Another great PetSafe flight

rob in scottsdale

Our 2 year old mini-Aussie had his second United/PetSafe flight a week ago. It went seamlessly. First, I could park right next to the PetSafe office at EWR free-of-charge as they checked in my dog. Next, they let me board in zone 4 instead of zone 7, so I wouldn't have to check a bag, then upgraded me to business economy, even though I have no points status. The PetSafe van pulled up next to my window after I was seated and stayed there until just before they loaded my dog and we took off. A flight attendant came over and told me that my dog had been boarded and that the pilot was aware. On landing, before any human got off the plane, a PetSafe van raced to the side of the plane and my dog was taken off the plane. After I got off the plane, I went immediately to the cargo area where my tired but calm dog awaited. The only tips I would give are (a) don't check bags, (b) ask for confirmation that your pet has boarded if they don't do it on their own, and (c) TAKE THE SAME FLIGHT AS YOUR PET! If you get confirmation that your pet is on the plane, you're good to go. If not, someone is going to ask around so your pet is not sitting on the tarmac or in a cargo area somewhere, missing the flight. It's commonsense, but necessary. Our recent flight was returning from a lengthy stay back East and the trip there was equally seamless.

Dog flew as cargo

Debbie in Orlando

I had to relocate a 4 year old Japanese Chin from Michigan to New Jersey, I live in Florida, I contacted Uniteds Toll free number 18005753335, several times, every person I spoke to was very knowledgable. The dog flew from Saginaw to Chicago, and then from Chicago to Newark, and actually arrived 25 minutes early. When we went to pick him up in Newark, he was exactly where I was told he would be. If you have to fly a pet alone, I would strongly recommend United Airlines Petsafe program. Thank you for caring about the safety of animals.

Mari410

Linda in Falcon, Co

We have flown many times on United with our very little Chihuahua girl, and she loves to go! She has frequently slept in my arms wrapped in her pink baby blanket except for take off and landing when we have to put her in her carrier under the seat in font of us. I wish for small dogs like her she could be held on her leash in our arms the whole trip. She is quieter than most babies carried on for sure!

Awesome!!

Emily in Phoenix

We are a military family, and moving with our dogs is common. We flew United from Seattle to Frankfurt, Germany(via Chicago) and I cannot say enough good things about United and their staff. They made sure Newmie was on the plane, at least 10 times and the co-pilot even took a picture of him with his cell:) They gave him water in Chicago and even talked to him while waiting to load. I absolutely recommend them!

Dog

Sandon in Stockton, CA

We traveled with our Irish Setter from San Francisco to San Diego and back. Process went very well (As described on UA's Website) We were given confromation that our dog was onboard (brought to our seat) Dog reached baggage claim before we did. The service exceeded our expectations!

Good experience.

Mary in Philippines

Had my poodle shipped as cargo from Philippines to Atlanta, total of 4 day transit which is suppose to be just 3 days,Flights were delayed but he had too much lay over time to catch his next flights. We talked to the cargo supervisor in Houston airport where the dog was held and she was very helpful she even instruct us to file for a refund to the united cargo for not making it to the contract. She also assured us that my dog was in good condition. My dog was fed and walked, Didn't even peed on his bed. But he is traumatized from the long flight. Travelling is never easy for pet he never wants to go inside his kennel again. When you travel your pet make sure your pet breed is capable of being in long flights otherwise you are sending your pet to its death. And It depends which airports holds the pet. Some airports treat animals better while some not. We payed 1000usd for less than 30kgs pet. Hopefully we get the refund soon. I would recommend this program for owners who are desperate to be with their pets like me.. Because it can be a 50/50 chance that you'll be with your pet again.

lax to Hartford CT

Irene in Springfield MA

Very nervous to send our 20lb dog in a kennel across the US. one hour lay over in Washington Dulles. Getting out of LAX was delayed 1.5 hours so i called Petsafe to find out what would happen as it looked like our dog would miss the connection. they assured me they would kennel off site and ship first flight next morning. Gave me the flight info for the next day. Got a call from the same person i spoke to at Petsafe. the connection got delayed so my dog did make the flight and we were able to pick up that night (at midnight) Seemed like they were in complete control and every counter person i had contact with from the Petsafe 800 number to the baggage pick up in CT were very nice and extremely helpful.

Cost!!

Snicker in IND

I think the service is great. I do not understand why it costes so much for something so small, on the floor as a carryon, to cost so much extra. My lap top weights more. Also sometimes the fare is more for her than myself..Could I buy her a seat? At least get puppie] miles.

flying with my poodle on United

Patti in Massachusetts

I flew with my 6 lb. toy poodle. She is a very calm dog and sat on my lap throughout the flight. The attendants were wonderful. My only complaint was I paid what I thought was somewhat of a high amount of $$ to have her fly with me ($165.00). And I was charged a lesser fee for the flight home. Other than that it was a wonderful experience.

