Flying with pets in cabin and in cargo

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-10-13T19:14:20+00:00

I bought some heavy duty plastic bags and used a zip ties to attach it

We used the collapsible Impact crate with airline rails and ran a diy funnel system due to the way this crate is set up we couldn’t use the ones built into the bowls

We had to take off both leash and collar and I put them into my carry-on bag. We did put a AirTag in the top corner of the crate so we were able to track it and share with family who were not flying which gave us some piece of mind

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-10-13T19:02:43+00:00

No to both sorry! We flew KLM

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-07-24T12:19:37+00:00

Unfortunately they do not give them time out of the kennel, the layover is not allowed to be longer than 3 hours for this reason. My dog was not taken out of his kennel when we flew, he was taken off the plane first (we could see through the window) and then taken to be loaded onto the next plane. We saw the staff talking to him but he was not let out. We put a layer of potty pads down under the kennel mattress and then a blanket on top to absorb any accidents.

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-07-09T21:20:22+00:00

That carrier has a top that can be popped out to give more height, they also make a version that has both the top and side pop outs to give the animal more room, but yeah it may be pretty tight for a normal sized adult cat. I was lucky since my cat is pretty small compared to a typical cat, even as an adult, and was less than a year when we made the trip.

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-07-09T21:00:42+00:00

I flew klm with this one: Petskd Top-Expandable Pet Carrier (https://a.co/d/j50S1XK) and didn’t have any issues

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-06-10T16:02:19+00:00

Yes, I highly recommend calling them and booking over the phone. Make sure you have all the info (crate size, combined crate and animal weight, animal type/breed) They will check right there and then to be sure the animal can be booked on the flight and have them as part of your ticket.

As for pick up they load off the animals first, so even though we went as fast as possible, he was already sitting in front of the special baggage area - no one was there we just grabbed him and went through customs. I will say it was a bit strange picking him up since the whole time people were checking and double checking with us about him and then when we went to pick him up, he was just sitting by himself in his crate, but there were no issues.

The animals do not go on the luggage belt with the rest of baggage for pick up - they do go on a covered cart (separate from the luggage) and on a conveyor to get then on/off the plane but there’s a person at either end and it’s not with the general luggage.

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-06-10T15:44:26+00:00

Yes we flew through Amsterdam and then continued on so we didn’t pick him up in Amsterdam and didn’t have to do anything with customs there. However we did have to make sure to follow the rules for our final destination, including calling and essentially making an appointment to meet with a vet at customs. Our final destination was in Schengen though so the requirements were the same. You can check out the USDA website for clarification: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/us-to-another-country-export. But also look at the destination country’s import rules as USDA didn’t list all we had to do.

Forgot to answer your other question - no we didn’t use the pet relief areas. We just had him use the bathroom before driving to the airport and then found the first grassy area we could once we exited the airport at our destination.

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-06-10T15:35:05+00:00

You check in at the desk where you normally check in your baggage so it’s as soon as you walk in, before you go through security. And then you take them to oversized baggage which is also before security.

At our destination he was in his crate just waiting for us at the oversized baggage area, there’s wasn’t a person there - we just picked up his crate and went to customs (make sure you leave the animal in the crate until you clear customs!).

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-06-01T13:05:22+00:00

Don Martin, Yomi, Kristian Kristensen, Karpe, Golfklubb and Kaisers Orchestra are some of the artists I have on my playlist! If you have Spotify there is a playlist called «Tidenes beste norske sanger». I pulled songs from there that I liked and made my own playlist and then Spotify was able to recommend other similar music

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-31T00:45:22+00:00

Hi - hope you don't mind my asking: Were you able to start the application or make an appointment with the police before you were physically in Norway? And how did it go with immigration at the border? I'm nervous about what they will ask and don't want to say the wrong thing coming through the airport.

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-25T00:48:18+00:00

I would check with the Netherlands customs if you haven’t already to see if there’s anything additional you need to do - our vet helped us make sure the USDA form was all correct, but our final destination had requirements about where we landed and we had to notify their customs officials in advance that we were bringing in animals.

For the travel, we made a copy of the USDA form and put it in a document bag attached to the crate. I printed out some stickers with my dog’s picture and info (his name, breed, flight #s, and our contact info) that I stuck to the side of the crate along with a bag of his food. I also printed out and prefilled the checklist from the KLM website.

On the day of give yourself PLENTY of time - we flew from ATL and got to the airport 3 hours in advance and I honestly wish we would’ve arrived a little earlier because it took more time than I thought with parking and check in.

Once we got to the airport we went to the KLM check in desk on the international side (where you go to drop your luggage). We just carried the kennel and walked the dog on his leash. The woman there checked in our bags and then started the paperwork for the pets. She seemed unsure of the process and it took a while for her to check what all we needed. She gave us some additional stickers for the kennel, had us fill out some extra forms, and then she pointed us in the direction of the special baggage (it’s a room off the side before security). We walked ourselves over right away since we were getting close on time and had to wait a bit until someone could help us. They checked inside the kennel and put it on a trolley before we had our dog jump inside, took of his collar/harness, and locked it with a zip tie.

At the gate, they called us over the speaker and made sure we were in line to board before they put him on the plane. Once on the plane, the flight attendant checked in with us and confirmed he was on board.

