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My cats can ship out mid-September (yeah!) and I wanted to see which airlines provides the best service. I would like a direct flight from PDX to HNL, but I'm not sure if there are any direct flights (excluding Hawaiian Airlines). I'm trying to avoid a layover. I don't want the cats to get stranded because of the temperature.
Can anyone recommend an airline, which you've had a good experience with, for my furry friends to travel? I know the temperature has to be under 85 degrees and if I have a direct flight, well, it can't be stopped mid-flight (right).
We used Hawaiian to go from HNL to Phoenix, they were the most flexible about the temperature limits and did a good job.
We used American for the rest of our trip to the east coast, good experience as well. Mid september should be relatively safe although Honolulu Airport does tend to get warmer than 85 degrees that time of year so you may have to choose a flight that arrives in the morning or night. You may want to check, some airlines don't allow temperatures over 75 degrees if I remember correctly, but then again that may have been because our dogs are short-nosed breeds.
I just booked the flight with Continental. I called them first for more information. The gal was very helpful. She said there are no temperature restrictions and Continental does everything they can to be sure the cats are not exposed to outside temperatures. They'll be picked up in van with A/C. Nice!
Plus, they'll leave at midnight and arrive Hawaii by lunch time the next day -- after a short layover -- where I'll be there to pick them up. I leave in less than 3 weeks!
Things are on a roll!
I'd go Hawaiian, but the don't fly pets between April 15th through October 15th. Oh well. What can you do?
Thanks everyone for your advice! I really appreciate it! Continental PetSafe customer service knows what they're doing.
Actually, what happened to Tucker is common in Great Danes. It is called Gastric volvulus (also Bloat and torsion). Some even call it the "number one killer" of the breed. Dog Illnesses Common to Great Danes and Many Large Breeds Tragic that it happened, but even it had happened on the ground, the prognosis would have been pretty bad for the poor guy.
To the OP: We used Continental in December (out of LAX to Honolulu). Our elderly golden retriever was freaked out, but survived in excellent shape. A strategy my husband used (don't laugh) was to fly first class. The logic was this:
the flight attendant to passenger ratio is much higher in first class and the service is better. Hubby mentioned at boarding that he was traveling with an animal in cargo and the flight attendant immediately checked on the status of our dog and mentioned it to the pilots. After that, she gave him periodic updates and reassurances regarding temperature and air pressure.
first class wasn't as expensive as you'd think, because hubby was traveling with two 50lb. boxes of stuff, in addition to his carry-on. In coach, those boxes would have cost $60 each. In first class they were free. Diffuses the cost a little, if you know what I mean.
Trans-Pacific flight is not without risk to any animal. We seriously weighed the idea of boarding our dog with mainland friends for the rest of his life. But it worked out and we were happy with Continental's part of the process.
Last edited by lauleahere&there; 06-19-2010 at 11:14 AM..
Reason: syntax boo-boo
I just booked the flight with Continental. I called them first for more information. The gal was very helpful. She said there are no temperature restrictions and Continental does everything they can to be sure the cats are not exposed to outside temperatures. They'll be picked up in van with A/C. Nice!
Plus, they'll leave at midnight and arrive Hawaii by lunch time the next day -- after a short layover -- where I'll be there to pick them up. I leave in less than 3 weeks!
Things are on a roll!
I'd go Hawaiian, but the don't fly pets between April 15th through October 15th. Oh well. What can you do?
Thanks everyone for your advice! I really appreciate it! Continental PetSafe customer service knows what they're doing.
Hawaiian only has restrictions to certain cities (Portland isn't one of them) during those dates, and it is due to dangerous temperatures for the pets:
I'll be shipping my cat over to me via the same route in September, so have done a lot of the research. My preference is Hawaiian Air, partly to support a Hawaiian company, and partly because I have this idea that they must know more about shipping pets to Hawaii because they do it more often (percentage-wise). That's my hope, anyhow.
Having done LOTS of travelling, I'd be very concerned with even a short layover. Short layovers can turn into very lengthy ones, and who knows how well they will keep track of the health of your pet during an extended layover. It's a 5-6 hour flight direct, but could get much longer if there is a problem. It's bad enough for a cat to be in a crated that long (or at all, as far as they're concerned!), and gets worse by the hour. I don't think they will be able to use the bathroom the whole time, so midnight to noon is pretty long. At least it would be for me! Have someone verify that your cats are on the connecting flight - I've heard of them being left behind temporarily!
Also, if a company does not take temperature into consideration, that would worry me. It sounds like they are more concerned with winning your business (read: getting your money) than keeping your pets safe. Animals need to have a decent temperature range to be comfortable and safe. Tarmacs are notoriously hot, and there could be a period where they are exposed to that during the layover. I would avoid any layover if at all possible. Hawaiian offers non-stop flights from Portland to Honolulu, and there is no date restriction on bringing pets between these cities.
LeahOnTheGo, I didn't realize the restriction was just for those cities. I'm going to call Hawaiian today and find out if I can ship out of Portland and book the flight for my cats.
I did my best to find airlines that flew direct, and just took Hawaiian off the list because of the flight embargo. I guess I didn't read it clearly.
I'd rather them fly Hawaiian, too! I LOVE HAWAIIAN! I'd much rather support the local community, too. Thank you so much for this great insight. I don't want the kitties to have a layover. That would suck! What if something goes wrong? We won't be there
I'd really like to call now!! maybe I will... At least we didn't have to pay for Continental, yeah. CALLING HAWAIIAN AIRLINES...(oh wait. Dey stay sleeping now...)
I'd really like to call now!! maybe I will... At least we didn't have to pay for Continental, yeah. CALLING HAWAIIAN AIRLINES...(oh wait. Dey stay sleeping now...)
When I came a couple of years ago, Hawaiian required a max of 1 pet per passenger. (So if you have kitties plural, and there's just one of you, you can't do it. They were very clear on this point... I had three pets and two people, and it was a no-go.) Just FYI.
I did fly on Hawaiian with my dog, and it was fine (from LAX, in May). My husband flew on United with the two cats, and we were very happy with them as well.
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Gastric volvulus in Great Danes
Have someone verify that your cats are on the connecting flight - I've heard of them being left behind temporarily! 