Frequent Flyer

Camilla in Dublin Ca

I ship dogs frequently and base my airline choice on the most direct flight available on behalf of the dog. I find that United nearly always has 30+ minute wait times just to book your flight and once you are at the shipping counter, the rules change depending on which counter personnel you are dealing with. Once the dog is actually on the plane, the service has been fairly reliable and the price is reasonable when compared with other airlines. I do not understand why their pricing is different than Continental (the company with which they have merged ) If they are merged, their prices should be the same.

Plane "too small"

Jessica in Sacramento

I have always flown United and have never had a problem up until today. I have a two year old Maltipoo is less than 10lbs, and can fit in my purse. Today I was told that not all "segments" of my trip accept in cabin animals. Basically, the guy told me that the plane is too small. TOO SMALL??? He's 10lbs and smaller than my purse!!! i dont understand...so now I can't take him with me back home to Montana and he's my baby. Anyone with a pet understands the way Im feeling...very frustrated!!!!

Procedure has changed!!!!!!

Susan in Palo Alto

Due to United's merger with Continental their pet travel policy has changed and no longer can a pet fly as checked baggage. It must go as cargo which means a separate stop at the air cargo location to drop the pet off when you leave and a separate stop at air cargo to pick the pet up when you arrive. We are having to deal with this soon when we take our cat back from Hawaii to California this weekend. There's lots more paperwork. The cargo people here on Maui are swamped and have started asking people to come in early to pre check their animals. I just did that today. They are doing the best they can but it is extremely inconvenient. Plus it is hard on our cat. We're hoping for changes soon or we won't be flying United anymore, at least not with a pet! So sad. They used to be wonderful.

Frequent Flyer Fido

Natasha in Los Angeles & Zurich

I take my 20 pound min Pin back & forth from LA to Zurich often on United. he is too big to fit under the seat in front of me and has seizures when he becomes very upset so I do nto want to check him in as corgo. I've circumvented this issue in the past by purchasing myself 2 economy seats (as an obese person would do) and placing him on the seat next to me in his carrier. At first, the United crew always tell me to put him on the floor until they realize I have bought both seats. They are always suprised but let me keep him next to me. He loves being with me and is happy as long as I am there. he makes no noise and sleeps the entire 22 hours, even during transit. However, I now booked a First class seat thinking I could put him on my lap and United said I have to check him in! I believe if I pay $15000 for a ticket, I should be able to show up naked with a pet monkey if I want :( I am getting a letter from my vet saying he shouldn't be checked in for rist of seizure. I hope that does the trick. If not, I won't be able to fly United anymore and will have to switch to an alterntive airline which permits pets on International flights in cabin.

In cabin rate

J in Columbus

I would like to know why it costs me $125 to carry my dog on the plane with me where I will care for it myself and not require anything from the airline but you can take a child under 2 years old as a lap child and its free...I find it ridiculous since it will cost us $250 (for the round trip) which is more than I am paying for the dog itself! This is just a stupid way get money out of people

incorrect information

Sandy in Bozeman

We called the number on the united web site to arrange a reservation for out bassett to travel alone to Vermont from Montana. We had the confirmation number we were given but when we got to the airport they had no clue how to check the dog in or anything about it or where the confirmation number came from. We waited over an hour and a half for them to figure it out. Once they did they weighed the kennel and the dog and it was 110 lbs. So they would not take him they said 100lbs was the limit. (just how do shepherds and maltese etc get shipped) He flew from Vermont to Bozeman in the exact same kennel and the exact same weight a month before. I called the phone number again, they said they did not have a reservation for him and had not given out any confirmation numbers I never got the number back from the airline which I should have. They said the airline should have been able to take up to 250lbs. but that his kennel was too big, even though that is what he flew to montana in. The airline people at the airport did not question the size of the kennel or measure it or in any way relay to us the kenell was too big. It was a big disappointment and so much misinformation. I still have not found a way to fly him to Vermont. Either he weighs too much or the kenell is too big etc. It is just really frustrating because that is what he had flown in a month prior.

