Airlines For Pet Dog Export To Canada

[Whyowhy]

Hi Guys...

I'm planning on returning to Canada in the next month or so with my 2 dogs. These dogs came with me via cargo from Canada 8 months ago and I'm trying to avoid any repeat dealings with the corrupt and uncaring Thai cargo bureaucracy in the airport's humorously named 'FreeZone'.

From what I've read here, the best way to send them home (with me) is as excess baggage. They would then be able to be checked in at the airport without going to the cargo zone. I am limited in terms of airlines, transfer hubs (no direct flights to Canada) and import restrictions at transfer hubs. I am aware of the need for a FreeZone Vet export certificate but I'll mention that in a separate post.

My best airline options (take the same airline from BKK to Canada, no blood titer test) are as follows:

- Turkish Air (excess baggage?)

- Emirates Air (blood titer?, cargo only, need import permit)

- Quatar Air (excess baggage? Need import permit)

- Jordanian Air (ok for excess)

From the surface Jordanian Air looks the best, only needing the standard paperwork (rabies vacc. & vet check).

Does anyone have any similar experiences/knowledge with these airlines or transit countries (Turkey, U.A.E, Quatar and Jordan)?

I greatly appreciate any feedback!

[ALFREDO]

Maybe ask your question also in the Animals Part of the Forum.

You should take your dogs with you on the same planes when possible and look for short flight changing times.

Maybe an airline gives you also the possibility to look after your dog at a stopover.

Not cheap so that process, important is what Canada wants from you regarding papers from the dogs.

No direct flights, or?

I brought a dog once from Vienna to BKK, so I cannot be big help for your way to Canada, but for me was important to be on the same flight(s) with him,

in case of any problem. Good luck.

[geriatrickid]

The airlines you cite are based in countries that are muslim. This means a transfer in one of there hubs, I am not bashing muslims here, but dogs are considered vermin and I'd be concerned as to the care that would be shown. As well, I would be surprised if these airlines are dog friendly. Some are great airlines so it's not a swipe. Note too that the hubs are in very hot destinations, which are not ideal for transporting live animals. Avoid Royal Jordanian. They are know for long delays.

as you are citing middle eastern carriers I assume you are on the east coast

Have you considered KLM? There are direct flights to YYZ and YUL from the AMS hub and KLM has one of the better reputations for animal transport. You really should consider an American or EU flag carrier. The quality of care requirement is enforced with most EU carriers.

[Whyowhy]

The airlines you cite are based in countries that are muslim. This means a transfer in one of there hubs, I am not bashing muslims here, but dogs are considered vermin and I'd be concerned as to the care that would be shown. As well, I would be surprised if these airlines are dog friendly. Some are great airlines so it's not a swipe. Note too that the hubs are in very hot destinations, which are not ideal for transporting live animals. Avoid Royal Jordanian. They are know for long delays.

as you are citing middle eastern carriers I assume you are on the east coast

Have you considered KLM? There are direct flights to YYZ and YUL from the AMS hub and KLM has one of the better reputations for animal transport. You really should consider an American or EU flag carrier. The quality of care requirement is enforced with most EU carriers.

I'm trying to by-pass the EU because of their strict rabies restrictions (need wait 3 months for rabies test results), but I'm not sure if this applies to transit (very little info about animal transit regulations on the net, only import regulations.

As far as middle eastern pet care, it can't get any worse than what I experienced here at Swampy airport in Bangkok (they kept my pets in a walk in FRIDGE) until all the bribes were paid. Anyways it's just transit and it's not like they would open the cage and give them a walk. Those Arabic airlines I've mentioned all have web pages about animal handling with their airline so it's not in their best interest to mis-treat their furry customers.

[JusMe]

I'm not positive without checking, but doesn't Air Canada have a direct flight between Bangkok and Vancouver? Then it's a domestic flight wherever in Canada you want to go.

[Whyowhy]

I'm not positive without checking, but doesn't Air Canada have a direct flight between Bangkok and Vancouver? Then it's a domestic flight wherever in Canada you want to go.