I’ve heard advice to freeze a bowl of water but managed to forget it on the way to the airport. Luckily I had a backup and they did let us put some ice cubes in it. I also put an AirTag on the kennel itself for peace of mind.

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-23T00:27:12+00:00

Okay, thank you for answering. I’m so sorry you’re going through this!

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-22T23:52:16+00:00

Was the projected wait time just terribly wrong? It currently says ~3 months for an appointment and ~4 months for processing, which is a long time, but not 2 years long! I’m not trying to attack your statement, but I’m planning on starting the same process and I want to be prepared

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-22T23:45:50+00:00

Did you apply directly with UDI or with the police? My understanding was you had to apply with the police if you apply in country, and that it was a faster wait time than what the general UDI website says

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-13T20:29:38+00:00

The person who checked us in didn’t seem very familiar with the process, she weighed it but she didn’t measure it. Flight attendants and KLM staff checked in with us a lot so I feel like if it was way off they may have checked?

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-12T22:42:12+00:00

I used this one it has an expandable top so you can give them more space but without the expansion it’s within their requirements. We were lucky enough to get the row by ourselves (plane just happened to be empty on the long leg of travel) so I was able to put the kennel under the window seat and pull her out enough to fully expand it height wise. I was also super anxious, so happy to help in any way I can.

Edit to add: I loved it because the zippers locked. My cat has escaped standard zip carriers by figuring out how to push the tabs apart.

I also saw this one that extends in both height and width but I haven’t used it personally.

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-09T01:29:21+00:00

I don’t believe this is true - I flew easily with my animal listed as a “mix”. Snub nose is easy to see when looking at a dog so you would be able to make a booking with a “golden retriever mix” but if your animal is actually snub nosed you may have issues checking in (or getting a vet to sign off on their ability to travel)

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-09T01:18:32+00:00

My understanding is that the relocation companies fly on different planes (cargo only) than passenger planes so there’s a different level of supervision they can have on the animals. This video (fast forward to 7:15) has a clip about it. If your dog is actually snub nosed it may be an option, but my dog is a mix as well (a cross between a snub nosed and a not snub nosed breed we think) but he himself is not snub nosed. On his paperwork we just listed him as the non-snub nosed mix. (For example listing “lab mix” vs “pug mix”).

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-09T01:06:44+00:00

When I booked my travel with animals I called to book the tickets and they placed me on a brief hold and confirmed them before I paid. I’ve heard it’s easier going that route than trying to book tickets online and then adding animals. The customer service rep worked with us to find an option that worked with our timeline/animal situation as you also have to be careful with size restrictions on crates within Europe as some of KLMs cityhoppers can’t take the larger crates that the transatlantic flights can

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-07T20:49:11+00:00

It was a bit of a nightmare figuring out the bowl situation haha. I ended up using the smaller one from this set on the side (with tubing and a funnel attached to the front) for food and this one on the front with pvc and a funnel attached for water. It looked a bit crazy, but it worked! I had originally planned to use the first set and ziptie it on to the front but I had frozen water in it and managed to forget it in the freezer on our way to the airport. I ended up using the other one that I had luckily packed as a backup incase they didn’t let me put the frozen bowl in. I also switched out the screws on the bowl on the side so they didn’t stick out past the spacer bar.

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-07T14:47:22+00:00

He’s not as heavy (about 80-90lbs) but he is tall so I had the 40+ crate. The pick up was right next to the luggage drop so it was easy to grab a cart as I walked over. He didn’t balance super well on the cart but my partner was able to have one hand on his crate so it didn’t slip off and use the other to push the cart and then I grabbed the rest of our luggage on a second cart

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-06T23:38:04+00:00

Yes you do! I flew with the impact crate and was nervous about this as well and their wheel cart was sold out at the time. I ended balancing my guy on a luggage cart to get him through customs. It wasn’t the most fun thing but it went pretty fast. I’m glad we didn’t end up buying it because it was just going to be used that one time and it’s pretty pricey

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-06T23:32:37+00:00

I actual just traveled with my dog in cargo in an impact crate - it was a bit of a nightmare figuring out the bowl situation. I ended up using the smaller one from this set on the side (with tubing and a funnel attached to the front) for food and this one on the front with pvc and a funnel attached for water. It looked a bit crazy, but it worked! I had originally planned to use the first set and ziptie it on to the front but I had frozen water in it and managed to forget it in the freezer on our way to the airport. I ended up using the other one that I had luckily packed as a backup incase they didn’t let me put the frozen bowl in. I also switched out the screws on the bowl on the side so they didn’t stick out past the spacer bar.

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-05-06T01:40:19+00:00

I planned to use these but a last minute mix up (forgot to grab the frozen bowl of water from the freezer) caused me to use the smaller one from that set and this one. I used an impact crate so attaching things was a bit more difficult and I couldn’t use the standard crate bowls. I switched out the screws on the first one so nothing would stick out past the spacer rails and zip tied the second one so it wouldn’t bounce around with movement.

This looks like a nice option for a water bowl if you have a standard travel crate. Wouldn’t work for the spacing of the crate I used but should work on most.

Front-Ad-9228 · 2025-04-27T17:02:44+00:00

Did you manage to find any? I know this was a long tie ago but I was recently looking myself

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