Worst flight experience for my dogs

Donna in Columbia

I have had two interactions with United and Petsafe in the last month. I guarantee they will be my last. Two weeks ago we flew a six month old puppy from Charlotte, NC to Portland, OR with a layover in Chicago. The puppy made it to Chicago fine but with a delay of about 45 minutes. This left only thirty minutes layover before her connecting flight. Upon calling to check on her I was told there was no issue because there was a 5 hour layover. Petsafe had made a typographical error when entering her information and had her scheduled to be loaded onto flight 1680 instead of flight 1608. The confirmation that I was e-mailed was correct. The mistake was made internally after she was checked in. If I hadn't called to check up on her there's no telling what might have happened. This week we flew another dog on the same route, Charlotte, NC to Portland, OR via Chicago. Again things were fine from Charlotte to Chicago. Once he hit Chicago it was a disaster! The person who was to receive the dog in Portland was called by Petsafe saying the dog had been delayed in Newark. (The dog was never, nor was he supposed to be, in Newark). This set off a flurry of phone calls by me trying to find the dog. After checking on United's website there was originally a 12 minute delay on the flight taking off. I called Petsafe to make sure he had been loaded on the plane and was informed that the layover had been extended. It ended up being 3 hours. Over the next 4 hours I received multiple stories about the dog's whereabouts. (1) He had never been loaded on the plane, which means that if the plane had taken off on time he would have missed his flight. (2) He had been loaded on the plane, but then offloaded to another plane. They then changed their minds about putting him on a different flight and putting him BACK on the original plane. (3) He was not going to be offloaded from the plane because they weren't sure how long the delay would be and might not get loaded back on the flight in time. (4) He was offloaded and held in a "ready room" while waiting on the repairs. (5) That he was offloaded and kept in an air conditioned van while waiting. Each of these phone calls required at least a 20 minute hold time to even speak to someone at Petsafe and then a hold of about the same time while they called someone at the Chicago terminal to check on the dog. Needless to say I was pretty sure they had no idea where the dog was and what his condition might be. I was even told by one Petsafe employee "what difference does it make if he's left in the cargo hold. It's not like it's 95 degrees." I finally was transferred to someone physically in the Chicago airport. While I could not talk directly to the person who handled the dog, supposedly she was talking to him via radio. First I was told that around 7:00 pm he was fed, given a treat, taken out of his crate and walked and given ice water. As we had included no food I wanted to know what he was fed. Then I was told he was not fed or given a treat, just given water but he was walked at 1:25 pm and 3:00 pm and his bedding was changed because it was soiled. Eventually the dog did arrive safely. His original bedding was in his crate, unsoiled. Either they were describing some completely random dog to me or just making things up off of the top of their heads. After hours on the phone with Petsafe, United and Chicago Terminal personnel over the next two days I came to the conclusion that they had no idea what was going on. They were in the process of contracting with a company called Spot to take care of the animals. But they only drop the off at the plane. If there is a delay it's up to cargo handlers to deal with them. Supposedly they have a tracking system to know where any animal is at anytime but it did not appear to me to be in effect since they obviously had no idea where my dog was.. Regardless, I found employees of all 3 areas to be not at all helpful, more interested in getting together to come up with a story I might find acceptable instead of actually worrying about the welfare of my dog. They chalked it up to a misunderstanding about procedure and terminology between the new contractors and their employees. I think it's just incompetence..

Second try, still no success with pet safe

Andrea in San Francisco

OK so now for our return flight. See my other posting for our first dreadful flight (petsafe is not safe). Having already purchased the return tickets, we figured we would try again with our dog...Having had the previous troubles flying with our dog, we went out of our way to make sure EVERYTHING was done correctly for the return. Weeks before our travel date, our pet was booked for cargo passage. We printed a copy of his confirmation and confirmed it the night before our flight. We left quite early to ensure a timely arrival at the airport. We arrived at the airport three and a half hours before our flight, and checked our bags with United Airlines, then drove our rental car with our dog to the cargo office near the airport. At that point we were 2 hours and 45 minutes before our flight. The United cargo website suggests arriving only two hours before your flight, but we wanted to make sure there were no problems. Upon arriving at cargo, we brought our dog and his crate inside to check in. They weighed him and his crate and determined the total weight to be 110 pounds. The woman at the counter filled out some paperwork while we waited, but after several minutes, realized she had filled out the wrong paperwork, since the dog weighed over 100 pounds. She said she would fill out the “right” paperwork, and told us to take the dog outside for a walk, and return 90 minutes before the flight. We did as we were told, and returned. At that point we had received an email notification from United airlines that our flight was departing a half hour late. So although we did bring the dog back to cargo 90 minutes before the scheduled departure, he actually had two hours to get to the plane, as there was a flight delay. When we arrived back at the counter, the woman at the desk was still filling out paperwork, and realized that she had AGAIN filled out the wrong paperwork. She was also waiting for some kind of phone authorization to send a dog over 100 pounds. I stood by and waited for her to get the authorization, then waited for her to tape the paperwork to his crate so that he would get to the flight on time. I did not want to leave until the paperwork was on his crate, as there were other dogs in the office and I did not want him to get mixed up with others. She assured me that there was plenty of time (now one hour before scheduled departure), and that the dog would make the flight. We then returned our rental car, and got in the long line at security. While in line, we received a call and email from United airlines that the flight was no longer delayed, it was going to be “on time,” as scheduled. We made it through security and to the gate with just minutes to spare. When we got on the plane, I asked the flight attendant to let me know if our dog had made the flight. I gave her our last name, and a description of the dog. A few moments later, she told me that the captain had received word that “the animals are on board,” with no specifics. So I settled in for our flight to San Francisco. Upon landing in San Francisco, I checked my phone, and had a voicemail and an email from United, explaining that the dog had missed the flight because of a paperwork mixup. Needless to say, I was extremely distraught. We were told that the dog would be on a later flight, and would land three hours after us. So we collected our bags, drove our children home, and then returned to the airport to collect the dog In the only good news of the day, he WAS on the second flight as promised. Next time we travel with our dog it will be on another airline for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PET"SAFE" IS NOT SAFE AT ALL!!!

