Flying With Pets - A Transatlantic Adventure
The first time I flew transatlantic with my dog Renoir, I was 10 years old. As a child I was blissfully unaware of the hardships such a trek would have entailed for my immigrant parents - bless their hearts. With a 10 year old, 6 large pieces of luggage and a giant custom crate checked into the cargo hold of a KLM jumbo jet carrying a massive Great Dane, they bravely commenced our first journey to Canada.
Unbeknownst to me a couple of decades later I would be making and even longer and more arduous journey with a little pooch named Da Vinci headed from Jakarta to Toronto with transits in Singapore and Amsterdam. To say that flying your beloved pet in an airplane for 33 hours is absolutely not a journey I would wish on anyone, is an understatement.
When my partner and I decided to bring a couple of pets to Canada we did a bit of research on the options available to us (there were very few and very costly). We chose a company recommended to us by friends called Groovy Pet Transport. They operate in Indonesia and help with organising domestic animal export permits, paperwork and transport within Indonesia and out of Indonesia. The costs (per pet) of preparing our animals to leave Indonesia were roughly $900-1000 USD per pet.
The animals had to undergo a two week quarantine in Jakarta to be ready to fly. If you’ve ever been to Jakarta you’ll know this, if you haven’t - be forewarned. For religious reasons dogs are not very well liked in Java. The only hotels in Jakarta which are known to us that accept guests with pets are the Ascott and The Fraser Residence - both 5 star hotels in the heart of the city. Staying at Fraser will run you about $120 USD a night. Your other option would be putting your pets up in a pet hotel for two weeks (which we didn’t want to do to guarantee their safety). On Air Bnb there are Very few high rises that will accept dogs and you have to absolutely check with the host before you book because some listings will say they allow pets but in reality they do not. We learned this the hard way when we arrived in Jakarta with 7 pieces of luggage and two animals (I was exhausted and sick as a dog with pneumonia..no pun intended) and the hotel we had booked through Agoda turned us away because they decided recently to not allow pets in the hotel and never bothered to change their policies online. We got stuck in their lobby for 4hrs desperately looking for a place to stay, with zero assistance from Agoda (never ever ever using them again), and this is when we came across Fraser Place.
It was honestly the longest two weeks of my life. Imagine a city in which you can’t take your little pooch out for a walk without constantly running into issues from security and random people on the street. This was the case in Jakarta. dogs aren’t allowed indoors, on grass, in parks (without diapers). It was stressful to say the least. We could not wait to leave.
Two days before our flights (we had to take two separate flights for reasons I will explain in a moment), the pets underwent a vet check at the official export facility near the airport. And the day of the flight Groovy Transport picked us all up and drove us to the airport. Honestly I cannot tell you how great this company is, they truly went above and beyond. They helped us check our animals in, and babysat us all until we went through the gate.
Saying goodbye in the airport before boarding pooch on the plane
DaVinci settled into his crate. You can see he’s already kerfuffled the training pads.
My partner and I left at the same time but on two separate airlines. Why? Because 99% of flights going from Jakarta to Toronto transit through the United States. The problem with that is that until July 2023 there is a two year ban on animals from rabies-flagged countries landing on US soil, this includes Indonesia. The other issue is that after landing in the US passengers switch to a much smaller plane which does not allow pets in the cargo hold, making it impossible to continue the journey to Canada from the United States by air and it being illegal to do so by land. So my only option was to fly KLM (the same airline I flew with my first dog 20 years ago), which made a transit through Amsterdam and flew direct to Toronto bypassing the States. I grumbled as I purchased the most expensive 33hr one way 2 stop ticket in my life to fly the Dutch airlines with my dog. My ticket cost roughly $1700 USD and I had to pay 450 Euro extra to board my dog into the cargo hold. My partner and our cat flew Korean Air, his ticket was much more budget friendly and the cat was allowed to fly in the cabin. Why couldn’t my 5.9kg dog fly in the cabin? He could, but the crate size regulations did not allow the crate to be put under the seat in the cabin so by default the dog couldn’t stay in the cabin. there’s a caveat to this rule. Usually in KLM, service dogs and I believe emotional support animals (that have officially been recognized as such) are allowed to fly in the cabin, however no dog is allowed inside the cabin originating from Jakarta (likely for religious reasons). If your head is spinning from all these rules, imagine what we went through.
Before takeoff I asked the KLM staff to check if Da Vinci was loaded onto the plane. They were lovely enough to show me a photo of the crate strapped in place in the cargo hold.
