Pet Process Part 3

Published on March 25 2016

Posted by: Kyle

Segment: tips

Missed Part 1? No worries - view it here!
Missed Part 2? No worries - get it here!

While Keat's in Japan, I thought I'd give a quick update on where I am on getting the cats over to Japan. Apparently, it's not as easy as we initially thought.

The medical part is pretty straight forward, but the travel bit is causing a headache.

Here's what I found:

• Most airlines accept pets, however not all airlines take all pets (jumpers, small connections, co-operators, etc)
• You can take 1 small pet in 1 small carrier (9"x15"x21") but only 1 pet per passenger (one airline actually said "If you want to fly with a second pet, you need another traveler")
• You can have your pets as "checked baggage", but some airlines don't take pets as checked baggage during hot or cold months (which just leaves September and April
• Pets can fly in the cabin, however a lot of airlines don't like pets on 12+ hours flights
• You can provide supplies for your pet, but airlines don't recommend tranquilizers or medication, as the high altitude may mess with the pet
• Flying pets do come with some fees that range from $50/pet to $275/pet/connection
• You can ship the pet via cargo (3rd party or airline), but it will cost a lot more money to do so

Of course, that's only the start. I'll keep doing research and let everyone know what the final plans are.