I can honestly say that, notwithstanding all the heartache at leaving my little house, flying Simi was the most stressful and worrying part of the whole move, despite the fact that Airpets could not have been more efficient and caring.
When you fly a pet [I can only speak about within the EU] you can either have them go as "cargo" or as "excess baggage". In the latter case, there is a chance of the airline refusing the animal at the last minute if the flight is very full. So I paid for Simi to go as "cargo" in order to be sure. Airpets warned me that there was still a slight chance of her being refused at the gate, but only if there was something like a pressure problem on the plane and it was deemed risky to her health to go on that particular flight. They said that in 99% of cases, all is well.
But if you're like me - and you probably are, if you have a much-loved pet - you will be holding your breath till you are absolutely sure your baby is safely on board!
In the UK you need to talk to your vet at least 4 months before your departure, so that all the injections, tests, paperwork and, if necessary, the EU Pet Passport can be arranged. [The latter is only strictly necessary if you are flying the animal back again, but I wanted Simi to have it and it makes things simpler this end.]
Simi's carrier was built to measure by Airpets and it was roomier than I expected and had an easy system whereby she had water throughout the journey. She showed no signs of distress at any point, other than wondering where she was going!
My flight to Catania cost c.£60 and Simi's cost c.£1,100 [this included the pick-up from Cardiff, the carrier, the pre-flight boarding kennel costs and transport to the airport for her]. She is worth every penny.
No comments:
Post a Comment