Avoid Animal Airlines!

Animal Airlines really seem to be a cowboy company and are really unorganised and I really recommend avoiding them.
I'd be intrigued to see if anyone has had any success with importing their cats to the states with them. We fly out on the 20th April (hooray!) and are having major hassles getting straight answers out of "animal airlines" who are meant to be the people to send the cats with.
We are flying continental from Manchester to Columbus Ohio and have been quoted £1500 for the three cats by continental who say we need to go via animal airlines. However animal airlines gave us a quote for £735 but when we tried to book it they then bumped the price up by £135 by saying we needed to have the cats sent to cincinatti (and we would have to pick them up from there - a 3 hours drive from Columbus). When we reluctantly decided to try that route, the price went up ANOTHER 3% as we wanted to pay by credit card - NOW they are saying that they could decide to use Continental and we might have to pay that - but they'd decide on the day - oh and we'd have to throw the cats out of the airplane window as they can't be dropped off at the airport until an hour *after* our flight has left. The fact that a quote (which is meant to be legally binding) has increased in value by £135 is just not right and I wonder if trading standards would have something to say.......
This company seem to make the rules up as they go along and I just don't trust them - but £1500 is VERY expensive for three cats and I'm not sure we can afford that with everything else we have to pay out in the first weeks of moving.
The whole experience is really frustrating. Kristen managed to speak to another company this afternoon who said that they had had a lot of people coming to them after getting the runaround from Animal Airlines and who had not been very happy with their service.
(Hopefully this rant will get a high rating in google as I couldn't find much on them in google (which is a bad sign by itself))

4 Comments

By jennifer on April 5, 2005 3:30 PM

Hello Andy,
I'm from the US. I myself have been trying to find airlines to fly animals (purebred GSP's) to our buyers, we have a kennel. I have been checking into some airlines for you. Try continental airlines. They may be able to accomodate you and your pet. I don't know how much it will be for you, but they do fly from manchester to columbus,Ohio. I don't know if i've been any help or not! I hope you & your cats have a safe flight into the US.If you ever decide you would like to have a beautiful GSP Please take a look at our dogs. They have grown up with a house full of cats also so they are very acclamated to being around cats. If you have any further questions or would like for me to do some more research for you email me or type on the blog.

By Animal Airlines on April 13, 2005 10:42 AM

Dear Mr/Mrs.Helsby - you really are 'Dears'.
Re 'your' cock-up and comments on Animal Airlines relating to your three cats,USA.
WELCOME AND CONGRATULATIONS - for joining our Complaints Club. I am sure you will be pleased to know that you are the very first Members in over 40 years. However, don't get too excited about this because, sadly, you will be dissapointed to hear that we simply cannot find any others willing to join you both. But hold-on in there, lets see what the next 40 years brings - you never know! As you are the very first Members to this prestigious Club we have decided to make you both 'HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS' and I hope you will accept this in the spirit it is intended. We shall miss you both terribly when you leave on the 20th April for your new life in the USA - However, the good news is that there are lots of Cowboys in the USA - but there is a down-side to this - what time will you have left to spend with your pets!
Bon Voyage,
Tony

By Dom on April 13, 2005 4:34 PM

Funny how you have a boilerplate template for these "first time" complainers.

By Animal Airlines on April 14, 2005 3:08 PM

Oh, ho,ho, eeh, eeh, eeh,eeh, Dom, I haven't had such a belly-laugh for ages, oh, oh, oh, eeeeeh, eeh, oh stop it Dom you little Tinker, oh,oh,oh, my goodness all those Cowboys in the USA are going to wonder what has hit them when you get over there, eeeeeh, eeeeeh, eeeeh, oh stop it Dom, stop it Dom - eeeeeeeeeeh
Tony

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