Tips for flying with your pet
Talk to you vet and make sure your pet is healthy enough to fly and is allowed to fly. Some breeds are not allowed to fly cargo due to health issues.
Reserve and book your flights well in advance because the airline will need time to file a request to accommodate the transport of a live animal.
Find out the crate size specifications of the airline you are flying, make sure the pet has adequate access to water through a clip-on bottle.
Acclimate your pet to the crate (if they’re flying in the cargo hold). We did this by leaving the crate open at our residence for a week prior to the flight and throwing snacks into it regularly to get our pooch used to coming in and out of the crate.
Line the crate with training pads in case your pooch needs to relieve themselves during the flight. Tape them to the walls. You can put a soft blanket underneath to keep them comfortable.
For those of you having to fly your pet in the cargo hold of an airplane, make sure the cargo hold is pressurized and temperature controlled. Always make airline staff aware that there is a dog on board. You’d think they’d know but a few staff I spoke to had no idea.
It is also not recommended to fly your dogs during summer or winter months because the plane can get very hot or very cold. The cargo hold is not as insulated as the cabin.
Short nose breeds are generally not allowed to fly in cargo and while our Great Dane was sedated for the flight all those years ago, it is currently not advised to sedate dogs before the flight because they can have trouble breathing at altitude.
It is recommended to feed your dog 6 hours before a flight so they have time to relieve themselves before boarding.
The first leg of my flight was spent in the very back of the plane right above the cargo hold and for 10 minuted before liftoff I could hear poor Da Vinci crying and howling right below my seat. It was gut wrenching. It was the longest one and a half hour flight of my life. I closed my eyes and prayed that he’d be ok. Da Vinci has separation anxiety and he’s very sensitive and as the plane roared its engines and swayed and hopped around in turbulence I was going ‘Please, please, please….’. We landed in Singapore with a thud and I could in my imagination almost see my dog being thrown inside his cage into the front grill as the airplane engaged it’s brakes. Please be ok.
In Singapore everyone had to leave the plane until we boarded again in 2hrs time with a crowd of new passengers. My mind was so distraught I left my iPad in the pocket in front of my seat. When we boarded again, I was surprised and perplexed to find it there. The 10.5 hour flight to Amsterdam was emotionally, psychologically and mentally painful. Halfway through the flight I had completely burnt myself our from anxiety and surrendered to ‘whatever will be, will be’. Please little guy, be ok. I could not longer hear him but time to time my mind played tricks on me and I’d mistake every squeal from the plane for him crying below.
DaVinci’s crate was taken off the plane in Amsterdam and I got to make sure he was ok.
When we arrived in Amsterdam I stayed behind to watch his crate be taken off the airplane. A massive weight lifted off my heart when I saw him moving inside the crate. He was ok. We had made it halfway. Inside the airport I replayed memories of our first trip with our dog. It was that very airport, where we had transited from Almaty to Toronto. Even 20+ years later Schiphol International was filled with M&Ms ads. I remembered my mom buying me a little M&M toy from the duty free on my right and smiled.
Upon having my boarding pass printed I discovered that I got upgraded to Business Class. What a blessing … I didn’t have to spend the next 10 hours sandwiched in a crowd of passengers, I could finally rest. As I settled into my little cubicle I thanked the heavens for this much needed reprieve. Our plane did not leave for another hour and a half because they had to remove 20 pieces of luggage off the aircraft due to some passengers not being able to make the flight. But munching on delicious dutch cheese, with a glass of wine in my hand I didn’t care. I just made sure that my pooch was ok and started watching a fantastic film titled ‘ A Thousand Years of Longing’ starring Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton.
The plane soon took off and I spent the next ten hours blissfuly cuddled under a blanket enjoying the gourmet food and drinks on the menu. However, because we can’t always have nice things, my landing and reunion with my dog at Pearson International Airport in Toronto were not an experience I ever wish to repeat again.
Upon arriving at the baggage claim I went over to the KLM desk manned by one woman representative of the airline and asked her where I should go to pick up my family dog. At this point he had been in the crate for 35 hours. She motioned to a gate down the hall and told me to wait there. After waiting for 30 minutes I was urged by airport staff to ask her again, so I did. The first two times I asked her about where to go to get Da Vinci she ignored me (literally, not even turning her head even though I was 5 inches away from her). The third time she snapped ‘after all these passengers get their bags you’ll get your dog’. I stood there almost on the verge of passing out from exhaustion and wondered if this is the usual KLM business class service experience.
