Air travel preferred for pet relocation

It costs up to Rs 3 lakh to send a pet to an international destination, and Rs 20,000 to an Indian one

The rates to transport pets by air are at a never-before high, but road transport, although cheaper, is something pet parents aren’t so sure about.

The fare for international travel can vary from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh for a medium-sized dog. Domestic travel is usually within Rs 20,000.

Many airlines charge Rs 94 per kg on domestic routes, and rates vary on the basis of destination, route, and size of the crate. SpiceJet’s rates begin at Rs 74 per kg.

For international flights, the rates are between Rs 520 and Rs 1,500 per kg. These are the charges airlines collect, and only a part of the overall cost of relocating a pet by air.

Road experience

When software engineer Jenny found she was going to be working from home for months, she decided to adopt a pet. She lives in Bengaluru. A friend’s dog had given birth, and the pups were in Tamil Nadu. After many enquiries, she came to the conclusion that the best way to transport a pup would be to send it by bus. Because of a last-minute change of route by the bus driver, a drive that should have taken 10 to 11 hours took 20 hours and the bus came only till the state border.

“I didn’t realise that I would have to cross over to another state to pick up the pup. I didn’t have a pass or anything, but the police were generous enough and let me back into the city without insisting on a quarantine,” she says.

Anand Vishwanath of Anvis Pet Relocation says many pet parents see flying as a faster and safer bet. “We don’t recommend road travel as acquiring permissions is difficult,” he says.

Air India and SpiceJet are pet-friendly airlines that transport pets domestically. Not many international flights are operational at the moment, and that makes flying pets out of the country challenging. Anvis Inc has sent pets to Singapore, the UK and the US.

Global Pet Relocation has transported 70 pets in the last couple of months. CEO Prathaban says, “In some countries, pets are required to be in an institutional quarantine. So far we’ve only seen Singapore offer such a facility.”

Parvathy N moved to Canada six months ago and has been trying to get home her golden retriever since March. She says, “But then the pandemic hit. The price that was initially quoted kept varying as each week passed. At one point, I felt I wouldn’t be able to bring him home at all. Thankfully, things were finally sorted out last week and Bruno reached Canada last week.” She paid Rs 3,25,000 for a Bengaluru-Toronto ticket for her pet.

Prathaban points out that due to lack of international flights, many animals have had to go on cargo flights, which may take longer.

“Fares always depend on the size of the dog and the destination, and rates have gone up since the pandemic broke out. No one has a say in any of this as the pandemic has affected us all,” he says.

There is no travel insurance for pets and the airlines always insist on a no-liability agreement, says Anand.

Many who travelled out of the city had left their dogs at boarding homes. The home then flew them out to their parents’ locations.

Trained ahead

Parents have to buy an International Air Travel Association-specified crate for their pets.

Airlines have staff to take care of the pets from the time they reach the airport to when they are on board the plane. The animals are trained in advance to be comfortable in a crate for long hours; this is the responsibility of pet parents. Feeding pets just before a flight is not a good idea. They don’t encourage transporting puppies as it may not be safe for them.