Island Pet Movers? (credit card, transfer to, agriculture)

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by CarlsbadJames

So is there basically no chance of moving a pet during the summer months? (again, from San Diego). That will really put a damper on my move if I have to wait until fall next year as my lease is up in june here.

You need to call the airline. I believe the cities you absolutely cannot fly from in the summer months are Las Vegas and Phoenix, and the other cities are temperature dependant. I believe you can fly from San Diego unless it is an unusually hot day but call Hawaiian for more details.

[mokeanne]

you might want to check w/ delta as i think it depends on the breed. here's the link, sorry i'm too tired to read through it.

Pet Travel Requirements & Restrictions (http://www.delta.com/planning_reservations/special_travel_needs/pet_travel_information/pet_requirements_restrictions/index.jsp - broken link)

[Koale]

Originally Posted by CarlsbadJames

Ahhhh this thread is easing my mind. I'm considering a move to Maui May/June 2012 but am so worried about my 7 month old puppy (at least she'll be a year by the time I move).

But trying to coordinate all portions of the move and worried about stuff, vehicle, new place/transportation, etc and I was already feeling overwhelmed.

One thing of concern, it says on the Hawaiian airlines site that they won't move pets over the summer months I guess due to temps. Is that a normal thing or are other airlines flexible?What is the avg cost to move a dog when it's all said and done? I'll be moving from San Diego if that makes a difference. Trying to factor in all costs and timing.

I got a bit worried about this aspect of the move as well. We shipped our two dogs in June and the end of August from Seattle. It depends where you are departing from and the temperature there. I gotta tell ya...I was so proud of myself when all was said and done. It looked so overwhelming when I started and by the time we were enjoying our first morning coffee on our lanai I couldn't help but wonder what all the fuss was about...lolol...yeah right...have a safe trip.
Koale

[CarlsbadJames]

Originally Posted by Koale

I got a bit worried about this aspect of the move as well. We shipped our two dogs in June and the end of August from Seattle. It depends where you are departing from and the temperature there. I gotta tell ya...I was so proud of myself when all was said and done. It looked so overwhelming when I started and by the time we were enjoying our first morning coffee on our lanai I couldn't help but wonder what all the fuss was about...lolol...yeah right...have a safe trip.
Koale

You know I went through the same fuss when I considered the move from the midwest to San Diego... it's all a blur now and somehow I got it all done with no worries.

Hopefully I can make the move to Maui happen... it's something I want to try and enjoy while I'm still young and single and can basically work from anywhere.

[BigIslandBum]

We moved our 2 dogs and a cat to the Big Island via United Airlines. They have summer rules only for certain breeds (short nosed). If your pets are small, they can travel in the cabin as carry-on, all others travel as checked baggage. Pricing is $125 if traveling as carry-on and $250 if checked. United made everything very smooth and stress free - they even notify you that your pet has been loaded on the plane before take off (via a ticket system).

We used Akona Pet to handle all the paperwork and hassle as we had enough to deal with already. Worth every penny. The United check-in staff even thanked us for having the pets so prepared - all the appropriate documents, stickers on the crates, water dishes, etc - apparently most are far from prepared properly. That credit goes entirely to Akona Pet.

Good luck with your move!

[CarlsbadJames]

This thread is awesome and starting to make me feel much better about my potential move. Now I just have to figure out my vehicle and getting a load of stuff over to the island

My dog is a weimaraner and will probably be about 60-70lbs by the time next summer rolls around.

Is it as simple as calling these pet mover providers and handling paperwork by email/fax/mail? Or do I have to do some sort of office visit (they aren't in San Diego)?

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by BigIslandBum

We moved our 2 dogs and a cat to the Big Island via United Airlines. They have summer rules only for certain breeds (short nosed). If your pets are small, they can travel in the cabin as carry-on, all others travel as checked baggage. Pricing is $125 if traveling as carry-on and $250 if checked. United made everything very smooth and stress free - they even notify you that your pet has been loaded on the plane before take off (via a ticket system).

We used Akona Pet to handle all the paperwork and hassle as we had enough to deal with already. Worth every penny. The United check-in staff even thanked us for having the pets so prepared - all the appropriate documents, stickers on the crates, water dishes, etc - apparently most are far from prepared properly. That credit goes entirely to Akona Pet.

Good luck with your move!

The travel in the cabin over the water to Hawaii ended a long time ago. Must be checked baggage or cargo.

