Secret to Importing Dogs Into Thailand?

[KSwr7UDHyn]

I've been pulling my hair out recently trying to figure out what I need to do to import our two dogs into Thailand.  I'm leaving from the US west-coast (LA specifically) and I've spoken to two airlines, Singapore and United because we have miles we can use for the flights.  We were initially planning on bringing the dogs as checked baggage but now we're looking at potentially shipping them as cargo.  

 

Talking to anybody at Singapore Airlines makes me want to throw my phone across the room.  As far as I can tell, nobody can tell you if you can bring your pets on the flight.  They say that you need to email their reservations department that has been average about a 3 day turnaround on every email.  And, of course, they always seem to ignore your most important questions and cut and paste something from the website so you have to email them back and start the 3 day clock all over again.  

 

That makes booking a flight difficult if me + wife are supposed to be on the same flight as the dogs.  I am literally on Day 10 of trying to find out if I can book a specific flight and will I be able to bring my dogs.  Singapore Air claims they are still checking room on the flight.  

 

And then they dropped a bomb on me randomly telling me that the dogs have to clear Singapore AVS (Animal and Veterinary Services) before being transferred onto the Bangkok leg of the flight as the dog is considered "transshipping."  Just a quick look seems to indicate Singapore requires a rabies titer test which I may be running out of time to get. 

 

I called United, they seemed downright brain damaged.  The lady looked up a flight that was flying United to Japan and then ANA from Japan to Thailand.  For whatever reason, she did not seem to understand that I did not want to bring the dog into the cabin.  So, she kept looking up flights and telling me that we could fly with the dog from LAX to Japan but we could not fly with the dog in the cabin from Japan to Bangkok.  What am I supposed to do with the dog in Japan?  She has no idea.  

 

So I asked her about shipping the dogs as accompanied baggage, checked baggage, or whatever they want to refer to it as, but she seemed not to grasp the concept of the dog not flying in the passenger cabin. 

 

Now, the wife and I are considering just shipping the dogs as cargo just to avoid the hassle of trying to get the dogs on the same flight as us.  

 

I've dealt with a lot of Byzantine government BS with my wife's visas and US citizenship but this is a whole new level.  

 

Reservation agents can't tell you if you can bring the dogs, but the people that can tell you, don't really want to waste their time unless you've booked a flight.  But if I book a flight and there's no room for the dogs, then what?  

 

Any advice on an airline that might know what they're doing?  

 

 

[KSwr7UDHyn]

2 minutes ago, Arjen said:

I have some good experiences with Thai Air. The have flights to USA, I do not know if they have flights close to where you are. General it is much cheaper to be on the same flight a your dog is.

 

Arjen

I'll give them a try.