It’s your last working month of the busy weekend, and all your focus is now on your planned holiday destinations.
And you and your partner are super excited about it.
But are you the only one going for a trip? What about a little furry friend of yours at home? Yes, your dog.
So what if you opt to take your dog with you as well? Well, for a moment, that decision may sound a bit extravagant, but for the ones who care a lot about their dogs, it’s just another family member traveling along, and that’s what we’ll focus on today: the cost of flying a dog internationally.
So, let’s talk about the costs associated with a dog’s air travel internationally.
Table of contents
- International Pet Travel Fees
- Pet Travel Crates And Costs
- Health Certifications For Flying Dogs Internationally
- Additional Costs In International Pet Travel
- Preparing A Dog For International Flight
- Alternatives to Flying With Dogs
- Frequently Asked Questions Related To Costs Of International Air Travel With Dogs
- The Take Away
International Pet Travel Fees
From American Airlines to Alaska and Delta to Hawaiian Airlines, each has its pet travel policy. Some don’t allow even, and those who allow have specified a standard concerning the size and weight of the dog and its crate.
Let’s take a glance at the airline charges for dogs and cats to compare airline fees for pet travel.
| Airline | Service | Fee |
| American Airlines | Checked pet (Army personnel) | $200 per kennel $150 to/from Brazil |
| Cargo Pet | Varies and fees will be confirmed at the time of booking. | |
| Carry-on Pet | $125 per kennel | |
| Alaska Airlines | Carry-on pet | $100 per pet in cabin / $150 per pet |
| Baggage Compartment | $150 per pet | |
| Traveling in the baggage within Alaska, or traveler is a US Army personnel | $100 per pet | |
| Hawaiian Airlines | In-cabin | Travel within the State of Hawaii: $35.00 |
| Travel between Hawaii and North America: $125.00 | ||
| JetBlue | In-cabin | $125 (early come, early serve, only six pets are allowed) |
| Cargo | Not Allowed |
Pet Travel Crates And Costs
The cost of the crate varies with the quality and size. However, an average good crate costs $37. Then, the more quality you expect, the higher the price, and vice versa.
Let’s look at some of the options in crates:
- If you think your dog is too cute, you may prefer the soft-sided crate, which costs around $76
- If ‘any budget’ is what you keep in mind while shopping for a crate for your dog, the following can be the best choice for its foldability, durability, and lightweight. It will cost you around $400.
- This is the most common type of crate that won’t cost you a lot and is fit for small dogs and cats. It’s available for about $40 just. It can easily be put under the seat of the plane.
So, deciding which crate is appropriate for your dog and adheres to the relevant airline’s policy is up to you.
Health Certifications For Flying Dogs Internationally
Getting your pup a pre-flight checkup is not only better for his health but is also mandatory. Airlines require you to show at the check-in item that you keep the necessary documents showing he’s vaccinated with all the necessary vaccines and holds a health certificate from a vet.
The vaccination must be for rabies and other common dog diseases.
Do You Know?
Vaccination must be done after the microchip has been injected into the pet; otherwise, you must do vaccination again.
If possible, get a pet passport, which is nothing special but a comprehensive document mentioning everything about the dog and its health.
If you want to travel to any EU country or northern Ireland, you must get a pet passport and microchip injected into your pet.
For those traveling to Scandinavian countries, tapeworm treatment is required as well.
The price for getting the pet passports varies significantly. It ranges from €20 and €448 for pets residing in the EU.
While buying a pet passport, you must have your pet ID, vaccination records, and rabies lab report, if applicable.
Information in a Pet Passport
- Pet DOB
- Microchip number
- Vaccinations
- Vet checkups
- Owner details
Additional Costs In International Pet Travel
Let’s talk about the total cost breakdown. The flight charges have been discussed above, but what about other charges like insurance, ground charges, and others? The following budgeting for international dog travel can help in this regard.
| Service | Charges | |
| Flight Expenses | In-cabin/Cargo | $50-$250/ $200 to $400 |
| Bag fees | The cost you pay for your handcarry | |
| Carrier/crate | $25/ $50 to $150 | |
| Higher ticket price | Cost of not opting for your usual airline | |
| Ground Costs | Manual Check-in | Additional cost than online check-in |
| Vet Charges | $50 to $250 | |
| Health Certificate without the blood test | >=$38 per certificate | |
| Health Certificate with blood tests | >=$121 per certificate | |
| Microchip implant | $150 | |
| Quarantine | $40 per day | |
| Stay Cost | Extra deposit | varies |
| Per night charges | varies | |
| Dog Sitter | $20 to $30 a day, $45 to $75 per night, or $250 to $375 per week | |
| Pet supplies | depends | |
| Pet Food | varies | |
| Transportation | Pet-friendly transportation costs more. | |
| Insurance | Insurance | $20 to $100 monthly |
Preparing A Dog For International Flight
Keeping in view air travel regulations for pets, there are a lot of things you need to do before you depart.
Things to do before the flight
· Check with your airline first if they accept your dog regarding its size, weight, health status, etc.
· Vet visit and get the health certificate
· Whether you want him to travel with you in-cabin or separately in the cargo area
· Take all necessary pet supplies and accessories
Things to avoid before the flight
· Try not to choose weekends as your flight days
· Try not to feed him right before the flight to avoid any throwout
· Make him visit the lavatory before the flight
· And never sedate your furry friend. It’s restricted and may cause other problems for your pet, too.
Alternatives to Flying With Dogs
Do you know that taking your dog with you on an international flight is not the only option? Yes, you may either take some professional pet relocation agency or leave him at a local dog boarding, professional kennel, or cat boarding. Alternatively, you may look for a house border for more personalized care. That’s another way of saying to let your dog stay at someone’s home.
When you take a pet relocation agency’s service, all your headaches related to your dog’s transport lie with them now. Airport service, health certificate, air cargo booking, customs clearance, and finally, the handover – they will handle it all.
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Costs Of International Air Travel With Dogs
The primary cost of the in-cabin flight is between $125 and $200, while cargo remains expensive at $1000, while the secondary cost associated with insurance, ground charges, and stay charges amounts to $1000.
It includes the size of your pet, the airline you choose, and where you’re traveling to.
It’s the travel cost for in-cabin or cargo travel – whichever method you opt for.
It’s the pet health certificate cost, insurance cost, vaccination cost, etc.
Crate size is directly proportional to flight cost. The bigger the crate size, the larger the cost to the extent that the bigger crates can only be traveled in cargo after a certain level.
You can check manually each website and see which one suits you the best.
Yes, of course. The associated costs are always there, like insurance, extra vaccination, and ground and stay charges.
Research well for the country you’re going, make sure you visit your vet a significant time before you leave, apply for a pet passport if any, get pet travel insurance, and most importantly, get him used to by keeping him in the crate while you drive to your grocery store or others for shopping.
The factors based on which airlines have their policy are the destination, military or non-military personnel dog, dog type, size, and other factors.
Some specific countries are very strict about quarantine if the dog is coming from a high-risk rabies country or a country that is not on the approved country list.
The Take Away
Traveling with your dog and keeping your furry friend with you comes with a cost. The cost that is initially taken as ust the flight charges takes with it any ancillary charges such as insurance, health charges, staying charges, and others.
Have you ever traveled with your dog or a cat on a domestic or international flight? If yes, share your experience and the additional cost you have to incur.
Related Posts:
Comments are closed.