[PacificFlights]

Originally Posted by CarlsbadJames

Is it as simple as calling these pet mover providers and handling paperwork by email/fax/mail? Or do I have to do some sort of office visit (they aren't in San Diego)?

There are two "pet movers" that are often talked about.

The first is you mainland relocation service that handles transporting pets wherever. There are some post on the pet forum about this.

The second, which seem to be what is discussed here, are the Hawaii pet movers, authorized handlers, intermediaries or whatevr they are called by someone. Thats what I will address.

You do not need anyone to assist you in moving a pet as the requirments are the same regardless of who is involved. The process is the same, transportation is the same, its all the same. BUT you may want to consider using one if things are just tto much in the big picture of the move.

Consider using one if there is going to be issues with dealing with HIDoA on arrival such as late arrivals, etc. These authorized handlers I believe are allowed to claim your animal on your behalf, reducing the rush factor on you.

Inter-Island travel with dealys or short departure times. Because most handlers have transportation, they are able to move around the airport so much faster than you can pushing a cart or lugging a kennel. Depending on schedule, they may be able to pick you up, go to quarantine, pick up the animal with you, take it for a potty break, and get you to your connecting flight before you can even walk to quarantine. Add the hassles of you and your luggage and they are worth their weight in gold.

Paperwork is a key part of what they do. They can't get anything waived or overlooked and if the paperowrk isn;t in order, its not in order. But they are a second set of eyes and hand. they knw exactly what is required and can make sure what is needed is done. They know the little things that can cause problems and will make sure you have what will make the process go smoother.

So basically, they reduce the stress and hassles of dealing with bring a pet to hawaii because they know the system so well. You may be doing this for the first time, but they are doing it for the 1,000th time. If the cost isn;t a major problem, might as well if that means reducing the argivation and stress on you and any family with you.

[nwcountrygal]

First time I stressed so much about flying my dog - now 65lb Border Collie. I did it myself without a mover. If interested it really is a pretty easy process if you want to do it yourself.

Making sure the paperwork is all done correctly is stressfull but really not that bad. I am a snowbird and my dog just did his 5th flight. It is more stressful on the human than them. Heads up your price for dog in cargo will be based on crate and its weight and differnt with each airline. So mine is 85lbs. On Hawaiian that means if you do it yourself, make reservation for you and dog. I call cargo first to make sure what dates are open - they only take 3 dogs per flight. Then make mine - call back with his.

With Hawaiian he must be in cargo (not luggage check in) 90 minutes prior to flight. Also if transfering at Honolulu 90 minutes in cargo for next flight - if you do it yourself - I get a taxi numbers at quarantine office. They need to go through quarantine by 3:30pm. I usually set 3 hours inbetween flights- just incase late etc. Average oneway price for his ticket (when Seattle doesn't screw up price- thankfully they have forgot to charge higher price before!) is around $750.00. At cargo they let me take him for walk give water etc. Taxi is average cost $35.00.

He literally jumps into his crate because he knows where he is going! Yes they get hot and a little stressed but does fine. As far as weather temps always check with airlines but I have vet put on health certificate good for temps 20 degrees to 90 degrees. The weather is based on outside weather conditions at airports not the temp in the plane.

Another thing to do it start them on heart worm medication before you leave..if not on it already. Find a vet that KNOWS about quarantine rules for the process and has done it before on the mainland. Also quarantine people are very nice and will answer any questions you have if you call.

If it is too much with moving everything else and don't want to hassel with the process then a mover would be a great thing. However it isn't as difficult as it seems to be the first time.

Good luck with the move - if you have any questions about doing it yourself let me know!

[LuvnKona]

We travelled this past July with our German Shepherd and American Bulldog and flew United from SFO to Kona with direct release. We had to take an early morning flight due to the heat -- not sure if San Diego is much warmer than San Fran though. United did a great job and the flight attendents kept us in the loop about the status of the dogs' loading and unloading.

Like BigIslandBum, we used AkonaPet to help us with the paperwork. Originally I was going to do the pet process on my own but the first thing I did cost me over $300 (booked with Alaska Airlines that wouldn't take our dogs). So, I paid AKonaPet to help and with them doing all the logistical and paperwork I was able to show up at the airport not nervous and very confident that my dogs wouldn't have to spend one minute in quarantine. That, in itself, was well worth the fee to AKonaPet.