Anyone Flying To Germany Next Year With Air Berlin?

[CMExpat79]

I know its a bit of a long shot, but is anyone travelling on an Air Berlin flight in June 2012? specifically to Dusseldorf?

The reason I ask is I need to send my 2 dogs to Germany where I will collect them and then take them into the UK myself. I need someone to fly with them from BKK to Dusseldorf, and the dogs would be checked in and flew over as excess baggage. I of course would pay the entire costs for the dogs - so I just wondered if anyone already has any plans to fly this route around the first week in June.

Thanks

[CMExpat79]

if anyone is flying to another location in Germany, but with Air Berlin still and would be willing to help that could work also.

[beano2274]

If someone asked you to carry something to another country through customs for them, would you really do it?

[jalansanitwong]

How many rubbers could you shove down a dogs throat full of white powder ? Wouldnt be an easy job.

[thedivezone]

How about the other end ?

[CMExpat79]

Just so happens that I have no intention of stuffing my dogs full of illegal substances. Also the dogs will get examined with myself or my partner present at Bangkok airport by a vet there, and I should have said that one of us would of course be present at the airport to place the dogs on the flight.

I have heard of many people accompanying pets for expats, and it is not uncommon for animal rescue charities here to ask help from the public to accompany dogs for international adoptions - hence why I asked. It is of course a last resort as a back up plan incase the airline we want to send them as unaccompanied cargo changes their policy (they are snub nosed dogs and many airlines will not carry them)

I see you point about carrying bags for strangers, but yes I would help someone transport their pets home if I met them (which I would make sure I do)

[lazygourmet]

To the OP: Why are you not doing the trip by yourself?

Air Asia flights direct from Dusseldorf to Bangkok, tickets are really cheap and the return journey can be done within a weekend.

[LandOfSmileys]

Air Berlin??? I'd rather fly Air France. The way AB's reps treated me at DUS airport last time there, I'll go out of my way to fly any other airline. Air Berlin SUX. If you have overweight bags, they will be there with a micrometer up your *** to get every last Euro they can squeeze you for. At the same time, their attitude (if you protest in any way) will be: "do you want to fly today?" I've had better service on Air Asia. If you are bringing dogs as excess, they must be ripping you a fortune.

[FalangBaa]

Quite easy in Thailand to find an unscrupulous veterinary surgeon who, for a small fee and no questions asked, will open up your dog's abdomen and insert a 2 or 3 kg sealed package of anything into the visceral cavity between the vital organs. Quite easy to do too with an average-sized dog. With a large one, you could probably squeeze in 5 kg of something. Airport police probably wouldn't be alerted by a drug-sniffing dog sniffing another dog. After all, dogs sniff dogs all the time. Beware of the hazards of being an involuntary drug mule.

[thedivezone]

To the OP: Why are you not doing the trip by yourself?

Air Asia flights direct from Dusseldorf to Bangkok, tickets are really cheap and the return journey can be done within a weekend.

Airasia flying to Duesseldorf ?

Do you have a website link ?

[CMExpat79]

I already booked my own flight last month to the UK with Air Asia, however, they do not carry pets

The rules for getting the dogs into the UK are changing next year, which is fine and understood - however dogs going into the UK must be on a DEFRA approved airline, so that narrows the choices of airlines for the dogs down, also many airlines who are DEFRA approved do not permit my sepcifc breed of dog to fly. such as BA, Singapore, Malaysian, Air France, Emirates and so on.

I have managed to work with a relocation agent for KLM, who is an approved airline and will carry my dogs BUT they are speculating a rule change sometime next year to also forbid taking my type of dog onboard hence the whole reason for me figuring out a backup plan.

I called DEFRA in the UK, and they suggested, the dogs go on an air berlin flight (yes its non approved) but they will be permited to enter Germany and then we put them on an approved flight as cargo (another UK regulation) to the UK from the EU. yes its complicated.

Now I would fly on air berlin and myself, but I already booked my flight with Air Asia, who we all know do not refund you if you cancel your flight.

So in a nutshell:

if KLM do not change their rules re: snub nosed dogs, its fine they will take them, and I need no assistance

If they do change the rules, then I either find an individual to escort the dogs, I keep my AA flight, and get a flight over to Germany in time to meet the dogs and pick them up there myself.

OR I cancel my Air Asia Flight loose the money and book a last minute flight with Air Berlin and go myself with the dogs- which I would of course do, but I thought I would put the feelers out for anyone already going on a flight around this time. Which there does not seem to be as of yet.

I appreciate it is a long shot like I said at the start but I have heard of people escorting pets hence I brought it up in the 1st place, and again this is a last resort Im simply trying to cover all situations and have a back up plan

thanks