Andrea in San Francisco CA

We had a horrible experience flying with our dog on United. We purchased tickets in February 2012 for travel in June 2012, before United had instituted its "petsafe" policy. When I booked the reservation, I spoke to a reservation agent to reserve a spot for our dog in cargo (a golden retriever). I was told that he would be "excess baggage" and we should just pay for him at the airport. What I did not know at the time was that in early March, United would change its pet policy, and no longer ship dogs as excess baggage. So in June, we arrived at SFO two and a half hours early for our flight with the dog. We went to check in with our bags and the dog, and my first question to the agents was "where do we go with the dog?" They told me to go downstairs to freight, near the baggage claim, but to check the bags first. We did so, and when we got to freight, there was a complicated shipment in line ahead of us, and I was told to wait. The TSA checked the dog's crate, and we placed the dog in the crate. Still, I was told to wait. I told the United freight representative that I had a flight, and he said not to worry, the dog would go as scheduled. I waited for my turn in freight for over an hour. Meanwhile, my two daughters were getting anxious about the flight, so I sent them ahead to the gate, and I stayed behind with the dog and cat (carry on) to assure that the dog made the flight. When I was finally helped by the freight representative, my flight was just 45 minutes away. He could not find a reservation for my dog, but I told him that when I booked the ticket, I was told to just come with the dog and pay at the airport. The freight rep put me on the phone with United baggage, who explained that I had to go to the cargo building outside the airport, and that United no longer took dogs as excess baggage. My first question to you: WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE TELL ME THAT EARLIER? WHY DID THAT MAN MAKE ME WAIT AN HOUR AND A HALF TO TELL ME THIS? So after this bad news was delivered, United baggage told me via phone that there was a Continental flight an hour and a half after my scheduled United flight, and there was room for my dog on that flight. I would, however, have to leave the airport and take the dog to the Cargo building. I figured I could make it if I hurried. But the problem was that the rest of my family had already boarded the United flight. I called their cell phone and asked them if they were comfortable flying without me. They said that it was not the ideal situation but they were already on the plane, and what could they do, and as long as I would be there an hour and a half after them, they would wait for me in baggage. I was concerned, but I had no choice. So then I had to figure out how to get my dog to cargo. I was told that it was “300 yards from the end of the airport.” So I put the large dog crate, with the dog inside, on a cart, put the cat carrier over my shoulder, and my carry-on bag on my other shoulder, and started pushing the cart and running. I made it pretty far until it was clear that I was lost. So I backtracked and hailed a cab, who took me to cargo. He had never heard of it and we drove around for 15 minutes until we finally found it. He dropped me near the building, and I dragged the 100 pound dog crate, with the cat carrier on one shoulder and my other bag on my other shoulder, past a bunch of staring United employees who did not offer to help. When I got inside, the Continental cargo employee processed the dog on the Continental flight. Only then did I learn that the flight was to HOUSTON, and was not a nonstop flight to Boston. I would have to connect in Houston, as would my dog, for a delay of six hours, and six extra hours in the kennel for my dog. This also meant my family would be sitting in the Boston airport for six hours. There was nothing I could do, so I checked the dog, called United Customer Service to try to get me a seat on the Houston flight, connecting to Boston. Although the dog was all set, it seems the Houston flight was full and there was no room for me. I made my way back to the terminal, and explained my plight to a United representative. She panicked me further by telling me that the dog couldn’t go on the flight because I did not have a confirmed reservation. She tried for 20 minutes to get me on standby, could not figure out how to do it, and finally her supervisor walked over, pushed a button on the screen, said “you forgot to do that,” and got me on standby. So then I made my way with the cat carrier and my carry on, to the farthest possible gate at SFO and explained my plight again to the United representative. Unbelievably, I made it onto the flight on standby. I told the flight attendant to please check on my dog for me, and she did assure me that he had made the flight. Then I hopped on a rental car bus to get a rental car, since I could not pick up my dog in baggage claim as had been the case for the past several years I had travelled with the dog. After waiting in a long line, I got the rental car, and drove to United cargo, outside the airport. After maneuvering my car around dozens of tractor trailers, I found the door to United, and was at last reunited with my dog. AND THEY CALL THIS SYSTEM "Pet Safe?????"

Dec 20, 2012 Most HORRIBLE!!

