Airlines Rejecting Digitally Signed Pet Health Certificates

Air Animal® Pet Movers advises anyone traveling with their pet use caution when obtaining a pet health certificate. Delta, United, American, Hawaiian and Alaskan airlines are turning away passengers traveling with their pets using electronic pet health certificates. The airlines are requiring health certificates with a seal and the original veterinarian signature. The travelers had to re-book their trips and obtain new health certificates at considerable trouble and expense.

Air Animal offers global health certificate consultation and document preparation services in addition to full-service pet relocations. All health certificates provided by Air Animal have original veterinary signatures.

In Tampa Bay, Air Animal’s experienced veterinarian completes all the complicated USDA forms in the office and sends them to the USDA. Elsewhere in the U.S., Air Animal completes the forms and overnights them to a client’s chosen USDA-accredited veterinarian. Generally, a pet health certificate exam takes less than one hour.

Health certificates for U.S. moves are good for 10 days from the date issued. Owners should call ahead 14 days to allow for processing and scheduling their veterinary visit. International health certificates are generally valid for 10 days--sometimes less--depending on the destination country. Plan ahead 21 days for international pet health certificates. For some countries, an additional veterinary visit shortly before flight is required.

Air Animal pet move managers are available to walk veterinary practice staff through the process by phone for mutual clients. Air Animal accepts pet health certificate clients from anywhere in the United States.

Hawaii and Guam have also recently updated rules and regulations for pets moving to these island paradises. We've posted the updates on our resource page.

Moving Pets Can Increase Corporate Relocation Success Rates

ECA’s 2018 Permanent Transfer Survey finds that nearly 40 percent of international transfers lasting more than one year are permanent. That means there is no commitment for employees to return to their home countries.

The 2018 Mobility Outlook Survey by AIRINC concludes that 54 percent of companies anticipate increased demand for cross-border mobility.

Reviewing the corporate relocation policy landscape for “Mobility Magazine” (Sept. 2018), Susan Krupka McCune, CRP, GMS, director of global account management at SIRVA Worldwide Relocation & Moving, and Ish Bajwa, VP human resources-global mobility, Capital Group concluded that existing policies are being replaced. The new programs retain baseline consistency while allowing flexibility based on employee situations and preferences. Technology will make these programs a reality, they said.

Permitting employees to choose pet relocation as part of their flexible benefit can close the deal. According to Pam Buchanan, GMS, Lexicon Relocation, about 50 percent of companies offer pet relocation benefits. Some companies cap the benefit but more and more are moving to lump-sum or managed-cap programs.

Ivana Gibson, GMS described the programs this way:

• Lump-sum programs offer employees a specific amount of money upfront to cover move costs. Employees manage the moves themselves or may choose to work with a recommended relocation company.

• Managed-cap programs limit the amount that can be spent per relocation and may set caps for specific expenses such as temporary housing. These programs are usually managed by a relocation company which coordinates the move and recommends suppliers.

Adding Pets to the Move Mix

Air Animal has assisted over 50,000 families move their 100,000 furry, feathered and scaly pets all over the world. Fully 60 percent are corporate relocations.

“We work with employees and employers offering full-service moves, lump-sum, managed-cap moves and military permanent change of station moves every day,” said Walter M. Woolf, VMD, founder and CEO of Air Animal. Woolf said more companies offer flexible plans that allow employees to choose an experienced pet mover that knows how to handle the rules and regulations from origin to destination.

“Pets are members of the family. They’re important to an employee’s happiness and state of mind,” he adds. As proof, Woolf points to the increase in pet super stores, online pet stores, and pet service businesses. Making pet parents and their owners happy is now a billion-dollar business in the United States. It’s growing around the world as well.

“Air Animal works with the major relocation firms which represent international corporations. We work hard to earn their trust and referrals. Those relationships assure transferees that our services have been thoroughly vetted. We’ve found that corporate transferees who choose Air Animal are focused on their new jobs and challenges because they are confident their precious pets’ moves will go smoothly,” Woolf explained.

Air Animal is an appointed and endorsed International Air Transport Association air cargo sales agency working with all airlines that move animals. Air Animal is an Indirect Air Carrier cleared for pickup and delivery of live animals by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration. Recent relocations included dogs, cats, a quarter horse, a turtle and several guinea pigs.

Air Animal offers three service levels to meet every corporate transferee budget. VIP door-to-door is the most popular level for busy corporate employees managing a move and a new assignment. Costs for U.S. VIP pet moves for dogs and cats under 20 pounds start at $1995 and VIP international moves begin at $2895. This service includes residential pickup and delivery, airport terminal services, commercial airline cargo charges, and domestic health certificate review or international health certificate preparation.

Pet relocation and shipping costs vary depending upon the species, breed, number of pets, the pet's physical weight, the flight kennel in which the pet flies, the origin, the destination, pre-flight requirements, air transport charges, and in-transit care charges. For international pet relocations, estimated costs also include customs entry procedures, veterinary inspections, in-transit care, boarding or quarantine if required, and the specific requirements of the destination country. In some countries destination air cargo firms may charge additional fees for animal handling that are not included in Air Animal’s estimates.

Air Animal’s new mobile and desktop app also de-stresses corporate relocations exclusively for Air Animal clients. The app puts the pet move in the palm of their hands:

• Microchip info

• Vaccination records

• Veterinarian info

• Health certificate copies

• Pet move itinerary

• Flight tracking

• Pet photo ID

“Pet Moving Made Easy® is our passion, our focus and our promise to companies and their corporate transferees,” Woolf said.