet transport and the fact that last year Delta killed several pets by leaving them in extreme weather, I believe it). And all trips out of Idaho seem to have to go through SIL and all trips to the south have to go through Atlanta, making any trip here at least three flights. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Re: The Pet Optionless
Well, I'm speaking from a position of awe that you could get animals where you want for $500! We're sending our dog from England to North Carolina in a week or so and it's costing us more like $2,000. Yep, that many zeros. Life is grand.We have to use a USDA certified boarder/shipper according to British and TSA laws/guidelines.
Anyway, we're sending him through Delta. The animals who were mishandled were at noncontrolled ports (I believe Oklahoma City.) The issue with noncontrolled ports of entry for pets is that the safety programs and qualifications put forth by the USDA are not in place in some smaller airports like they are at larger ones like Atlanta. Our dog will go from London Heathrow, UK to Atlanta, GA to Charlotte, NC. All three are controlled ports of entry with safety guidelines and certifications to be met.
The heat embargo that usually applies to smaller airports does not apply to them since they have air conditioned transport vans and the pets are the last cargo loaded onto the aircraft. So, if you call up Delta (or Continental, their PetSafe program is great!) you can ask if the airport is controlled and exempt from the heat embargo. Continental, I believe, is fully exempt and because you have cats you don't have the aircraft cargo size limitations that we do with our giant kennel.
I've also heard about petairways.com that ships within CONUS, so that may be worth a look. Sorry for the book I've written, I just happen to have learned more than I ever wanted to know about pets traveling on airplanes recently! Good luck!
What do you mean a "consult?" Consult with the airlines? Hm.
There is also a way to put your animal on your ticket for a lower cost if you are flying with them. So say you go visit family, you add your pet to the ticket. But with the heat embargo that gets difficult, so it may be a colder weather option.
Also, CONUS stands for Continental United States. It's not an airline. You said you were in FL, have you considered driving to ATL to pick up your pet? We're having to drive about 6 hours round trip to pick our dog up because of the controlled port/heat restriction we know he would face if he flew into S.C., which is where we are moving. And while SLC may be a port of entry, whether or not it is a certified controlled port is an entirely different animal. For instance, Continental only ships pets to certain airports due to their controlled status. There are people who are stationed on the east coast that we know who have had to go to Newark because that is the controlled port for the area. They're spaced out. Being a port of entry does not equal being controlled for the shipment/handling of animals/livestock.
Wow maybe my advice was helpful! Awesome!! I feel a lot of agents don't know this so just make sure he says that the fee is waived for nonrevs. Even the bitchy agents here in Baltimore let me bring my cat. This way all you will have to pay is the vet health certificate fees. Horray! However he may have to bring them one at a time. I can't remember if there is a one pet per person limit. Maybe your brother is married and his wife wants to visit too?