Your questions answered

Pets travel in a specially prepared area of the cargo hold. It is pressurised and heated to between 50 and 70 degrees F. It is kept dark to help the animals to sleep and to decrease stress.

Pets are required to travel inside IATA (International Air Travel Association) approved containers. These containers must meet rigorous guidelines for welfare and safety, allowing enough space for your pet to stand up, lie down and turn around. We provide a custom built kennel that not only conforms to these regulations but also features an absorbent base layer and comfortable soft bedding as standard. Additionally our crates are made of wood in order to minimise noise and temperature variation. It is inadvisable to have too much free space as this affords less protection should be any turbulence and we take this into account to achieve the perfect dimensions.

No, unfortunately this is not possible due to airline regulations.

This varies depending on the destination and we can take care of all the necessary arrangements. Documents required may include:

• Import paperwork issued by the authorities of the destination country.
• Export paperwork issued by DEFRA.
• Supplementary veterinary paperwork from a LVI vet, treatment declarations, fitness to fly forms, acclimatisation certificates, blood test results and more.
• PETS passport.
• Declaration forms from the owner.
• Airline customs and excise forms.

Export documentation must be signed by a DEFRA approved LVI vet. All PetAir UK veterinary consultants have this qualification and they also offer the added reassurance of specialising in the pet travel sector. As the veterinary paperwork is so vital to your pets safe passage, it is advisable to use a vet with a great deal of experience in filling in these complex documents.

This will depend on the destination but for some countries it can take as long as 6 weeks to make the necessary arrangements. The general rule is to make contact as early as you possibly can and we will advise you of the timing of each step.

Absolutely not. This is extremely inadvisable on health grounds due to the effect on your pets blood pressure. Sedation lowers blood pressure and altitude can exacerbate this effect. In fact airlines will refuse to allow pets to board if they are known to have been sedated. The area in which pets travel is kept warm and dark which encourages them to settle down and sleep.

A water container located inside the IATA travel container is accessible from the outside and water is available throughout the journey. It is topped up before take off and at any re-fuelling or change of plane stops. Food is not provided due to the choking hazard and it is advisable to only feed a light meal several hours before the journey. This helps prevent the need to soil the container on route.

This is occasionally possible, although generally all long haul destinations require the pets to connect with an international flight at London Heathrow. It is possible to fly to some European destinations direct from regional airports but it is important to remember that only London Gatwick and London Heathrow are authorised to receive pets back into the UK under the Pets Passport Scheme. As such it is usually sensible to use these as departure points as well.

This can sometimes be arranged, contact us for further advice.

PetAir UK. Safe Hands - Safe Journey