International flight with 2 small dogs in cargo

Family, Education, Health and Pets
1
Hi everyone,

I would love to hear from people's experiences flying overseas with their dogs.

I researched the forum but didn't find any recent posts.

I am thinking of moving back to the United States within the year and traumatized at the idea of having to put my two little dogs in cargo Unfortunately they are each 8 kilos without the cage so I can't take them in the cabin with me...

They are 3 and 4 years old and in excellent health.

But with everything that has been going on recently with pets dying on flights, I'm getting a panick attack just thinking about it!!

I'm worried to the point where I was thinking of even taking a friggin' boat back to the US, but I looked it up and it seems worse for the dogs.

I will be flying to Miami or West Palm Beach around Nov/Dec give or take. I am close to Geneva but they don't have direct flights (I think??) so I will leave from either Zurich or Paris (drive to Paris then fly out of Charles de Gaulles).

I would like to know, what airlines would you recommend? I was thinking Swiss would be trustworthy? Who has experience flying with their pets and what would you recommend? Tips? Tricks? All input is welcome!!

The only thing that makes me feel better is knowing I can put them both in one cage so they would be able to travel together, instead of being alone. Also, they are used to trains, one of them has flown before when he was a baby (he was rescued from the Réunion Island and flown to France where I picked him up), and they both have very chill personalities - nothing really phases them, except cats And they like their crate.

So I don't think they'll freak out too much but still, I'm SO OVERLY scared and worried.

Would you recommend a pet reloc. professional over an airline? I am not worried about doing paperwork and everything myself, I just want the safest option for my pups (leaving them behind is NOT an option).

Thanks in advance for your "témoignages"

2
We used ACE Pet Moving direct flight Boston to Zurich via Swiss Air and everything went smoothly. There's a direct flight Zurich to Miami. Good luck with your move.

3
What breed of dog are they?

A pet shipper will give you peace of mind and that might be an option for you to consider.

The kennel requirements for two dogs together I am not familiar with (all of my clients seemed to have big dogs)! so this is something to look into.

The most direct route with fewest connections is the best option. Zurich Miami makes the most sense. We flew Swiss years ago with our pets and they were great.

Unfortunately what gets reported are the things which went wrong. In your shoes I would focus on the positive experiences of which there are many.

4
Hey SWISSGoose, thanks for the reply! I heard of them and just looked them up. May I ask how much it cost you? I'm going to ask for an offer but just being curious in the meantime.

Why did you chose a specialized company over doing it yourself?

Thanks again!

5
They are both street/rescue dogs but one looks like a mini German Shep. and the other one... like a little gremlin long body like a daschund with the face of a chihuahua/bulldog/pékinois (he doesn't have a short snout though and no breathing issues - but on his passport it does say Pekingnese mix so I wonder if I would have issues with that??).

I am looking into it as well, but I think I would be pretty comfortable flying with Swiss on the ZRH - MIA direct flight. I've taken it many times and it's "quick" and easy! Plus Swiss seems pretty serious about pet traveling.

6
I second the suggestions of a professional shipper and flying a direct route. The 'danger point' where things get mixed up or mistakes made is often when transiting, so best if you can avoid that, even if it means a long drive.

ACE Pet Moving has a good reputation. I have not used them (as mine cannot fly) but I have had conversations with them and came away impressed.

I used professional shippers to get my dogs from the US to HK, then on to Singapre, then back to HK, then back to the US, then to CH. I would recommend a professional every time - not the least for the peace of mind knowing some else has your back.

All the best with your travels.

7
I'm not sure Alitalia has direct flights to Florida and that's my number one priority, but I'll check it out - and thank you for the link!

I will be looking into ACE Pet Services all well, I've heard quite a few people recommend them I feel a little better now, thank you for your input everyone, I appreciate it!

8
I've flown Zurich<->Chicago with 2 similar sized dogs multiple times on Swiss. The first time they flew in their own small kennels, but in the future I got something like:

https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00QWJ43BK

with the divider and wheel kits.

It could be just just got more used to flying, but I think they seemed a bit happier as they were close together, but with the divider got their own space.

Cost to check 2 small kennels vs 1 larger one on Swiss was the same.

Swiss crew was wonderful about everything.

9
We looked into something similar for our dog last year and found Swiss to be 3-4 times the price of other reputable european professional shippers. The issue resolved itself when we decided to spare him the trauma and left him with my mom for a few months. We would probably have driven up to Frankfurt or gone via Amsterdam. I do believe in supporting local whenever possible but Swissair was just crazy more expensive...and I really doubt any better than KLM and Lufthansa related shippers.

10
I flew from Basel to Mexico City with Lufthansa back in December. At the moment my Australian Shepherd was about 11 months old. I made sure I bought a spacious travel kennel as recommended by lufthansa, I went for the XL just to give my dog more space and to be a bit more comfortable. I trained my dog to drink water from a bottle like the ones used for hamsters, since it was such a long flight they allowed her to have water in the kennel.

The service could not have been better. I was informed about my dog several times during the flight, they updated me on the temperature wherever she was in cargo. I had brief layover in Munich and she was taken out to pee while there. When we arrived in Mexico my dog seemed ok and not one bit traumatised, she liked her travel kennel so much that it became her safe space to sleep and even just to quietly hang out. The trip back to Basel was just as good.

I believe I paid about 300 CHF per flight.

11
I agree with dearestdaisy, Lufthansa is the way to go. I flew with them with three cats 8 years ago, and they couldn't have been more lovely and even gave me updates throughout the flight.

Pet services are good and will help a lot, but expensive. The time of year you fly also makes a difference with many airlines as some do not have climate controlled cargo.

Too bad there aren't passenger boats across the seas anymore, as I would certainly do this if I had the choice.

12
I have flown many times with my dogs both in cargo and in-cabin. When I got my previous chihuahua puppy at 3 months, he weighed 400g and I had no choice but to put him in cargo as the airline did not allow in-cabin. (SQ) I was so worried as he was SO tiny, but after a 7 hour flight, he was a HAPPY pup when I saw him at the luggage claims area. So - don't worry too much!

13
Thanks for the information here folks, we're going to be moving over with our cat and, while I'd have appreciated the peace of mind from having someone bring her over for us, the $2300 price tag is as much as our family of four combined. I feel a bit better about bringing her ourselves now.

14
Hello, I am not sure of what you have decided as yet - but I have just flown my cat all the way from Sydney, Australia to Switzerland. I used a pet shipping company on both ends. ACE Pet Moving were who I used here and they were fantastic! They updated me throughout, letting me know that my kitty was on board and helped with all of the customs, import stuff, etc.

It is expensive to use a pet mover but it will give you a peace of mind because they know what they are doing, and they do it every day

I was so nervous that something would happen to my kitty but he has come out at the other end completely fine! He is normally a bit of a nervous cat but he has handled all of this better than I have.

He flew with Emirates, as cargo, departing a few days after I arrived. All in all from Australia his travel time was around 36 hours including layovers. Believe me I was tracking his flight constantly! Now he is here in Bern with me and it was worth all of the stress (and money....).