Thai Airways just canceled the only direct flight to North America. Air Canada only goes as far as HK with only a code share connector to BKK. Cathay does the whole east to west route via HK, but due to import regulations in HK you can only take pets 1-way from Canada, not return from Thailand.

[Guest jonzboy]

take a look at EVA Airways, or the Japanese and Korean airlines?

[Whyowhy]

take a look at EVA Airways, or the Japanese and Korean airlines?

East Asia is a no go zone for Thai pets because Thailand has a high risk rabies designation. Quarantine is the minimum that would occur. Cargo might work but I'm not going that route again. Strange since my pets originally came to Thailand via HK.

[1kate1]

I have not taken my dogs out of Thailand yet ..... hope to very soon . My dogs travelled with me from Cyprus to India on Emirates and they were excellent. then on Jet Airways . Used Thai Airways when bringing them here..

They stayed in the Emirates kennels at Dubai as the connecting flight times although suitable for me Emirates said it would be too much for the dogs to continue they had to be rested walked and fed which was ok I night stopped and booked the lunchtime flight to Mumbai.

[shepsel]

I don't know what city you are flying to in Canada, but Korean Air has quite a good pet policy on their website.

[bobrussell]

I would not be put off using an Arab airline. They all have to comply with the same rules as 'non-Muslim' airlines. The potential backlash for companies is far too great!

As an aside Islam rejects cruelty to any animal - there are abuses in all countries but airlines are some of the most heavily regulated businesses in the world!

[Whyowhy]

Sending pets on a direct flight is relatively easy... single airline and only need to deal with regulations for that airline, and the arrival & departure countries, info that is easy to obtain. When you transit at an intermediary country it's a mystery what they need (no info can be Googled about this). I needed to politely send emails to specialized pet transport companies to get pet transit regulations for particular countries I Wanted info on. For the most part there are no regulations for most transit countries, only needing the required documentation for the destination country, however there are exceptions and potential regulation changes so you must always check by emailing the governmental office in charge of livestock for the country you want to transit.

I ended up booking with EVA Air via Taipei with only 1.5 hour transit. Only by Googling 'Taiwan & pet transit' did I see a single post on a message board about the need for a 'Permit for Animal Transit'. Secondary Googling of that document found out how I could apply for it (a rather easy process fortunately, I had it by email after 3 days). Even the pet relocation expert I managed to contact did not mention this document.

The moral of this story is that if you cannot fly direct then you have your homework to do!

[Koratpat]

We take our 2 dogs with us to America 2 or 3 times a year. You will have to go to the cargo area at the Thailand version of the USDA office for a medical and pet records inspection and photos. They will issue you papers after they check your dogs records to see if his shots are all current and then verify that he is healthy with a quick physical. The Thai veterinarians there are very kind and helpful and I swear it was under 100 baht for everything. This needs to be done the day before you fly out and your best bet is to show up at 8:00 am, drive into the cargo area and park in front of the vet's office.

Then you fly out the next day. We check our dogs at the luggage check in and the staff wheels them away and puts them in cargo. We paid at the desk, BUT you have to reserve a spot for your pet when you buy the tickets. Check with your airline to see if you pay when you buy your ticket or at the gate. They are supposed to weigh the pet, but the Thai staff never has. Our dogs weigh around 32KG each. Sometimes there is no space so you might have to adjust your departure date and time.

Additional - you will not deal with Thai cargo staff or customs, just the airline staff you are flying with and the Thai veterinarians the day before. They seem to have a genuine love for animals. I have never been hit with a bribe, but have had plenty of smiles and great service dished out to us!

Edited April 7, 2012 by Koratpat

[Whyowhy]

We take our 2 dogs with us to America 2 or 3 times a year. You will have to go to the cargo area at the Thailand version of the USDA office for a medical and pet records inspection and photos. They will issue you papers after they check your dogs records to see if his shots are all current and then verify that he is healthy with a quick physical. The Thai veterinarians there are very kind and helpful and I swear it was under 100 baht for everything. This needs to be done the day before you fly out and your best bet is to show up at 8:00 am, drive into the cargo area and park in front of the vet's office.

