Best airline for international move with a dog?

[BVSc2016Hopeful]

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I am in the process of moving to the UK to finish my prerequisites and hopefully stay for vet school in one of the UK AVMA approved schools. By in the process, I mean I'll be moving in about a year, and staying for a minimum of a year. My dog will be coming with me, and I have started the microchip, rabies vax/titer, health certificate shenanigans. But my vet (who has done this process before) said I need to at least pick an airline, as most of the airlines also have their own rules that need to be followed as well. I'll be flying from NY (any of the NYC airports, but probably JFK) to Heathrow.

Some basic stats -- said dog will be 8 years old when we fly, neutered male border collie mix, generally in good health (of course fully vaccinated/health certified, etc), fully accustomed to his crate and has flown domestically (from NY to AZ so approx 4-5 hour flight) with no issues. We may also start training as a therapy dog team, so he may have that nifty little vest when we leave...maybe I can sneak him in the cabin?? Suggestions for a pleasant trans-Atlantic trip with the least amount of stress for both of us?

 

[sooprnova]

This subforum of Flyertalk is excellent for info regarding flying with animals. In fact, the entire forum is full of excellent travel info, especially if you're looking to save a few $$ or get a few extra perks during your trip. They're also really friendly and willing to answer questions, much like people here. Hope this helps!

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-pets-645/

 

[devyn]

I am preparing my dogs to move to Ireland right now, so I have a pretty good idea on everything need for the Pet Passport as it is the same for Ireland!

You will need to fly via a approved route to the UK and that means you can only fly on certain airlines. You must fly your pet via manifested cargo - sadly they cannot fly in the cabin or as checked baggage. Also a lot of them require you to work with pet transport companies.

From JFK to Heathrow you can use - British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Delta, KLM Cargo, & Icelandair. The list of approved routes is here - http://archive.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/documents/noneu-air-sea.pdf

Here is more info on the Pet Travel Scheme - http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/

 

[nuevaburra]

i think as someone mentioned there are a limited number of airlines which allow it to the UK.

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but...

As a personal anecdote we flew our dog to the UK from Boston when she was 8, and it was so traumatic for her that we would probably not choose to do it again, knowing what we know now. I am not sure if it was the stress of travel (she is a weeny little runt of a spaniel, no great toughie here) or the barrage of a whole new set of dog germs, but she was quite ill for about six months afterwards. Vomiting and diarhhea, lethary, etc. It also cost upwards of $1500 (this was 7 years ago), and when she got to London there was one little tick box missing on her forms which almost landed her in quarantine anyway.

Just an FYI from personal experience, be prepared for a lot of hassle and expenditure and potentially a lot of stress.