Hi all,

I'm flying to Cyprus from Manchester on Monday with my Dad's 16 week old puppy.  I think we're sorted as far as the legal stuff goes (passport, vaccination, health check etc).  I'm still nervous something will go wrong though - there's so much at stake!

Those who've been there and done it - any extra tips you can offer to ensure a smooth process?

Thanks in advance,

Clare

I hope you have booked a flight that arrives and leaves in the coolest part of the day??  Temperatures in the hold will be comfortable, but time spent waiting to be loaded and then after unloading may be an issue at present.

Make sure when you reach the boarding gate to check the pup is on board and that the captain is aware they have an animal in the hold for the climate control.

When I have travelled with mien I have not got onto the plane until this was checked.  On the way home from Finland they had not loaded my luggage, but the dog was on board.

We fly mid-afternoon from Manchester (so that will be hot, but not Cyprus hot), and arrive 10pm in Cyprus so it will be as cool as it's going to get in August.  Best we could manage really because there wasn't a great deal of choice for flights (most are budget airlines which obviously don't allow pets). Do the airport animal staff keep their water topped up?

Thank you - it never occurred to me that the pilot wouldn't know an animal was onboard!  So you check with the cabin crew as you board or the gate staff?  They would know??  I feel a bit clueless!

Thanks again,

Clare

Make sure when you reach the boarding gate to check the pup is on board and that the captain is aware they have an animal in the hold for the climate control.

Aaah.   This takes me back to when we were leaving for Canada - should have been with 2 hounds, but one was too sick to travel and was back with his breeder.   When I got to the top of the stairs (this was a flight back in 1974 and off the runway) I asked the stewardess if my hound was onboard.   She looked at me as if I was completely nuts and said if he was booked in, he'd be onboard ............... I wasn't GOING if he wasn't on the flight!!   Thankfully he was, although the problems didn't end there - there was a firefighters strike at Toronto Int. and we landed in Ottawa - hubby had gone out a week ahead and had to drive from To to Ottawa once he found out where my flight was landing!   Hum.  But it wasn't all bad - I collared the vet on duty at the Arrival Lounge and he fast-tracked me/my hound through!!   We couldn't fit his box into the rental car, so it had to be left there and flown to Toronto later - much to their disgust.   Well we were both booked London - Toronto after all.

Whatever you do, do not sedate your dog - most airlines don't allow this in any case.   And get him used to a crate (if he's not already) well before the flight.   I also didn't take mine in the hours ahead of flight time, deliberately so they weren't kept hanging around for hours.   I've flown my hounds both ways across the Pond, and from London to Geneva - and I tend to use the airline of the country of arrival - mine seemed to get through Customs/paperwork faster!!

ps    The staff (pilot) should KNOW what they are carrying!!  Also mine didn't have water on the trans-Atlantic flights even - but they can last all night without water, so should manage without water.    We flew 7 back from Canada to the UK when we came home and all were fine (not that we were there on arrival because they went into quarantine at the time so were collected by the Quarantine Kennel people.   No Pet Passport.    If there was a stop over, animals should be watered once on the ground.

I do both.  Always worth being absolutely sure. 

No they won't top up the water (they don't have access into the hold) and those little bird dishes that come with the crate only have a dot in them. 

For coming home last time I bought a plastic clamp and  screw on deeper bowl. 

The ones where the bowl is loose are no good as they can easily knock them out. 

The clip on buckets are quite good also as they are deep and you'd use a double ended clip to attach them to the inside of the door.

Thanks both.  Feeling reassured (a little anyway).  Really I won't feel relaxed until I've collected him again at the other end. 

He's used to his crate, it's roughly the same size as his usual one anyway, but he's been spending some time in the travel one over the last week or so.

The airline says he has to be there 3 hours before the flight, we have to be there 2 hours (and given the crazily slow security at Manchester, 2 hours really is the minimum).  I wish he could be out and about closer to departure but at least the flight is relatively short at 4 hours.   

Definitely no sedatives!  That'd only add an extra layer of stress to the whole ordeal. 

I have a big plastic clamp-on bowl, so if they don't top up water before he gets on the plane, I'll definitely attach that so I know if we're delayed in the heat he should have some water left. 

I'm glad I've only got to worry about this in the one direction since he'll be staying there (but then I have to worry about saying goodbye....).  EEEEK! 

At Heathrow I had to be there 4 hours before to check in the dog, but after that we were able to wander about until half hour before boarding.

Part of the motorway near the airport is shut this weekend to have a bridge removed. So please check your route and when the motorway will be open again.

Thanks - wasn't aware of that.  Fortunately it looks like it should have re-opened by the time we need to travel, but I'll keep an eye on it.

Thanks all - we made it!  Everything went very smoothly and all staff were aware of the dog on board.  He took it all in his stride and is now enjoying his new life in Cyprus :-)

Did you have to hand him in very long before the flight?

I found mine were great flying.  Ditto puppies I have sent abroad.

3 hours (which actually turned out to be 3.5 hours because the flight was delayed).  He had a very exciting morning prior to drop off though, so I was hopeful he'd be very tired.  He didn't have a single accident during the journey, but was desperate for the loo once he got out at the other side. He was totally un-phased though, so I wouldn't worry so much about doing it again if necessary.  

I must have been lucky neither of mien was taken away more than an hour before boarding.

We just spent the couple of hours before (we had checked in) wandering around the airport.

We were always asked to be there hours before the flight, but even when we sent 7 back from Canada to the UK, we delayed arriving (the boxes were down there the day before).   And we were actually allowed to stay with them until they were loaded onto the trailers and taken off into the dark/snow storm!!    I'll never forget all that.   We had a meal before going back home (80 miles north of Toronto) but arriving home to no dogs was dire.    We'd shipped them out 4 days ahead of us, so they missed the actual home packing up.

Glad to hear your dog landed safely!!