Need help with moving dog to STX in June

i am going to keep up on this thread cause i have a 60# mutt going to STX with me. i am not quite ready to go yet so have set october for the move because of taking the dog. i guess with american airlines they stop shipping about now and start up again in october.

Where are you flying from?

I flew down here at the and of Sept. 07. I have two dogs. One 65#'s the other about 25#'s. We flew from JFK in NYC on American. Apparently there are flight restrictions with the weather. If the temp. anywhere on your journey is over 85 they wont fly the dogs. When we got down here it was about 95 and the dogs had no problem. Make sure you follow the instructions from your airline and there might not be any problems. Remember they are dogs they will get over it once you show them the beautiful beaches. Good Luck.

We currently live in Indiana, but would prefer to have a direct flight, and will drive to Charlotte, NC or Miami, FL or wherever...

I'm not worried about Maggie (our dog) and the weather down there because we have much higher extremes (temperatures over 100 and high humidity in the summer). We don't use air conditionining ever, so she'll be fine. And, she's current on all vaccinations. We have a terrific vet that will write her a letter of good health. It's the airlines that I worry about. I know that they have strict rules - and, we're just trying to figure out WHO to fly with that will be flexible with flying her in June.

Thanks again to anyone who has moved dogs in the summer and can offer us some wisdom.

Its not the weather here you need to worry about. Even the hairy huskys do fine here... they just get short haircuts.

Your problem will be finding an airlines in June that will fly her in cargo. Ideally she will fly in the same plane as you. Since you are coming to STX, you are limited in direct flights to AA from Miami or Delta from Atlanta (or is it Charlotte... or is that US AIR)... Anyway. Check those three. Their policies are different. They will tell you exactly what their policy is and then you can plan accordingly. Even if you have to wait in one of those cities for a couple of days for the weather to break (cool off), it usually won't be more than a couple of days if you have reserved for the dog from day one. The issue is that several airlines have had problems forgetting their dog passengers on hot tarmacs (when flight have been delayed) and they now are covering their butts by not allowing them onboard on hot days. When you think of it, its an ok trade off to assure Maggie gets here alive.

There are a lot more options to San Juan and you can check a lot of other airlines policies to see how you might get her to San Juan. (Ideas on how to go from San Juan to here follow shortly).

Now... imagine that you can not find transportation that way on a direct flight. Another option is Air Cargo. Several Airlines (I can get phone info for you if you PM me) do Cargo shipments twice a day into San Juan. They keep the animals inside until the plane is loaded and then load and leave. Usually you can aircargo a pet year round. It is more expensive and it takes planning on your part as you have to be flying the same day or travel separatly from your spouse in order to assure one of you is at each end to recieve/sent.

Once in San Juan, you and Maggie have a few options for getting here. Cape Air is slow in summer and a 50 pound dog should not be a problem for them. Also you can charter a plane. Bohlke and Air Ventures in Paradise are both companies based here that are pet friendly and would bring her over. (for a price of course). Bohlke would be a good one to contact regardless as they fly charter to the US on a regular basis and there is a possibility that they could bring her (and you) down on a returning flight . Worth calling them about. Ask for Tutti (too dee) , she has a big Malinois of her own and she travels with her all the time!

Good luck. It can be done. Just a little inconvenient at that time of year. Right now you could hop any plane with her!

If you fly into PR, can't you take ferrys the rest of the way?

USAirways doesn't allow dogs in cargo anymore... AA is your best bet

My only experience between US and USVI has been with AA. Like everyone says they have a heat embargo - if it goes over 85 F, they will not fly the dogs. You can get around this sometimes by taking early morning flights. I usually prefer non-stop flights when travelling with my dogs, but one time , because of the heat, I took an early morning flight STX-SJU-MIA. It was one of the best experiences I (my dogs) have had. When we changed planes in SJU, as soon as the plane landed they took the dogs out of the hold, by hand, and put the kennel on the back of a pickup truck. The guys unloading the kennel were talking to the dogs the whole time, then they called their friends over. Eventually there were about six of them sitting eating, drinking, and playing with the dogs! One of my dogs is very nervous, but also very sociable, and I could see him enjoying this. I don't know what happened after that, but when I got to MIA my dogs were calm and happy, and not desperatelly thirsty like they usually are after a flight.
One thing that I have noticed in general, is that small airport/small plane seems to equal better and more personal service for the dogs, they are not treated like just another piece of luggage.
If you have to use Air Cargo it is very expensive, because the charge is based on the size and weight of the kennel, with the dog inside. (My dogs Air Cargo to Europe would cost approximately three times my own airfare!)

