Hello, I am Dr. Walter Woolf, the veterinarian founder and CEO of Air Animal Pet Movers. Thank you for your time and interest in Air Animal. If you are searching for pet travel options during the fall and winter of 2020 this article is for you. 

Please remember that for holiday, leisure travel and vacations you are responsible for booking your own and your pet’s travel with your chosen airline. If you are relocating for job opportunities, career advancement, military PCS or returning to your home county, Air Animal is at your service. We relocate pets moving with their families anywhere in the U.S.—by ground, by air or a combination of the two. If you’re moving overseas, we understand the destination requirements to get your pet to your new home with the least amount of stress for you and your pet. Our Air Animal team fields a sizable number of phone calls, LiveChat website inquiries and online requests for pet move proposals every day.

If you’re traveling instead of relocating and you have a few more minutes I will share some pet travel airline flight options. My tips focus on North, Central and South American travel. Our staff has posted information and links to commercial passenger airline pet travel programs below. Pet travel health documents required vary between airlines and from one destination to another. For example, Hawaii’s protocol requires a rabies antibody test before entry and no quarantine.

Before you purchase your non-refundable passenger ticket for fall or winter leisure travel, use our list. Find the airline with the pet travel and acceptance policy that allows you to take your pet as “cabin baggage” in the passenger compartment. Every passenger airline defines the number of pets eligible to fly as cabin baggage, their weight and size, and the permitted breeds and species. You’ll also find that airline passenger cabin policies differ—especially when it comes to the number of pets allowed in the passenger compartment.

The fall/winter 2020 pet travel scenario includes families in the USA who take their pets with them to visit relatives overseas for special life cycle events, weddings, graduations and religious holidays. The common requirements for international pet leisure travel are:

1. An implanted microchip for pet verification
2. A rabies vaccination at least 30 days old but not more than one year old
3. An international health certificate issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and validated by the USDA within 10 days of flight.

Please note: Canada, the Bahamas and Mexico do not require USDA endorsement for entry.

Thanks for your time and be safe out there!

Walter Woolf, VMD, Air Animal Founder and Veterinarian

Click the table to print or download basic airline pet travel requirements