Bruce in Los Angeles

Dear fellow Pet Owner, If you are considering using United/Continental's PetSafe program to transport your beloved companion, I would strongly advise you to NOT do it based on my first and last experience with them! I had wanted to believe that it would be a positive experience, but it was so far from that. This Petsafe group was the most inept group of individuals I've ever dealt with in my 45 years. I made a reservation with them to travel with my 5 year old Westie/Jack Russel terrier over the Christmas holiday from LAX to Yeager Airport in Charleston, WV. After talking to a Petsafe Agent and telling him where I was traveling to he sent me an itineray that was completely wrong with an incorrect destination. After telling him that it was wrong, he said, "oh yea, that is wrong," He made another reservation with the flights for my dog that went from LAX to Newark to Dulles and then to Charleston's Yeager airport. He said that was the only way to get her into Charleston. He didn't cancel the first reservation blunder which caused more headaches which I won't even get into because that was the least of the problems. You will have to wait at least 30-45 minutes on average to speak to anyone at the helpdesk. When I finally got someone on the phone she was so clueless and could not even comprehend my questions and I finally had to ask to speak to someone else...so another 30 minute wait on hold. Then I was told that my dog that was supposed to be on a 10:45pm flight had not been put on. No good reason was given to me other than" there was no one to do it". I found this out after I landed in Charleston. So my dog sat in the Continental Cargo hold from 8:30pm until 9:30 the next morning. The next agent I spoke with told me she should never have been booked on the flight to Newark and now had her going to Dulles. She finally arrived in Charleston at midnght nearly 27 hours later and was never walked or given food. She had of course urinated in her kennel and did not eat normally again for 4 days with an upset stomach. On our return, back to Los Angeles, we get to the United desk at Yeager Airport to be told that they don't ship dogs.. That there is an embargo until Jan. 1st. Why did they not tell me this when I booked her ticket? How can they not know this? Luckily I was able to get her on a Delta flight thanks to a very nice gentleman who was some kind of airport supervisor...but just barely. And instead of the $267 that it was supposed to cost to fly her back on United I had to pay $460. I had no other choice and was just lucky that there was a plane leaving that would take dogs. She ended up flying back through Atlanta. She was physically fine and is a tough little dog but I will never take a chance again with flying with my dog in Cargo on any plane unless it would be a dire emergency or absolute necessity. I plan on contacting customer service at United and then the Better Business Bureau because this division of United should be closed down. Save yourself the major stress and risk of hurting your best friend and putting a major dent in what should be a time of joy and fun. United/Continental should be ashamed of operating such a horrible operation.

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!!!

Bruce in Los Angeles

Dear fellow Pet Owner, If you are considering using United/Continental's PetSafe program to transport your beloved companion, I would strongly advise you to NOT do it based on my first and last experience with them! I had wanted to believe that it would be a positive experience, but it was so far from that. This Petsafe group was the most inept group of individuals I've ever dealt with in my 45 years. I made a reservation with them to travel with my 5 year old Westie/Jack Russel terrier over the Christmas holiday from LAX to Yeager Airport in Charleston, WV. After talking to a Petsafe Agent and telling him where I was traveling to he sent me an itineray that was completely wrong with an incorrect destination. After telling him that it was wrong, he said, "oh yea, that is wrong," He made another reservation with the flights for my dog that went from LAX to Newark to Dulles and then to Charleston's Yeager airport. He said that was the only way to get her into Charleston. He didn't cancel the first reservation blunder which caused more headaches which I won't even get into because that was the least of the problems. You will have to wait at least 30-45 minutes on average to speak to anyone at the helpdesk. When I finally got someone on the phone she was so clueless and could not even comprehend my questions and I finally had to ask to speak to someone else...so another 30 minute wait on hold. Then I was told that my dog that was supposed to be on a 10:45pm flight had not been put on. No good reason was given to me other than" there was no one to do it". I found this out after I landed in Charleston. So my dog sat in the Continental Cargo hold from 8:30pm until 9:30 the next morning. The next agent I spoke with told me she should never have been booked on the flight to Newark and now had her going to Dulles. She finally arrived in Charleston at midnght nearly 27 hours later and was never walked or given food. She had of course urinated in her kennel and did not eat normally again for 4 days with an upset stomach. On our return, back to Los Angeles, we get to the United desk at Yeager Airport to be told that they don't ship dogs.. That there is an embargo until Jan. 1st. Why did they not tell me this when I booked her ticket? How can they not know this? Luckily I was able to get her on a Delta flight thanks to a very nice gentleman who was some kind of airport supervisor...but just barely. And instead of the $267 that it was supposed to cost to fly her back on United I had to pay $460. I had no other choice and was just lucky that there was a plane leaving that would take dogs. She ended up flying back through Atlanta. She was physically fine and is a tough little dog but I will never take a chance again with flying with my dog in Cargo on any plane unless it would be a dire emergency or absolute necessity. I plan on contacting customer service at United and then the Better Business Bureau because this division of United should be closed down. Save yourself the major stress and risk of hurting your best friend and putting a major dent in what should be a time of joy and fun. United/Continental should be ashamed of operating such a horrible operation.