Then you fly out the next day. We check our dogs at the luggage check in and the staff wheels them away and puts them in cargo. We paid at the desk, BUT you have to reserve a spot for your pet when you buy the tickets. Check with your airline to see if you pay when you buy your ticket or at the gate. They are supposed to weigh the pet, but the Thai staff never has. Our dogs weigh around 32KG each. Sometimes there is no space so you might have to adjust your departure date and time.

Additional - you will not deal with Thai cargo staff or customs, just the airline staff you are flying with and the Thai veterinarians the day before. They seem to have a genuine love for animals. I have never been hit with a bribe, but have had plenty of smiles and great service dished out to us!

What is the regulation that you need to go to the Vet's office the day before travel? The Health Certificate is good for 10 days and I've never read anywhere (even here on ThaiVisa) about needing to go the day before travel. Anyone else care to jump in?

[Koratpat]

We take our 2 dogs with us to America 2 or 3 times a year. You will have to go to the cargo area at the Thailand version of the USDA office for a medical and pet records inspection and photos. They will issue you papers after they check your dogs records to see if his shots are all current and then verify that he is healthy with a quick physical. The Thai veterinarians there are very kind and helpful and I swear it was under 100 baht for everything. This needs to be done the day before you fly out and your best bet is to show up at 8:00 am, drive into the cargo area and park in front of the vet's office.

Then you fly out the next day. We check our dogs at the luggage check in and the staff wheels them away and puts them in cargo. We paid at the desk, BUT you have to reserve a spot for your pet when you buy the tickets. Check with your airline to see if you pay when you buy your ticket or at the gate. They are supposed to weigh the pet, but the Thai staff never has. Our dogs weigh around 32KG each. Sometimes there is no space so you might have to adjust your departure date and time.

Additional - you will not deal with Thai cargo staff or customs, just the airline staff you are flying with and the Thai veterinarians the day before. They seem to have a genuine love for animals. I have never been hit with a bribe, but have had plenty of smiles and great service dished out to us!

What is the regulation that you need to go to the Vet's office the day before travel? The Health Certificate is good for 10 days and I've never read anywhere (even here on ThaiVisa) about needing to go the day before travel. Anyone else care to jump in?

I guess you could go a few days earlier, but if I remember right, the vet // FDA office told us to come the day before. Not sure why.

[Whyowhy]

We take our 2 dogs with us to America 2 or 3 times a year. You will have to go to the cargo area at the Thailand version of the USDA office for a medical and pet records inspection and photos. They will issue you papers after they check your dogs records to see if his shots are all current and then verify that he is healthy with a quick physical. The Thai veterinarians there are very kind and helpful and I swear it was under 100 baht for everything. This needs to be done the day before you fly out and your best bet is to show up at 8:00 am, drive into the cargo area and park in front of the vet's office.

Then you fly out the next day. We check our dogs at the luggage check in and the staff wheels them away and puts them in cargo. We paid at the desk, BUT you have to reserve a spot for your pet when you buy the tickets. Check with your airline to see if you pay when you buy your ticket or at the gate. They are supposed to weigh the pet, but the Thai staff never has. Our dogs weigh around 32KG each. Sometimes there is no space so you might have to adjust your departure date and time.

Additional - you will not deal with Thai cargo staff or customs, just the airline staff you are flying with and the Thai veterinarians the day before. They seem to have a genuine love for animals. I have never been hit with a bribe, but have had plenty of smiles and great service dished out to us!

What is the regulation that you need to go to the Vet's office the day before travel? The Health Certificate is good for 10 days and I've never read anywhere (even here on ThaiVisa) about needing to go the day before travel. Anyone else care to jump in?

I guess you could go a few days earlier, but if I remember right, the vet // FDA office told us to come the day before. Not sure why.

I called the Vet office after the airline told me to get the current Health Check requirements for export: they told me 72 hours or less before flight it needs be done, even though Canada only needs 10 days before flight. It can be seen how pet travel can go pear shaped very easily, especially in Asia.