IPATA’s Long Range Planning Group (LRPG) is meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Friday and today. As a founding USA member of IPATA from its beginnings in Chicago in the blizzard of February, 1979, the non-profit trade association of independent pet and animal shippers has grown from 6 starting members to 325 global members. The LRPG is looking at IPATA’s mission statement, vision statement and goals as it seeks to recruit responsible pet & animal shippers to its uniquely diverse membership.

The weekend blizzard shutting down the airports in the Washington area brings back memories of the Chicago Blizzard of 1979 when my late wife, Millie Woolf, flew to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to meet the representatives of five companies whose business activities were similar to Air Animal.

Representatives from Pet Express/SFO, JetPets/LAX, Worldwide/JFK, a local veterinarian from Chicago; Dr Gus Gillespie(now deceased), a New Jersey company, J & J transport (no longer in business) and ourselves, Air Animal, gathered for the weekend.  Fast and long-standing friends developed due to being blizzard-bound at O’Hare for the weekend.

From the Chicago Blizzard of 1979 and its O’Hare gathering, emerged IPATA, the Independent Pet & Animal Transportation Association, a global trade association of pet and animal transport professionals.

And, the weather continues to play a day-to-day role in the activities of pet shippers, pet movers, and pet transporters.  Whether it be winter blizzards, summer heat or any weather condition potentially affecting live animal airline transport.

Some things never change.

Whether you’re planning to relocate. transport or travel with your pet in 2010, your pet moving needs are easily met with contacting Air Animal, a 1979 founding member of IPATA – the global pet trade animal transport association; along with IATA’s endorsement & appointment of Air Animal as an air cargo sales agency.

Unaccompanied live animal air cargo shipments on Air France are available from the USA to Paris, and any city in France.  Sorry, pets on Air France flights beyond Paris to their other global destinations are not currently available.  So talk to us to about the other options you have if you must fly Air France to Paris.

An alternative is to use KLM from the USA via Amsterdam to any of their global destinations. The Animal Hostel at Amsterdam Schiphol provides between flight care, comfort and state of the art accommodations.

As well as considering the use of Alitalia, the Italian national carrier, for flights to Rome, Milan & beyond.

Air Animal’s IATA endorsement/appointment also gives you access to Continental, Delta, United, American, Air Canada,  British Airways, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, SAS, SwissAir, Emirates, Qatar Airways and the other IATA carriers.

2010 Pet Relocation, Transport, & Travel is easily accomplished with Air Animal, since 1977 providing mobile pet owners with both nationwide & worldwide animal transport services.