Travel to Hawaii

Neil in Ames, Iowa

In 2008 and 2009 we traveled from the Mainland to Kona, Hawaii with our pet cat in cabin. However, in 2010, we were told that the state of Hawaii requires the last leg to be in luggage. I told United, sent the information by e-mail and cited United to Hawaii regulations (and Hawaii's website) that the policy of the State of Hawaii had changed in 2007 and no longer requires all pets to go through quarantine in Honolulu and no longer requires that pets arrive in luggage. The then-new "direct release"program allows direct flights into four Hawaiian cities with a minimum of red tape and does not require that the pets arrive in luggage and has not since August of 2007. I am extremely dissatisfied with United's policy and even though I was a 1K before retirement and have flown more than 1.8 million miles with United I am totally frustrated with United's policy (which involves only flights to Hawaii, by the way).

Never use this terrible excuse for a company.

Shelly in Aberdeen, SD

**DO NOT USE PETSAFE** PetSafe is a TERRIBLE company! I have never before witnessed such utter incompetence! I recently moved from the U.S. to Germany and had intended to bring two cats with me, whom my boyfriend and I had spent 6+ months and several hundred dollars prepping for the trip (vaccinations, health certificates, microchips, etc., etc.) and due to finding a cheap flight with United, we opted to go with PetSafe to transport our pets for us. Between the two of us, we contacted PetSafe via phone & email 6 or 7 times getting confirmation numbers and making sure that everything would go smoothly... They set us up with two completely invalid flights for our pets. The airport they were to be shipped from did not even deal with pets, and I found out later that they didn't even ship internationally!! In talking with 7 different people, not a single one of them brought this information up. Instead, we were just constantly assured that everything was as it needed to be. So now our cats are stranded in the States and a lot of the vaccinations and paperwork will need to be completely redone due to deadlines and such... We're out nearly $500 because of their mistakes! And to make matters worse, they are completely refusing to take responsibility and correct the issue. Instead, we have been ignored by them for almost a month and have now resorted to going through the BBB to attempt to get some kind of closure on this deal. This has been the absolute worst customer service I have ever received. I worked in the customer service industry for 5+ years and if any one of us had acted the way this company collectively is acting, we'd have been fired!

Horrible Experience

Nancy in Broad Brook, CT

A reservation was made for the cat’s travel on 12/4/2012 ). The cat was scheduled to depart Bradley on 12/9/2012 at 9:05 a.m., Flight # 1689. He was then scheduled to leave Chicago on Flight # 6256 to Tulsa to his new home. I arrived at the airport at 7:30 a.m. and went to the United Reservations Area. I told the female employee about the reservation. She was very nice and had to call another employee to assist in the process. After completing all necessary paperwork, the woman was going to bring the cat downstairs at the airport for the next step in processing to get him onto the plane. I was told that I could not accompany her downstairs. The time was about 8:20 a.m. at that point and I asked if there was enough time to get the cat on the plane and she said yes. I watched her take him in his crate and I also saw her come back upstairs with no crate as she had obviously brought the cat downstairs. I thanked her again and left the airport. When I checked United’s tracking system online before noon, it stated that my cat had arrived in Chicago. At approximately 2 p.m. EST, the person to whom the cat was going received a call from United stating that the cat had not gone onto Flight 1689. He was now rebooked on Flight 3535 to Dulles and then on to Tulsa on Flight # 3630. The cat finally arrived in Tulsa that night. One of our rescues group’s volunteers did speak with a supervisor Sunday afternoon. Apparently, this supervisor called Bradley and was told that when the second shift employees came in, they saw the crate with the cat in it and let the proper personnel know. 1) Why didn’t someone from United at Bradley call me as I live 10 miles from Bradley to tell me that the cat did not make it on the original flight? I would have simply come back to the airport, brought the cat home and then back again to the airport for the new flight. 2) Where was the cat for those six hours in between flights?? I went back to the airport Sunday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. and went downstairs to the Baggage area. There is a small office there and I spoke with two female employees. One of them said she heard that the cat did not make it on the flight due to time constraints. I was told that morning there was enough time. It is more than clear to me that the poor cat was left sitting around somewhere for six hours unattended and unnoticed until the second shift folks came in. Where did the second shift folks find the cat???? 3) Why did United’s website show that Picasso landed in Chicago? As a side note, I also tried calling the toll free PetSafe phone number Sunday afternoon. I was on hold for 18 minutes and that was disconnected and never got to speak with anyone. I tried again Monday morning, 12/10/12, to contact PetSafe to voice my complaint. I was on hold for 20 minutes. I spoke with a team leader who was less than helpful. All she could tell me is that she was not working yesterday and did not know what happened. She made absolutely no effort to try to find out what happened. That is terrible customer service. I did get her to transfer me to the voicemail of whom I was told is the General Manager for United Airlines at Bradley. I left a message with him and asked him to call me at his earliest convenience to give the details of what transpired Sunday. As of the writing of this review, I have not received a call back from him. I would NEVER recommend United's PetSafe Program. I cannot express how disappointed and concerned I am over United Airlines handling of these travel arrangements.

