An airline cannot guarantee that it will accept a pet that it has not been seen. Since an airline cannot transport a pet that is violent or dangerous, important considerations for acceptance of pets include the pet’s health and disposition. A health certificate will help to address any concerns. An airline must also determine that all paperwork is in order and that the kennel meets all requirements.  Other transportation requirements are set up by the USDA. The USDA requires that you offer your pet food and water when you are ready to fly within four hours before check-in with the airline. Do not overfeed your pet at this time. A full stomach is not good for a traveling pet. When you check in with the airline, you must sign a certification of the time when you last offered food and water to your pet. (Do not leave food or water in the dish in the kennel. It will spill and make travel unpleasant for your pet.Get to the airport with plenty of time to spare so that there will be no rush and everything will be prepared in advance so they will be ready to fly with the time to leave comes. If your pet is traveling as unaccompanied baggage or by special expedited delivery service, check-in will usually be at the passenger terminal. If your pet will be traveling through the cargo system, you may need to go to the air freight terminal, which typically is located in a separate part of the airport. Be sure to check with your airline for the acceptance cutoff time for your flight, and the location from which you can retrieve your pet at the destination airport. Note: You may not give your pet to the airline more than four hours before flight time (six hours by special arrangement). ALL of the Transportation Requirements Being Met? You as a pet owner must meet all of the requirements set by each of these individual agencies and airlines or your pets are subject to the following: *Your pet can be denied flying on their scheduled flight.
This is several of the many reasons that you should hire a pet transporter to assist you and prevent any unnecessary mistakes in the handling of your pets. Return from Transportation Requirements to Ready to Fly |
Shipments with these types of complications are always upsetting for the pets’ family. These shipments can then become difficult or impossible to fix and are almost always very costly.