Hi, I'd like to share my experience of moving my Bernese mountain dog from Geneva to Malaysia/ Singapore.
We explored these options before finally using Malaysia Airlines (depart from Paris CDG) - and the experience with them was great.
Other options considered:
Air freight (without being accompanied)
1) Swiss Cargo (from GVA Airport) - they are unable to accommodate the largest dog cages as regional flights uses small aircraft - they charge by size and weight.
They wanted to charge me about 3500 CHF (not knowing the size of the cage yet)
2) Other Air freight options - extremely expensive - around 4000 CHF for a Giant breed
Accompanied flight
1) Singapore Airlines from Zurich - ZRH/ SIN flight is an Airbus A380 - which SIA decided that they won't allow dogs in. When asked, they said it's because the flight is too long (what an excuse)
2) Air France from Paris Airport - Because there were stopovers - it made things very complicated.
In the end, Malaysia Airlines met and exceeded our expectations. They were very accommodating and helped us to ensure that the dog was fed with water before the flight takes off. My husband could also ask the crew/ captain to check on the dog every 4 hours.
I would be interested to know how that happened. As far as I know there is no easy access to the cargo hold (where animal crates are kept) and the passenger compartment...
We flew our three Bassets and our parrot back from Tokyo to Zürich on Swiss and they were great. The whole operation went like a hot knife through butter. The check-in staff in Tokyo could not have been more helpful and in Zurich the dogs and parrot were already loaded onto baggage trolleys by the time we cleared immigration.
And clearly it was not a traumatic experience for the dogs as they were quite happy to take refuge in the travel crates the following day when the movers were delivering our furniture.
Did you require special permission for this from AVA? We are looking at the option to fly from Milan, but this means our dog has not lived in the country of export for 6 months.
Im very sorry to hear this. Whilst I guess its a risk on any airline, Lufthansa is now struck off my list for our own upcoming trip. Thank you for sharing.
I am very sorry for your loss. Many dogs (as well as other pets)do arrive safely after a long flight.
Leaving a family pet behind as the pet is deemed unfit for travel is heartbreaking. That is a reason not to put a pet on a flight. Otherwise it should be fine BUT any pet will need time to get used to being confined to a crate if they are not used to this. Weeks ahead of time one should start getting the pet used to the crate and spending hours in it. This reduces the stress considerably.
We did everything they advised us to do. We had Splash (my dog) get familiar with the crate and spend time in it many weeks in advance. I dont know what happened but by the time I took delivery he was in very bad shape and then he had a cardiac arrest and did not survive. Maybe I should have left him behind. At least he would have been alive and taken care of. Who knows.
For anyone interested to doing the same as the OP, Swiss Air now flies direct to Singapore. So instead of taking Lufthansa with a stopover in Frankfurt, you can fly directly with Swiss with your furry friend. I've only ever heard excellent feedback about Swiss from friends who've travelled with dogs on it. Its great now that I can fly home on longer trips with my dog instead of leaving him here with a sitter!
Singapore Airlines has never welcomed dogs on board, doubt it will ever change.
For info the area where animals are kept has no access to the passenger cabin so dont ask for people to check as its not possible. Even if there was access I highly doubt anyone would check as they are busy with other duties
He was all of 07 years old. Lovely Golden Retriever. He was like our little baby and was treated as such. He was so loved and cared for. And gave back much more in return. His passing was incredibly traumatic. Still breaks my heart when I think about it. And it now almost 2.5 years since he left us. I keep revisiting my decision to take him on the flight. After he passed away, I came back to Basel and spoke with his vet who was shocked that he did not survive the transit. He told me that it was quite rare for this to happen.
What I learnt from this experience is that I will never take another dog on a long flight. It is not fair to them. And as soon as they are checked in, you cannot contact them or reach out to them. And that is very hard. Especially if they are very connected with you and the family.
Apologies for being emotional but it is very hard. I always hope and pray this never happens to anyone else.
It's must have been such a traumatic experience and I completely understand why you are still upset even after 2 and a half year. They are part of our families. I am very sorry for your loss.
I am moving myself to Hong Kong in a couple of months. I have a 8 years old Boxer and I just can't live without him. I am sourcing right now pet relocation companies. They are super expensive (first quote at 5000 CHF...) but I am wondering if it's not better or rather safer for my dog.
I always use a pet transport company. Sure, I could probably do it on my own, but having a professional watching my back gives me the peace of mind I need.
A good animal shipper will help with the paperwork making sure you have everything in order, will advise and help source appropriate travel crates, will advise and arrange the best transportation route including door-to-door if requested, will have agents on the ground speaking the local language will be there to smooth out any wrinkles.
However, I should point out that once the animal is in the hands of the airline it's up to the airline to ensure safety.
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I moved from Chicago to Hong Kong many years ago, using a shipper. There was a 'wrinkle' and I couldn't get anywhere with the airline on my own. It took the shipper stepping in to sort the problem out. Thank doG he took over, my dog landed in HK safe and sound the next day.
That experience is the reason why I always use a shipper. If it all goes well you probably don't need one and can save yourself a bundle. But the chance that something might go wrong is why I use a shipper. I prefer to have a pro, someone with 'pull' on my side to sort it out. Money well spent, IMO.
FYI, have you researched flying with a brachycephalic breed?
Did they subject your pets to quarantine? The Malaysian authority wants to quarantine my two poodles, even though we are coming from CH which has been rabies free for years