Double Charged, Forgot Food and Lost Our Dog

Kristine in Grand Rapids

The week of Thanksgiving my family and I were in a serious car accident and rolled our car down a 100 foot cliff. After then finding out thieves had looted the crash site while we were in the hospital and had stolen all of my daughters Christmas gifts that we had just received from family we were vising in California. With my 4 year old daughter, husband and dog inmiles from home I did my homework and researched the car as well, they were showing serious signs of PTSD. I tried to ensure I got the best possible trip home for them given the situation. Being over 2000 airlines and their pet travel, which lead me to book our ticket home with United. We paid thousands of dollars to be over changed, have mechanical/electrical issues on 2 flights, have a flight cancelled, to ride standby with a 4 year old, not sit together, have our dog lost for over 5 hours, have our dogs food forgotten at a United Cargo Facility and overall increased the fear already beset upon a 4 year old and her dog. United has done nothing to show us they are sorry. Not even a sorry has come out of their mouths. Also note that everytime you call PetSafe you have to wait on hold for approx 30 minutes. Finally after 10+ calls while they were trying to locate our dog the supervisor gave me her cell number to by pass the system. Its a joke!

expensive, horrible service

Dan in Divonne

We used frequent flier miles to book a flight on UNITED from Geneva Switzerland to Newark in October 2012. We filled out the UNITED form, and were advised by email to contact a number in Switzerland. It was the wrong number. After several calls, we learned that our dog would need to travel as cargo, and it would cost over $900 one way! This is twice as much as it cost to fly with him from JFK to Geneva a few months earlier, and about the same price as a round trip ticket for a human in economic class. This, despite info on the UNITED website indicating that the cost of flying with a pet on international flights ranges from $250 to $500, depending on the size of the animal. That is very misleading. Our dog weighs about 22lbs (10kgs) and uses a medium sized cage. No one in Geneva or on the plane gave us accurate information about where we could pick up our pet. On the ground we were directed to the PetSafe office, which told us we needed to go to a customs office located miles away, not in any of the terminals. (When we flew with Swiss in the spring, we were able to check him in right where we checked in ourselves. And pay with a credit card - the freight company UNITED referred us to required payment in cash.) In the end, it took us more than an hour to get our pet back after clearing customs and immigration. So for an 8 hour flight, he spent more than 12 hours in his cage. NEVER AGAIN!

PET TRAUMATIZED !!

Sabrina in Italy

Let me start off by saying I will NEVER trust this airline with any pet unless its in cabin with me. My dog was not fed properly nor walked. When a friend finally received him he was in POOR condition! His flight was delayed twice then finally cancelled which was suppose to connect with mine later that day in Baltimore to fly overseas(military)..Our layer over was 10 hrs with plenty of time to connect with our flight... And when asked when he would be in the office area of CARGO told me and my friend the next morning! She called that morning(as I had to leave on orders overseas and couldnt just cancel this flight that has been booked 2 months in advance)to check if he was coming in, they told her yes. Upon arrival to pick him up he was not even on the plane!! Our friend called us furious and found out that they had lied to her and then said he would be in on a night flight. She doesn't exactly live around the corner to be driving back and forth, taking time off work and picking up our dog. Thankfully she did come back and when she FINALLY recieved our dog he was in such poor condition he couldn't even wait to go to the bathroom and relieved himself in the parking lot!!! The kennel stunk of urine and when she finally got to feed him he nearly devoured her hand in the process!! I had only given them 2 servings at the airport cargo area in tampa so how they fed him IDK!! Our dog has never behaved this way and has NEVER urinated in a kennel. He is housebroken which tells me they NEVER WALKED HIM !!! Now we have to sell him because we don't have the means to get him recertified with Health certs/USDA approval papers for overseas travel, which is an hour and half away from our friends Baltimore residence to VIRGINIA and a $1800 flight booked through a pet cargo IPATA member!! This is a NIGHTMARE and its sad that I haven't even heard anything back from this company. They don't care about your pet as long as they get your money!!! My husband(who is in military) and I have called and talked with several employees who says "oh talk to the refund department" "Its the employees word against yours of when hour dog would be in" Um our friend wouldn't have driven ALL that way for nothing if she'd known he wasn't on the plane!!! Got some real genius' working over there in Baltimore!! And I've even called and emailed the company with no reply and its been over a week since this incident occurred!! The lady Joselyn from refund department (if that is her real name)who we spoke with concerning the matter stated she would be getting back in touch with us. SHAME on this company for pretending they are on top of things when they are not OR that our dog was in great hands when now I know this flight has traumatized him. He ate our friends couch from being locked in a kennel for 2 days!! I will continue to fight for my refund EVEN if it means contacting the BBB and President of UNITED!! I will not be silenced!!!! Sincerely, Distraught pet owner

Horrible Program - Fraud

Terry in San Pedro, Belize

This is a terrible program, administered by poor employees and silly bosses. They will NOT answer phone calls, so don't bother. They email, but each time it is a different answer. They told me specifically which kennel to buy, but when arriving to drop off the dog, they then demanded a larger kennel. With no time to go off-site to get one, they charged over 2 times what the kennel would cost in a store. This after they specifically told me which kennel to get based on my pets size measurements (which were accurate.) They have you over a barrel, so they know they can screw you over. Shame on Petsafe, Shame on United for having them, and I have cancelled my frequent mileage program with United and will not fly them ever again due to their horrible treatment of animals. Fly your pet at your own risk...they have a history of losing pets and having them arrive doa. Lots of horror stories, so I guess my story of the fraud and theft is minor by comparison.

