Some companies only quote cargo costs for the airlines or neglect to include items like charges for shipping kennels, their professional fees, etc. Or they may "guess-ti-mate" very low, and later their invoice reflects actual fees and things they "forgot". If you ask for door to door service, make sure it includes everything.
2. Will you review all my documents ahead of time?
If the documents for even a simple move are missing or have incorrect or are lacking data, a pet shipment can be refused by the airline. For a domestic move a health certificate and rabies vaccination certificate are required. However, I see many health certificates that are missing a signature or are out of date. Also a list of vaccines or an invoice for a rabies vaccine is not the same thing as a certificate. Document review is especially important for an international move where paperwork can be complicated. We don't want your pet quarantined or returned to the USA!
3. Will my pet be on a non-stop flight?
Whenever possible we like to use the most direct path from point A to point B. Having said that, sometimes "you can't get there from here" - and we have to use flights connecting to each other. This is most often true from smaller cities and for international travel. Connecting flights seldom cause any problems with the pets travel. The biggest problem we see is connections that are too quick - because if a first flight is late, then chances are the second flight will be missed.
4. On really long trips (i.e. to Singapore or South Africa), will my pet have a rest point?
On long trips, especially where connections may cause a long layover or overnight stop, we arrange for a rest stop with service providers. The animals are removed from their travel crates, fed and watered, and the crates cleaned as necessary. Although this process may add hours or a day to a trip, we feel it makes the pets more comfortable and is more humane than putting them in a travel kennel for 25 or 30 hours.
5. Will you be tracking my pet once it leaves, and let me know?
With today's technology and even the telephone, we are able to confirm a flight has left and your pet is on board about an hour after the flight leaves. We call out clients then to let them know everything is according to plan. With long trips and connections, we'll be checking to make sure the pet transfers from flight to flight. If we are using an agent on the receiving end, we require a phone call or email so we know the pet arrived safely.
