Dog Shipping via American Airlines - Page 1

Wondering what others have experienced with American Airlines...

The last 2 times I've shipped a dog...I've used or tried to use American Airlines...I've shipped dogs via Airlines for a long time and all over the world...but using American Airlines has definitely put a different twist on the subject of Shipping a Dog via an Airline...

Thought I'd pass along some of my experiences with American Airlines....
I had my Health Certificate...My crate was of the Correct Size (and they would accept this size)...Had Food to tape ontop of the crate...Water/Food bowels inside crate in place...

Well...They asked for the Original Copy of the Health Certificate...I've never ever been given the original copy and in fact it says right on the Health Certificate that the Pink Copy (not the first/original copy) was to accompany the dog/animal...

Then they asked for a Letter of Acclimation (I guess the Note of Acclimation right on the Health Certificate isn't good enough for them...) So each time I had to call my vet from the airport and ask them to write and FAX a new letter of acclimation...even though the 2nd time I tried to use American Airlines I did ask the vet to write a letter of acclimation...but this wasn't good enough for them...

Then they said my crate wasn't clean enough for them...That I'd have to wash it (now I was inside the airport...not at a Cargo area)...

Then they told me I'd have to put more paper on the bottom of the crate that there wasn't enough because they could see a bare spot on the floor of the crate (Everytime I'd put more paper in on the floor...the dog would scratch it back up)...

By this time I was fumming...

Then they said that the dog smelled...I told them that the dog took at shit in the crate on the 2 hour drive to the airport...That when I arrived at the airport I took the crate out of the car I cleaned the newspaper that was soiled and replaced it and even put a bunch more paper in it because I know how they were the last time...I had nothing else (like a cleaner) to clean it with...So they told me to take the crate down to the Men's Room and clean it up...I did just that...I rolled the dog and crate to the Men's Room even took the dog out and asked someone to hold the dog for me while I crawled inside and used paper towels and liquid soap to wipe the inside (again)...I even tried to wipe down the dog...
...so I then rolled the crate and dog back to the American Airlines Cargo Office (inside the airport) and they then told me that the dog still smelled and that I'd have to take the dog home...wash her and the crate... ... ...Now smoke was coming out my ears by this time... ... ...So they told me that I COULDN'T ship her that day...

So my conclusion is that I WILL NEVER use American Airlines again...NEVER!

By the way...as I was trying to think what I was going to do...I passed the Delta Airlines Cargo Office...So I pulled in and took the dog and crate in and asked them if they had a flight to where I needed and if they'd take the dog...And...YES...I explained what had happened with Brand X Airlines...
They said the dog smelled a little like a dog but no problem...So I ended up flying/shipping the dog on-time...

Has anyone else had an experience with American Airlines...?

~Bob~

Q man, they are the worst , I think they don't want to ship dogs, but don' t want to really say it..put many roadblocks regardless when you have everything right,my experience and some of my friends.

i have used American Airlines for the first time in Nov 2011, the only problem i had is there was a crack in the crate , so they would not take the crate, i went and got a new one and all was well, no other problems , they were pretty nice too me, it was a small airport, i wonder if the big airports are alot worst. i usually go with Delta, but they are very high in price.

I've used all the airlines over the past years, now will only use Delta as a last resort b/c they are almost double in price. I've had great results with Continental, and never had a problem with American either.

What Depot did you use Q?
I ship ALL my dogs/puppies on American and they DO take the acclamation cert on the health cert. I have always gotten the original for them and on my HC it says White (original) goes with the animal and the yellow goes to the shipper. Yes, the crate does have to be clean and it also takes me 2 hrs to get to Chicago Ohare from where I live. Sometimes I've had motion sick puppies and sometimes poopers and peeers, but I've learned to take a ton of extra newspaper and dog wipes with just in case. I absolutly LOVE American! I've shipped probably 100+ dogs with them and never a problem. I am in and out in less than 20mn usually. Can't say that about ANY others I've delt with.
Debby

I also just read a clip on the 'net that said Delta has had many more dog deaths in 2011 than any other airlines, so again, like I said before, I will ONLY use Delta as a last resort. I'm about an hour from my airport, so have gotten into the habit of taking the dog/pup to be shipped in a seperate crate for the trip, and have the one that I'm actually going to ship the dog in ready and clean so when I arrive at the airport, I just transfer the dog/pup from the first crate into the clean one that's going to be shipped, that way if anyone gets sick/dirties the crate, they get cleaned up and put into a clean fresh crate for the actual travel, it's worked wonders for me doing that.