Our Dog was left in Denver

Angela in Kansas City

I would never use United PetSafe again. Our new dog was booked from Sacramento to Kansas City. My cousin book our dog on the plane and he was to have a layover in Denver. The Denver pilot refused to allow our new dog on the plane, he was left in the terminal without being let out or water for over two hours. We were lied to, saying he was already at a local kennel being taken care of. We were given the number, called, and was told by the kennel they didn't have our dog and hadn't heard about him. Through many people and phone calls we FINALLY located our dog Buster...he was still at the terminal. :-( so upsetting, very disappointed, horrible service, DO not use PetSafe

United's new pet travel policy for large animals is TERRIBLE

Cindy in San Francisco, CA

Ever since their merger with Continental, United has changed their policies making it very difficult for people to travel with their beloved pets who can't fly in the main cabin. They make you go through PetSafe which is unreliable, confusing, and expensive. I used to use United to travel home for the holidays and long vacations where I did not want to leave my large dog behind for a significant period of time. Unless they change their pet policy soon, I will NEVER fly United again -- with or without my pet (and I travel A LOT!) If you've had a similar experience with United recently, or if you think you might ever want to travel with your own beloved pet, please sign the petition below and let's help them see that a change must happen soon! http://www.change.org/petitions/united-airlines-jeff-smisek-change-united-s-new-policy-for-pets-traveling-as-cargo?share_id=iNZQgwXYbL

international pets checked baggage!

Carol in Michigan

United is not accepting pets as checked baggage! OnlY military pets are allowed as checked baggage. Cargo is the only option for pet travel with United. Choose another airline. Website needs to be updated with their rules which were changed in March, 2012.

very disappointed

leslie in new york city

I am a 1K and my husband an I fly 4 times a year from NYC to lax in business class with our 2 small cavalier spaniels. We were trying to book our flights and were told there few planes that can accomodate us and we would have to fly economy . With all of the international travel I do for business on a regular basis I am planning on switching carriers!

Worst Ever

Chris in Chenoa, Kentucky

The whole process of attempting to bring my dog to the US from Honduras was completly bungled by United Cargo. First we were given incorrect e-mail address and telephone numbers for the cargo office in Honduras. Do they speak in English there? No they do not! Nor do they apparently know anything about transporting pets. Ultimatly two days before travel they inform us that they do not serve our airport, this after an initial conversation confirming that they serve my airport. We are either out a dog or out some $1500 so that we can get a new ticket with Delta. In this case we can't pay. We are out a great and faithful dog. And no, she will not enjoy Honduras.

Liers

Ryan in Fargo

I was going to fly my dog to charleston with me so when i moved there he wouldnt have to ride in a car for 24 hours i get him to the airport and then im told that he is to big. I had confirmed taking him and im told that they can change the airplane size as they want. So then the plane was to small. I was not impressed at all

April 2012 Misleading information?

Wentz in Veracruz

Procedure has changed!!!!!! Re: What Susan in Palo Alto said - "Due to United's merger with Continental their pet travel policy has changed and no longer can a pet fly as checked baggage..." I believe Susan's situation has to do with restrictions to and from Hawaii, rather than the merger. I've just (April 2012) read several web-sites regarding United's pet policy - travelling from Mexico to Canada, and suggest others do the same. Unless there are changes not yet published on these websites, I will indeed be allowed to carry my pet in-cabin with me. Of course I will be calling the airline to confirm. I'd also like to recommend that all reviews be dated.

Put on wrong plane

Gail in MA

We flew from MA to CA with our dog in the hold. when we changed plans in mn they put her on the wrong plane but thankfully she got there hours before we did and was in the care of an agent at baggage. on the return flight she seemed very woozey when we took her out of her kennell. like she was bounced around.

Dog kept waiting in cold at Incheon

Natalie in Seoul

I flew my goldendoodle from San Francisco to Korea in 2010, as checked baggage. United in SFO was great-- they let me walk him in the airport until right before they had to check him in. However United in Incheon was another story. Although I flew business class and he was considered "priority" luggage (and in fact, he was a living dog so should have been priority in any case) they refused to deplane him until they had unloaded all the baggage from the plane. Even after that I waited around for half an hour before they finally brought him to me, cold and shivering. This was February in Korea. Very cold. Koreans can be extremely indifferent to dogs, but they should uphold the United company standards for treatment of pets (ie reducing their exposure to extreme temperatures) and United should force their Korean employees to comply. I have to fly him again to return to states and am really concerned about the treatment he will receive at Incheon.