Flying With Cats In Cargo/baggage Hold

[Sadia Atique]

Hi Everyone,

I am from Bangladesh, and I have to move to Germany soon for a job. I know the requirements for entering EU, microchip, rabies vaccinations, titer test, I have done them. But now I've found out there is no airlines here which will let me travel with my cats in the cabin from Bangladesh, instead I have to put them in Cargo or baggage space . I really wanted to travel with Lufthansa(www.lufthansa.com/), as they have great reviews, and let travel in the cabin, but they don't fly from Bangladesh, and now my options are very limited. I was wondering, If anyone here traveled with Turkish airlines or Qatar airlines, with their cats in cargo? How are their service? Any opinion in this matter would be very helpful

 

[lilin]

I don't know if it is feasible for you, but are there nearby countries that do let you fly pets in-cabin which you could drive to, or get transit?

I moved to the UK, which doesn't let you fly an animal into the country in the cabin, but I was departing from Minnesota in winter (which is very, very cold!) so I just didn't want to do that.

What I wound up doing was flying to France (which does allow you to fly pets into the country in the cabin), and then taking the Chunnel into the UK.

It adds a bit of time to your journey, but I personally was more comfortable doing that. But perhaps I'm just a nervous nelly worrying over nothing.

 

[Sadia Atique]

Thanks for your suggestion

Actually Lufthansa has flight from India, and they let pets travel in cabin. But I am concerned about the visa part, did you require any extra visa to go through France? We(from Bangladesh) require visa to visit India, and tourist visa does not allow to travel with pets there! I don't know about transit visa regulations though. Also there is no direct flight from my country to the city Lufthansa flies from(Delhi) which allows any pet, even in cargo! so I have to go through 2 airports, to catch the flight from Lufthansa..

About the winter thing, are cargos not temperature controlled? I thought they control the temperature :S

I am scared about the cargo thing. But now I feel like this is my only option :'(

 

[lilin]

Thanks for your suggestion

Actually Lufthansa has flight from India, and they let pets travel in cabin. But I am concerned about the visa part, did you require any extra visa to go through France? We(from Bangladesh) require visa to visit India, and tourist visa does not allow to travel with pets there! I don't know about transit visa regulations though. Also there is no direct flight from my country to the city Lufthansa flies from(Delhi) which allows any pet, even in cargo! so I have to go through 2 airports, to catch the flight from Lufthansa..

About the winter thing, are cargos not temperature controlled? I thought they control the temperature :S

I am scared about the cargo thing. But now I feel like this is my only option :'(

I didn't, but American passport holders have automatic 3-to-6-month tourist visas to enter European countries, and pet entrance requirements are the same in France as they are in the UK (aside from the cargo thing). Your situation may be different, and unfortunately I don't know much about countries in those areas in terms of travel requirements.

Check out transit visa rules for India. You may also want to check it see if it's easier in Myanmar or Nepal, but it may ultimately be the case that there is no realistic solution but to fly them in cargo from Bangladesh.

The cargo IS temperature controlled, don't worry! But I, being a nervous nelly, was worried about her sitting on the transport vehicle waiting to be loaded on -- that's when the cold was a concern to me. It's not uncommon for flights to be delayed a bit because of snow and ice in Minnesota, so I was thinking, "What if there's a last minute delay and she sits there for a while?!" But like I said, it may just be me being an over-worrier, lots of pets travel in cargo every day and arrive just fine. But... well, I'm an over-worrier.

 

[Sadia Atique]

Actually, I too am over-worrier, and I'm only trying to find the best possible solution here, but it's kind of hard to admit that I might not have any option beside cargo travel..

In my city, Dhaka, here it's never too cold, in winter at worst it will be 18~20 degree Celsius, so I hope they will be fine..