I went back to the fragile item conveyor and waited for another 30 minutes. After a while I saw her marching towards me with a paper. She handed me the paper saying that Da Vinci was in another building outside of the airport and that I had to call them and go there to pick him up. Now I started getting angry. I explained to her that there is no way he was taken off premises because I know that all dogs checked into cargo hold arrive at baggage claim (as per previous experience) and furthermore I had no working local phone. She started getting angry with me and raised her voice demanding receipts. I gave her all the customs paperwork and my ticket. No, she screamed, give me the receipts, otherwise your dog is in cargo and I can’t do anything for you. What receipts? I felt like I was going mad. Why was this KLM representative being so rude and why did they not want to help me? Then a random airport worker, an older lady entered the conversation and started telling me to calm down to which I retorted ‘don’t you dare speak to me that way, I want my dog, where is he?’. As we were in the middle of the exchange a young women approached me showing me her tickets and asking me where her luggage was. Now I started losing it … ‘don’t talk to me, I don’t fucking work here’ was the best reply I could muster up after which the older random airport worker switched on her best patronizing polite Canadian tone and said ‘Oh you’re a rude one eh’ … yeah well, it’s been a long day lady.
And by the way, I’m recording this dumpster fire on video. So random airport worked promptly makes her exit and the incompetent KLM lady finally realizes that the receipt are actually called ‘luggage tags’ and that I’ve had them in front of her face all along, along with the rest of the information about my dog. Her tone changes and she suddenly starts trying to be helpful and actually do her job. Meanwhile I stand there wondering why people in Indonesia - a second/third world nation are more competent, professional and better at their jobs by miles. Welcome back to Canada.
I am asked to wait for 30 more minutes while they retrieve Da Vinci from cargo or wherever it is that they had sent him by mistake. I have no nerve capacity left to cry or be angry. I just nod in compliance. Nearly two hours after my flight lands I am finally reunited with my poor baby puppy who had at this point been in a crate for 37 hours.
I prepare myself for going through customs, for you never know what they’ll come up with next to make your day just a little but harder at Pearson International Airport. But the airport Gods seem to have agreed that I paid my penance for whatever sin I had committed and put me in front of a nice young Korean agent who briefly glances at the pile of paperwork I nudge in front of him and asks me if Da Vinci is my personal animal. ‘Oh yes Sir, very very personal’, I reply, immediately realizing how suss and stupid it probably sounds. ‘I’m sorry sir, I haven’t slept for two and a half days, and they just lost him in the airport, I just got him back, yes’. He looks at me, then the paperwork, then Da Vinci. ‘Look, normally there’s a fee you have to pay, but our systems are down so go ahead you’re cleared’. ‘Are you sure? That’s it?’, I ask. My brain is like ‘Deniz shut the fuck up, just go’. I’m too tired. I wheel the cart carrying four bags and a crate out of the customs area and text my mom that we are good to go. Outside I use my eyebrow tweezers to snap the restraints on Da Vinci’s cage and take him out to hug him. Little guy. I promptly realize that he hadn’t peed or pooed in 38 hours, poor thing, so I promptly take him to relieve himself.
Then I call my boyfriend and find out that him and kitty missed their connecting flight in New York and have to wait for another 6 hours to get on another plane. Flying with animals … it’s great.
Honestly, I was really grateful that my experience of flying with a dog literally across the world was good, in a sense that he was delivered to me safe and healthy. some pets are not so lucky. There have been many incidents of pets getting injured or dying during flights much shorter than the one I took. So you have to take every precaution, and I don’t recommend putting your beloved pet through this kind of stress unless you’re literally moving countries. If we were going to Canada for less than 6 months I would’ve left the pets there with someone I would’ve hired to care for them.
Two days later, pooch is settling in quite well. He is having a bit of appetite issues. Beside moving to an entirely new continent and climate, he has also completely switched food brands, as we were not allowed to bring pet food to Canada from Indonesia. So it was a hard switch. I went to Petsmart the other day and spent $250 on premium food, snacks and a new harness to make him feel better. He is slowly getting used to it. If your dog has appetite issues after travelling, it’s normal.
Our kitty is settling in well with my partner who is currently two hours away from Toronto in his hometown. He doesn’t seem to have appetite issues at all. We haven’t seen one another since we left Jakarta but there’s a dinner scheduled for tomorrow night.
I hope this article helped those of you who are wondering what flying with pets feels like. If you have any questions, especially about the process of exporting pets from Indonesia, don’t hesitate to reach out. I know it’s a very big thing to be doing so I’d be happy to help put your mind at ease thefearlessnomad@gmail.com
In Partnership with Tropical Nomad Coworking Space