Flying with your Parrot!

Hello everyone!

I've had my African Grey since I was 12 years old, I'm now 26 and I'm hoping to move abroad for a while at the start of next year.

I am really wanting to hear from other people who've taken parrots (preferably Greys) on aeroplanes before. I've heard that all Greys are nervous, and my bird is certainly that. This makes me really concerned about putting him through the ordeal of 'cargo'.

Has anyone here done this before? If so, I would really love to hear from you, I'd really appreciate hearing your story and how your bird coped with it, or whether anyone thinks it's a bad idea. I've only flown once before myself (and I was nervous!) so maybe I'm overthinking it? The flight I would be taking lasts up to 3 hours.

Thank you!

I wouldn't ship as cargo. Do the carry on , i'd use a "pet Carrier" that passes airline approval. You would need to start checking with the airline long before you buy a ticket. BTW Delta seems to be one of the more pet friendly airlines.

I was going to suggest a carry on, too. Good luck!!

MY friend did carry on when she flew from Texas to South Carolina on a routine basis. The carrier had to be small enough to fit under the seat or in the overhead compartment. Eventually I think she had to buy a seat for the bird as regulations changed. This bird was a good traveler, though, and entertained fellow passengers with her talking. The owner always made sure she took non-stops flights and paid extra for this. I believe she always flew Delta.

Talk with the airline and see what they require as regulations have changed in the recent years. You can help prepare your bird by taking short trips in the car in the carrier. Get an avian exam before the trip to make sure your bird is healthy enough for the flight-a health certificate may be required anyway. See what the regulations are in the country you are going to, and if they require an isolation period which can be costly.

Good luck with your move!

Thanks a lot for your responses guys, I'm actually in the UK (shoulda said - hoping to move to Budapest) but I think that British Airways allow carry-ons from what I've read today. That gives me some confidence to read that Tessie, thanks.

If you are moving to a new country, you may have different difficulties. Most countries have animal import guidelines that require quarantine procedures. In those cases, the carry on option wouldn't be an option. I think everyone assumed you were flying within a country, not outside of one.

Beryl- I'm living in Canada and moving to the UK with my conure at the end of the year.

While BA may allow carry-ons leaving the country, there is a country-wide ban on importing birds to the UK in the cabin. Therefore, when you move back, she has to be checked baggage.

I would recommend speaking to an international pet carrier who can recommend an airline and who can help you obtain all the permits you need- you need both import permits from budapest and export permits from the UK, as well as a licence to import birds, and a CITES permit and pet passport. Your bird will need a leg band (or at the very least, if you've had it removed you need to physically have it on you as well as documentation such as a DNA sex cert to prove it belongs to your bird) and/or a microchip.

It's not impossible but it's really complicated.

this is a really helpful website : Air Travel Guide to Shipping Birds

As a pilot for a major U.S. based airline, my recommendation is to travel with your bird in the cabin and avoid shipping it as cargo. The problem is not so much with the cargo compartment (pressurized and air conditioned to a temperate level similar to that of the cabin) but rather the chain of custody between you and the aircraft. Despite the occasional stories of cage doors becoming unsecured allowing escape, the real danger is that of temperature. The cage may be stored or positioned for a period of time before and after boarding in a location sheltered from precipitation but not ambient temperature. Many airlines embargo travel when forecast temps are outside a specific zone.

As far as the aircraft is concerned, every modern airliner has fully pressurized cargo compartments that are temperature controlled by either dedicated controls or by air collected from the passenger cabin. When it is hot outside, the cargo compartment is even hotter when the door is opened during loading/unloading and takes a while to cool down once closed and the engines are started.

While I thankfully don't have personal stories of horror, I have seen some animals exposed to uncomfortably high temperatures when a better solution was available. As with most situations, it is the employees that must care enough to safeguard your precious pets.

While flying from Puerto Rico to Houston, TX, another passenger had an African Grey in a carrier. It was a baby and as long as his space was in closed, he did great. His person offered him water frequently. Of course I had to meet the AG, LOL. Yes he was nervous but so cute.

Personally I will never use cargo for animals. I flew with United a lot, they have a pet service, but they have had more issues than I'd like to see in Houston, TX which is where I live. Also I remember a couple of trips where I was on an Embraer and they loaded dogs in cargo. On an Embraer it's at the back of the plane and under. We could hear the dogs crying the whole trip. They were OK, but they hated the trip. I want my friend with me in the cabin so much so, I gave my seat up to a Labrador so his person didn't have to move. He was a service dog, anxiety help, and a sweety.

Regardless see if you can get him in the cabin. Call your vet and see if they can provide documentation to get him in the cabin, airline too. I've been on many flights to Canada, one with a cat that got out of his carrier are take off and people did the wave from the front to the back of the plane, lol. It ended with the flight staff announcing, "if you lost a kitty,we have him in the rear galley with us" lol!

Scott- I wonder, how long, roughly, is the time that animals could be exosed to 'uncomfortably' high temperatures before takeoff and the air conditionaning/ temperature control sets in?

My worry for her was that it would get too cold during flight, but since the cargo hold is temp controlled I guess this wouldn't be an issue?

Do you think travelling during moderate temperature times of year (fall or early spring) would alleviate the problem of too-high temperatures?

It can be a while. Several years ago, before United started their pet program, a pet was loaded on the baggage cart in preparation for loading and sat for more than an hour on the Tarmac waiting for the plane to arrive and load. I don't know the exact time but this was in Houston during the summer and it is very hot here. It was aired on the news, the pet died. Now that is extreme, but mishaps do happen. Airline staff have a lot of responsibilities and in this case as others, they did their jobs and the pet unfortunately died. Also think of the volume of people, flights, etc that go through airports.

