# Flying a small dog to Alicante in the hold



## Gazeebo (Jan 23, 2015)

Well the OH has found us a villa to rent and we will be in Javea around September/October this year.
Now, one of my questions is - has anyone recently flown their dog in the hold and what company did they use? I have read the bad side of it, pressure, extremes of temperature etc., but these were all coming from America. I know there are already threads, but they date back to 2010, so any up to date information would be gratefully appreciated. The only airlines we can find are BA and Monarch.

We usually crate him - that's the dog not the OH - but will not be able to fly his crate out, so will be looking to buy a car harness in England before we go. As I understand it, this would be acceptable in Spain. Am I right?

Any experiences would be gratefully accepted.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Gazeebo said:


> Well the OH has found us a villa to rent and we will be in Javea around September/October this year.
> Now, one of my questions is - has anyone recently flown their dog in the hold and what company did they use? I have read the bad side of it, pressure, extremes of temperature etc., but these were all coming from America. I know there are already threads, but they date back to 2010, so any up to date information would be gratefully appreciated. The only airlines we can find are BA and Monarch.
> 
> We usually crate him - that's the dog not the OH - but will not be able to fly his crate out, so will be looking to buy a car harness in England before we go. As I understand it, this would be acceptable in Spain. Am I right?
> ...


The dog rescue and adoption charity I support regularly sends dogs of all ages and sizes to many European countries. We fly the out of Malaga.
We've been doing this for years with not a single problem.


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## pnwheels (Mar 3, 2013)

It would be great if annoying children could travel in the hold!


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## passiflora (Jun 28, 2012)

We flew our dogs and the cat with Monarch from UK to Alicante 13 years ago, 2 hour flight, no problems. Cat died a year or two ago aged 22 years.


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## zilly (Mar 9, 2010)

I flew all my cats from the UK to Malaga with no problems atall. I can't see why there should be problems really. It's only 2 hours and the hold is warm for the animals. In my opinion lots better than 2 days in a van. You ban buy car harnesses etc here .easily.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

pnwheels said:


> It would be great if annoying children could travel in the hold!


With their parents in special small compartments!!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

zilly said:


> I flew all my cats from the UK to Malaga with no problems atall. I can't see why there should be problems really. It's only 2 hours and* the hold is warm for the animals*. In my opinion lots better than 2 days in a van. You ban buy car harnesses etc here .easily.


Provided the pilot has been advised that there are animals in there so that he can ensure that some form of heating is turned on - there have been occasions when this has not happened with disastrous results. 

If it were us we would bring them in a vehicle with us, with frequent rest stops - the animals would be much happier being with their 'family'.


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## Gazeebo (Jan 23, 2015)

We would like to drive, but are having problems with cars. We don't want to take our British registered, righthand drive car. We will need an automatic lefthand drive which we plan to either buy or hire whilst in Spain. So the problem is getting to Spain via road in the first place!
Any suggestions?


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## dgs1956 (Mar 26, 2015)

We have flown dogs and cats in both directions with Thomson and have had no problems. All the pets were housed in individual approved crates (Vari Kennels) and are kept in a heated area of the hold. We did arrange the flights through Jet Set Pets as that was actually cheaper, at the time, than directly to Thomson.
David


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Gazeebo said:


> We would like to drive, but are having problems with cars. We don't want to take our British registered, righthand drive car. We will need an automatic lefthand drive which we plan to either buy or hire whilst in Spain. So the problem is getting to Spain via road in the first place!
> Any suggestions?


Yes...as I suggested on another thread, buy a Spanish-plated LHD car in the UK then drive to Spain with your dogs.

We drove from Prague to Spain with our dog, a really enjoyable experience. Two nights, three days. Stopped at two very pleasant hotels with good, starred restaurants, had frequent pit stops for us and our dog.


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## pnwheels (Mar 3, 2013)

mrypg9 said:


> Yes...as I suggested on another thread, buy a Spanish-plated LHD car in the UK then drive to Spain with your dogs.
> 
> We drove from Prague to Spain with our dog, a really enjoyable experience. Two nights, three days. Stopped at two very pleasant hotels with good, starred restaurants, had frequent pit stops for us and our dog.


That's just what we did- bought a Spanish plated vehicle in the UK and drove over via the ferry from Portsmouth (no livestock though)!


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## Gazeebo (Jan 23, 2015)

Thanks for all your replies. We are still considering flying, but also looking into buying a Spanish registered vehicle in the UK.
:fingerscrossed:


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

We have made the round-trip between UK and Spain three times going through the tunnel. We set out to make the journey all part of the new adventure.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

pnwheels said:


> That's just what we did- bought a Spanish plated vehicle in the UK and drove over via the ferry from Portsmouth (no livestock though)!


Which goes to show that there are quite a few people who have bought Spanish registered LHD cars in the UK with no problems.....

A reputable LHD dealer -and there are a few - wouldn't welcome the bad feedback that would be spread if he were a rip-off merchant. Word spreads quickly through Brit Abroad Forums like these.


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## Anciana (Jul 14, 2014)

Gazeebo said:


> Thanks for all your replies. We are still considering flying, but also looking into buying a Spanish registered vehicle in the UK.
> :fingerscrossed:


If you fly them, better do it in October, when it is not so hot. The danger to animals in hold is mostly not during the flight (if the pilot knows the pets are there), but extreme heat or cold at the airport, if the plane is queing on tarmac and the ac/heating in already turned off. It's like leaving a pet in a closed car in hot weather. Many airlines would not accepts pets in hold, when the weather on the ground at any of the ends of the journey is outside temperate limits.


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## sgje2010 (Apr 11, 2015)

We are booked with Monarch August 26th with our Cairn Terrier in the hold from Birmingham to Malaga.


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## Gazeebo (Jan 23, 2015)

Decision made - we are driving in our car, parking it up at the property and either hiring or buying a cheap run-around. Only problem is that all the dog friendly cabins are booked on the ferries so he will have to go in one of the crates they have on board. Still..it's not for long, but he does get stressed in unfamiliar crates. Will be worth it though.

Thank you so much for all your suggestions and experiences - much appreciated.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Gazeebo said:


> Decision made - we are driving in our car, parking it up at the property and either hiring or buying a cheap run-around. Only problem is that all the dog friendly cabins are booked on the ferries so he will have to go in one of the crates they have on board. Still..it's not for long, but he does get stressed in unfamiliar crates. Will be worth it though.
> 
> Thank you so much for all your suggestions and experiences - much appreciated.


It might be worthwhile to get him a travel sickness pill from the vet, in case the sea is either a bit choppy or there is a swell. Our personal preference would be to use the tunnel, but it is your journey, your choice.


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## Gazeebo (Jan 23, 2015)

baldilocks said:


> It might be worthwhile to get him a travel sickness pill from the vet, in case the sea is either a bit choppy or there is a swell. Our personal preference would be to use the tunnel, but it is your journey, your choice.


Yes, I agree, it would be better, but I think we prefer to travel to Spain and not drive through France as we will have lots of luggage and it will take us longer. He travels fine during car journeys, but I hadn't thought of sea sickness! Thanks, I will get him something from the vet.
:fingerscrossed:


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Gazeebo said:


> Yes, I agree, it would be better, but I think we prefer to travel to Spain and not drive through France as we will have lots of luggage and it will take us longer. He travels fine during car journeys, but I hadn't thought of sea sickness! Thanks, I will get him something from the vet.
> :fingerscrossed:


One of the factors that influenced our use of the tunnel was the fact that SWMBO suffers from mal-de-mer. It does take a little longer using the tunnel but we made it all part of the new adventure.


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