# Airlines & pets



## ANNIE100 (Oct 3, 2013)

Does anyone know of any airline which will let pets travel on the same flight as their owners xx


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Monarch certainly used to. Also Lufthansa and Norwegian Airlines. In some cases, if the pet is under 10 kg they can travel in the cabin with you (not sure about Monarch in this case).


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

I don't know of any that don't. I help at a dog rescue centre and we regularly send dogs to adopters all over Europe and even to North America. We usually find someone who is flying to the destination we require and is willing to accompany the dog and see it safely delivered to its new adopter so I can't see why that should be different from being accompanied by an actual owner.


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## el romeral (May 8, 2012)

Norwegian allow it.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

*I dont think there are any airlines operating into and out of the UK that allow pets in the cabin. Anywhere else in Europe YES, but the UK Not a chance.
*
When I made enquiries of Monarch and BA I was told categorically NO; any pets must travel as freight in the hold and the transportation must be arranged through an approved freight forwarding company. 

It gets worse... the average *one way* charge for a little 6 Kgm chihuahua cross from LHR (with BA) or LGW (Monarch) - Malaga (AGP) was in the region of 750 Stg. 

It gets worse again... only 3 UK airports are designated for incoming animal reception. These are Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester and collection of pets from these centres can take up to 4 to 5 hours... Although I believe this may change to include Edinburgh or Glasgow. 

Leaving the UK isn't a problem, any UK airport is OK provided they have an airline that accepts animals on their aircraft. Again though the animals must travel as freight and be transported in IATA approved crates and yet again, the fees are ridiculously high. 

Full details are on the DEFRA website and those of the airlines.

*If anyone has experience of actually travelling with pets in the cabin to or from the UK I'd love to have full details as this little chihuahua is one of the reasons my OH is tied to the UK for long periods. With boarding kennels in the UK charging between 15 and 20 pounds per night, a two week vacation gets very expensive... *


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

el romeral said:


> Norwegian allow it.


But specifically exclude the UK for this concession... also and strangely, some airports in Norway...!


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## Swerve (Jun 29, 2011)

Get the ferry flying seems a very expensive way of getting a pet into another country.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

British Midland used to do it at 'excess baggage charge' .


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Briish Midland used to be one of the better UK airlines, both from a staff and passenger point of view, one of the reasons that BA bought them out. The other main reasons for the acquisition being that BA could add to their fleet ay a bargain basement price _and _acquire BM's Heathrow slots... a fine example of asset stripping at it's worst... The writing was on the wall for all to see after BM's Kegworth accident in 1989.

The high airfares involved with animal transport between Spain and the UK is one of the main reasons that Privateer 'specialist' animal transport companies can charge 300 Euros plus for a one way trip by road. It's a long trip by road say from Malaga to London especially when the dog is cooped up for perhaps 3 days if tthe journey takes in other EU countries like Germany and Belgium / Holland.

*As for Annie100's specific case* things are made even more difficult because its not just a single ferry trip... from Las Palmas it is necessary first to get a ferry to Cadiz, then somehow get from Cadiz up to Santander or Bilbao then the other ferry to the UK... again it's a long and stressful trip especially for the animal and, I would imagine, very expensive.


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## ANNIE100 (Oct 3, 2013)

Thanks all the info. I used a company 15 years ago when I first went out to live and the fees wre round £300 for two cats. Ive just gone one quote in now from one company. They have two prices one if I arrange all the vest fees so I just hand over the paperwork to them for £700 plust VAT and the other for over a £1000 plus VAT and they will arrange all the paperowkr. Really didnt expect those charges. Still emailing Airlines. xx


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Swerve said:


> Get the ferry flying seems a very expensive way of getting a pet into another country.





ANNIE100 said:


> Thanks all the info. I used a company 15 years ago when I first went out to live and the fees wre round £300 for two cats. Ive just gone one quote in now from one company. They have two prices one if I arrange all the vest fees so I just hand over the paperwork to them for £700 plust VAT and the other for over a £1000 plus VAT and they will arrange all the paperowkr. Really didnt expect those charges. Still emailing Airlines. xx


We are travelling with 2 cats in 2 weeks. We looked at flying but the costs were tbh utterly ridiculous for them. We are now using the Portsmouth to Santander Ferry, with Brittany ferries. We have a pet friendly cabin, which we are allowed to take the cats into, so they will be with us for the whole journey. We have purchases, 2 dog crates so they have space to move around etc. 

xx


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Have you considered driving? We came to Spain from Prague by car with our dog. No way would we put him in a crate and on a plane. He's too big, a Rhodesian Ridgeback and I've heard some horror stories.
I kept a note of the journey and costs. It took three days/ two nights and the total cost was an unbelievable 1500€.
That cost covered one night two double rooms, breakfast and sumptuous dinner with lashings of good wine in a Logis de France, ditto in a very nice hotel in Tarragona, fuel for two cars, a LandRover and a Merc, motorway tolls and morning coffees and baguette-type lunches.
Our dog had ample space in the back of the LR and we took it easy, making it a pleasant journey for him, me, my OH, my son and dil. We drove in a two-car convoy and kept in touch by using those two-way pocket radios son and dil use when skiing.
I can't remember the mileage from Prague to our corner of Andalucia but it was good value for money, fun for us - we passed from snow to sun to snow to sun- and very comfortable for our dog.


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## ANNIE100 (Oct 3, 2013)

Thanks evryone. Just been on Thomsons web site and they allow pets in the cargo they have a link with A1A and just phoned them. Did want lots of details re container size and flight nos etc but says for an average cat costs would be round £250 and Ill supply the container etc. That seems fairly reasonable xx


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Mary... re the Driving bit... fair enough but being in the Canary Islands adds a whole new dimension unless you are James Bond and have a special Lotus Esprit...!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

whitenoiz said:


> Mary... re the Driving bit... fair enough but being in the Canary Islands adds a whole new dimension unless you are James Bond and have a special Lotus Esprit...!


Hmm...that is very true. You know, I've just got my atlas out - it's rather outdated, much of the world is coloured pink! - and I honestly didn't realise a) how far south the Canaries lie and b) how far they are from the Spanish mainland. I assumed it would be a quick hop from Vigo or Bilbao.....

Geography has never been my strong point. I put it down to flying everywhere.....


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Just had a look... long passage, fairly expensive too, 39 hours at seaeach way and 366 euros return and thats as a foot passenger with one pet and just a normal seat rather than a bunk in a cabin...

Yeuch....!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

whitenoiz said:


> Just had a look... long passage, fairly expensive too, 39 hours at seaeach way and 366 euros return and thats as a foot passenger with one pet and just a normal seat rather than a bunk in a cabin...
> 
> Yeuch....!


Thirtynine hours!!!!!! Where is the departure point? 
I learn something new every day...


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Thats on the Las Palmas to Cadiz route. So far as I know its the only passenger ferry route from the mainland to Las Palmas...


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