If you are willing to drive to Miami, you can easily get an early am flight to SJU when the heat won't be an issue. If you do not trust the PR airport to transfer your dog to your connecting flight, you could pick her up at baggage and then take the seaplane to STX which also takes large dogs...

Thank you to everyone who has responded thus far. We are looking into all options that people have suggested. But, if anyone has other ideas or has actually gone through the process, please feel free to share your knowledge.

Barb

We found a flight from Fort Lauderdale to San Juan, leaving at 6am on American Airlines and arriving at 8:25am. The flight then continues on Cape Air, departing at 9:30 and arriving in STX at 10:14am.

Experienced dog travelers - how does this sound? What are the predicaments with the weather at this time of the morning? Have you flown with Cape Air before? What problems do you foresee?

Oh - we figured that if we got her to Puerto Rico, if there were heat or space issues, there is another flight that leaves later in the evening. We would (hopefully) be able to take our lovely girl for a car ride, to a park, whatever to kill time during the day. Does this sound feasible? Once you have placed your dog on the plane, are you allowed to retrieve her if you end up somewhere for a long layover?

Thanks again for your opinions and advice.

You shouldn't have any problems with the heat at those hours in South Florida and Puerto Rico. Before you get on the flight to PR make sure you ask the gate attendant whether the dog has been loaded and also let the flight attendant know that there is a dog in cargo. They will then remind the pilot hopefully. This is what I did when I had to check in my dog and everything turned out okay.

Cape Air doesn't have heat restrictions because they are those really really little planes that don't have temperature issues. I heard from one person that their dog was allowed to fly sitting next to them on a Cape Air flight--basically they are pretty casual.

I'm not sure about the transfer from AA to Cape Air in PR...you may want to contact Cape Air directly, let them know the situation and ask how they will handle it (they will know as opposed to AA which probably won't--or at least won't give you a "real" answer if you call them). It's probably a good idea to call Cape Air anyway and let them know you are bringing a dog so they can plan for having enough space (since it is a really little plane).

I'm sure everything will go fine with moving your dog! As long as you have a plan and perhaps a backup plan, you should be fine. It is a lot easier than it sounds when all is said and done...:)

That sounds like a good plan. Always check that the dog has been loaded (a friend of mine once had her dog left on the tarmac in Toronto, in the winter - it survived but she almost had a heart attack!), and it is your dog. That day my friend had checked, but it was another dog, not hers. I have had some very patient pilots describing my dog to me! As I mentioned in a previous post, I had a very good experience with the transfer in Puerto Rico.
Good luck!

meowruff, i hope you post on this thread how flying the dog went when all is over and done, if not i will P.M. you about it . i plan on comming from south florida to STX with my 60# mutt in october but if things happen sooner than expected would come down sooner.

An hour to transfer the dog from Aa to Cape Air in San Juan is unlikely to work out, IMO. I travel AA/AE regularly from the states to stx, and I get concerned with only an hour to connect on that one airline. You certainly need to check with someone and see if they interline the dog, or if you have to claim it in SJ from AA and then recheck with cape air.
For the past couple years, an hour's connection between AA and AE would make getting luggage on arrival in stx to be iffy. For 20+ years we rarely had an issue with our luggage--now the woman handling the luggage claims in stx and I know each other by our first names...and I often stop to congratulate/tell her when I actually get my bags off my flight and undamaged...and looking like nothing had been stolen, all of which have become issues for us, in both directions.

I also thought that it would be a pretty big miracle to get our baby and luggage and everyone else transferred from one airline to another in one hour. Thus, the reason we have looked at later flights. But, I will definitely keep this in mind when booking our flight.

From this post, I gather there are no heat restrictions on Cape Air from Puerto Rico to STX, so we are free to fly on any of their later flights...and there seem to be quite a few.

Thanks again to everyone for their input!

What are you going to do about the dog while you wait for a later flight. They DO NOT put the dog inside the terminal. Sometimes they are on the tarmack with the other baggage to be loaded and the heat out there can get above 100 degrees . Without appropriate water for the dog, you are risking the animals life...imho

Meowruff--call Cape Air and ask them about the situation and whether you will have enough time or not. They will give you the best and most realistic advice.

If we end up getting stuck in Puerto Rico, I have a former student that lives there - and would probably hang out with her - and with my dog. That's assuming that I can retrieve Maggie if we end up in this situation.

I will definitely call Cape Air, explain our situation and see if it's feasible or if we need to find alternate activities for the day.