I have traveled with my pets and I keep them with me, that way you are with them, you are aware of their needs, you are handling their treatment, and you know how they are doing. No ill against the airline staff, but they have so many duties and when priorities come up, they have to respond to those and our pets are not theirs. If you can keep your pet with you, you will both be happy.

Question, where are you looking to move?

I'm moving back to England from Canada. As I said earlier, it's not possible to bring any pet in-cabin into the UK, so she has to go as checked baggage unfortunately

EnglishMuffin said:

Scott- I wonder, how long, roughly, is the time that animals could be exosed to 'uncomfortably' high temperatures before takeoff and the air conditionaning/ temperature control sets in?

My worry for her was that it would get too cold during flight, but since the cargo hold is temp controlled I guess this wouldn't be an issue?

Do you think travelling during moderate temperature times of year (fall or early spring) would alleviate the problem of too-high temperatures?

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Airlines generally board animals just before closing the cargo pit unless it's a really nice day around 60F/15C. The problem with hot days is the aircraft are generally cooled by external air provided by a system mounted on the jetbridge with mediocre results. It will be hotter in the cargo pit because the door is opened for loading. The APU (Auxiliary Power Unit, a small jet engine generally mounted in the tail) is typically not started until about 15 minutes prior to departure, but once engaged does a great job of cooling. During engine start all of the APU air is diverted to the engine-start mechanism, and once the engines are started the cargo pit begins to cool nicely. Sometimes the temp won't reach 70F/20C for a good half hour or so. Unfortunately the push for fuel efficiency reduces APU usage on the ground, and we often taxi with just one engine running - that generally means the air conditioning is not as effective.

I haven't seen too much difficulty with cold weather; seems most aircraft are easier to heat than to cool. Older aircraft had various switches necessary to provide cargo temp control, and the failure to flip a switch could spell disaster. Thankfully it is fully automatic on just about every commercial airliner save for some third-world operators.

Shipping via cargo hold is safest during spring/fall comfortable temps, but I frankly would not wish to ship an animal by air unless in the passenger cabin.

I'll give one recent example: Last summer I noticed a kennel on the ground next to the baggage loader. It was a sweltering humid day as I approached the handler to ask how long the dog was outside. His quote was "if it's OK for me to be out here it's OK for the dog to be outside." Really?? Really?? Our employer uses air conditioned trucks to transport animals from a holding room to aircraft. I took the dog in small carrier into the cockpit to cool off. Near departure time, a ramp worker came to place him in the aft cargo compartment - it registered 105F!! No way was I going to sanction that, knowing it would not cool to an acceptable level for at least 30 to 40 minutes. A few phone calls later I obtained permission to keep the dog in the cabin below an empty seat - there was no shortage of passengers asking to "babysit" during the flight!

Incidentally, I once flew a flight with a Falcon, the USAF mascot in the cabin. The Falcon was hooded and tethered to the handler's wrist, and was placed above a newspaper on the lap. Postflight, I asked how the bird behaved. Very well, and he leaned well forward during the acceleration of takeoff. The talons left a lasting impression - huge in proportion to the bird!!

I spoke to my vet recently as my parents have moved to Switzerland and was given the impression that, all a bird would need is a pet passport, like my dog has, but I haven't taken it further yet.

If i was flying my parrot as checked baggage in the cargo ,,,,I'd get the insurance !! Of course you would need a vet check to certify it was healthy enough to fly. The Airlines have a lot of respect for the insurance companies and will look after your pet. many have been "burned" in the past and require and vet check before insuring the parrot. This of course leads to many regulations that the carrier(airline) has to follow. Things like water,contact numbers , etc. Once again i'll bring up Delta airlines. If possible i'd book though them. Back in the day i used Continental and had good service with them also. I'd push for the carry on but the cargo is pretty safe and i've shipped many baby amazons that way. Many years ago i brought many zons/macaws back on Military Charter flights from central/south america. They all flew in the cargo section. never had an issue with shipping, Customs ,,YES. I've heard horror stories but never have seen that. I ship early in the AM and have them arrive before close of business in the PM. That gives me a chance to solve issues during Business hours and avoids overnight issues. BTW i know Delta/Continental will only ship pets if the temp at unloading/unloading is within a certain range. Insurance will help, they are scared to death of insurance claims.

there are no airlines that will let you fly trans-atlantic with a bird in the cabin. I've searched over and over. And the only carrier that flies direct to my nearest airport in the UK is air transat, so i've booked with them, but have to call tomorrow to get sootie registered on the flight. She has to be dealt with by a pet carrying company

EnglishMuffin said:

there are no airlines that will let you fly trans-atlantic with a bird in the cabin. I've searched over and over. And the only carrier that flies direct to my nearest airport in the UK is air transat, so i've booked with them, but have to call tomorrow to get sootie registered on the flight. She has to be dealt with by a pet carrying company

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Unless things have changed in the last six months, I don't think this is true. The problem is that you can't fly into the UK with animals, of any kind, in the cabin. When I was looking into the possibility last year, it seemed to me that I could fly from the US to Paris (and many other EU countries) with my parrot in the cabin, and then get to the UK on the ferry. But that last step involved having a car on the ferry. Very complicated, but worth it in my opinion. I know people have done it successfully, but I would not risk putting a parrot into cargo.

Ferry over the channel is even worse than planes for pets.the rocking of the boat causes car alarms to go off and there is no climate control. Animals die pretty much every day on those crossings, it's a very common issue.