Pet Travel News Briefs: Volcanic Ash and Summer Policies Could Affect Pet Flights
It's not quite summer yet, but we can certainly see that things are heating up in the land of pet travel! We recently heard about a few changes and thought we'd pass them along to you...
Volcanic Ash DisruptionsDue to residual ash from the eruptions of two different volcanoes, there have been some schedule disruptions in various cities.
Flights to and from Ezeiza International Airport in
Buenos Aires may continue to be affected depending on the developing conditions. If you're flying between Melbourne and
Sydney you may have previously been delayed, but things should be back to normal today.
Flights between Sydney and the U.S. are operating normally now, as are flights in the Middle East (due to ash from the eruption of the Nabro volcano in Eritrea), however it's always a good idea to double check with the airline before you leave home.
No Continental Flights to BermudaEffective immediately,
Continental and United Airlines (who have recently merged) will not operate their PetSafe program to or from Bermuda. Rescheduling in the future should be possible, but they have not announced a specific date yet.
Air Canada StrikeIf you've heard the words "strike" and "Air Canada" spoken together recently, don't be alarmed. Some call center and customer service agents have taken strike action, but the airline's cargo operations are running as usual and they're working to ensure that passengers are affected minimally, if at all.
Delta Summer TravelYou may recall that
Delta has a summer program for pets that limits when they fly. We've been advised that Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) has pulled out of the program, and they will not ship any pets if temperatures exceed 85 degrees. Other airports may be following suit, so again, double check before you fly.
We recommend flying with
Continental anyway, but keep in mind that, with limited pet flights during the summer, it's more important than ever to plan your travels carefully and well in advance of your desired departure date.
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Have you encountered any unexpected issues while traveling? Let us know about them here or on
Facebook, and check out these
Five Tips for Dealing with Pet Travel Predicaments. Good luck and stay safe, everyone!