I heard scary stories about cats go missing from cargo, broke the carrier and fled, and I cannot even imagine what would I do if anything unfortunate happens, or if they get sick badly, dehydration, or heat, or they get too scared.. they should live through it, right? I am getting panicked

 

[Ceracera]

There are pet shipping companies that ship pets in-cabin. If you dont really want them in the cargo hold, thats an option i suppose. But theyre really expensive.

ive traveled internationally with cats in the cargo hold and they were fine. Both cats took two flights in their lives. You need an IATA standard crate thats made of hard plastic and has a lock that wont easily open. Some airlines will actually take any hard crate, but please dont do that cause the locks easily open on most of them (just 1 short spring) and theyre not that durable.

You might also want to call the airline to check if they have any size requirements and how many cats are allowed per crate.

Also... it can be dangerous for some breeds to fly. I know some some airlines have a flatout ban on some short faced breeds.

I havent flown Qatar with pets, but i find them to be a good airline. No experience with Turkish air though.

Ive always gone with direct flights when traveling with my cats.

 

[Margret]

Make absolutely certain that the cargo hold is pressurized first!!! It should be, but don't take it for granted.

Margret

 

[Sadia Atique]

I have heard about pet shipping companies, but sadly, none provides service in my country, so that is probably not a option for me..

I am really scared to see the statistics of animals that die in cargo hold every year..

 

[Sadia Atique]

Make absolutely certain that the cargo hold is pressurized first!!! It should be, but don't take it for granted.

Margret

I don't understand what you said, could you please elaborate?

 

[Ceracera]

See here for the crate standard http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/live-animals/Documents/pet-container-requirements.pdf

Maybe you can take them to the vet and ask them to be checked for anything that might cause complications in the air.

 

[lilin]

I don't understand what you said, could you please elaborate?

When you fly, the airplane cabin adjusts the pressure to be more tolerable to the body, because the air is thinner that high up. You want to make sure the cargo hold they put your cat in is also pressurized appropriately for living creatures.

 

[maggiedemi]

I read an online article recently about all the pets that die every year on airplanes. I was shocked! I had no idea that it was dangerous. I really wish they would do something to make it safer.

 

[lilin]

I read an online article recently about all the pets that die every year on airplanes. I was shocked! I had no idea that it was dangerous. I really wish they would do something to make it safer.

The number of animals that die on planes is really very low. Usually below 30 a year in the US, but for context, the US flies about 2 million animals each year.

We'd all prefer if that number were zero, and there have been cases of airlines being negligent (and also owners being negligent by flying animals that are not fit). But it is not dangerous when put into the context of how many animals fly each year.

I mean, I'm out here as someone who refuses to put my cat in cargo, but my cat does have a health condition and while she is well enough to get flight clearance and has flown before, I do feel I should be monitoring her.

 

[maggiedemi]

30 is too many if it's my cats that die. I don't think I would ever put them in cargo. I'm glad I read the article, I didn't even know it was dangerous.

 

[Margret]

Make absolutely certain that the cargo hold is pressurized first!!! It should be, but don't take it for granted.

I don't understand what you said, could you please elaborate?

When you fly, the airplane cabin adjusts the pressure to be more tolerable to the body, because the air is thinner that high up. You want to make sure the cargo hold they put your cat in is also pressurized appropriately for living creatures.

Sadia Atique , did lilin 's post answer your question? If not, what part is giving you trouble?

Margret

 

[Sadia Atique]

"What if there's a last minute delay and she sits there for a while?!" But like I said, it may just be me being an over-worrier, lots of pets travel in cargo every day and arrive just fine. But... well, I'm an over-worrier.

Isn't the transport vehicle they use temperature controlled? How long do they have to wait there? I'm travelling in January, and it will be cold in the destination point in Germany

 

[Sadia Atique]

Sadia Atique , did lilin 's post answer your question? If not, what part is giving you trouble?

Margret

Yes, I understood. Thanks for the help

 

[Margot Lane]

I realize this was awhile ago, but, wondered how it all turned out?

 

[Alldara]

I don't understand what you said, could you please elaborate?

Why do aircraft use cabin pressurization.