United Airlines

Or call 800-864-8331 or 1-832-235-1541 for more information. You can use BringFido to find a pet friendly place to stay at your destination.

United Airlines only accept 2 dogs in the cabin on most of their flights, so they advise you to contact the Customer Service Team as soon as you confirm your travel plans. They accept reservations between 30 days in advance (maximum) and 5 days (minimum) prior to travel for customers traveling with their pets and/or for pets traveling alone. Require additional conditions for acceptance (see below) prior to reservation confirmation.You can speak directly to them at 1-800-864-8331 and make your reservations over the phone.

United Airlines welcomes passengers with small pets (dogs, cats and rabbits) in the cabin. Pets must remain inside their pet carrier underneath the seat in front throughout the journey. You will be prompted to see an agent at check-in to receive a pet tag to attach to Fido's carrier. Only 1 adult cat or dog is allowed in each carrier. The fee for pets in the cabin is $125 each way on United Airlines flights.

United Airlines has partnered with American Humane to improve their pet transportation service, PetSafe. If your pet doesn't qualify for travel in the cabin (too large or traveling alone), then they can be transported with the PetSafe program instead, offering airport-to-airport travel for cats and dogs traveling to approximately 300 destinations. Pets from 2 lbs (1 kg) all the way up to 770 lbs (350 kg) can be transported with PetSafe. Rates vary depending on the size of your animal and the country of departure. Transporting a pet under 11 lbs (5 kg) from America to various destinations domestically and around the world will incur a charge between $201-417, whereas transporting the largest pets 300-770 lbs (136-350 kg) will incur a charge between $963-2410. You can contact the PetSafe Desk at 1-800-575-3335 or 1-832-235-1541 for more information and to book Fido's spot.

For pets traveling with you in the cabin, carriers must be hard or soft-sided. Hard-sided carriers can be a maximum of 17.5" x 12" x 7.5" (44 cm x 30 cm x 19 cm) and soft-sided carriers can be a maximum of 18" x 11" x 11" (46 cm x 28 cm x 28 cm). Your dog must be able to stand up and safely turn around in their carrier. For pets traveling with PetSafe, carriers must be large enough for your pet to move freely and stand with its head erect, to turn around and to lie down in a normal position, and be tall enough to provide enough room for your pet to stand and sit without its head and ears touching the top. The carrier must be constructed of rigid plastic, wood or metal, properly ventilated, and secured by metal bolts. Food and water dishes must be securely attached to the inside of the crate and must be accessible from the outside so they can be filled without opening the door. PetSafe does not accept crates taller than 30", including the 700 series crates. Customers should also remember that United Airlines no longer sell or provide crates at airport facilities.

United Airlines no longer accepts emotional support dogs on flights. The dog breeds that are no longer accepted on United flights are the Affenpinscher, American Bully, American Pit Bull, Terrier/Pit Bull, American Staffordshire Terrier/"Amstaff", Belgian Malinois, Boston Terrier, Boxer, Brussels Griffon, Bulldog, American Bulldog, English Bulldog, French Bulldog, Old English Bulldogges, Shorty Bulldogs, Spanish Alano/Spanish Bulldog/Alano Espanol, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chow Chow, English Toy Spaniel/Prince Charles Spaniel, Japanese Chin/Japanese Spaniel, Lhasa Apso, Mastiff, American Mastiff, Boerboel/South African Mastiff, Bullmastiff, Ca de Bou/Mallorquin Mastiff, Cane Corso/Italian Mastiff, Dogo Argentino/Argentinian Mastiff, Dogue de Bordeaux/French Mastiff, English Mastiff, Fila Brasileiro/Brazilian Mastiff/Cao de Fila, Indian Mastiff/Alangu, Kangal/Turkish Kangal, Neapolitan Mastiff/Mastino Napoletano, Pakistani Mastiff/Bully Kutta, Pyrenean Mastiff, Presa Canario/Perro de Presa Canario/Dogo Canario/Canary Mastiff, Spanish Mastiff / Mastin Espanol, Tibetan Mastiff, Tosa/Tosa Ken/Tosa Inu/Japanese Mastiff/Japanese Tosa, Pekingese, Pug, Dutch Pug, Japanese Pug, Shar-Pei/Chinese Shar-Pei, Shih-Tzu, Staffordshire Bull Terrier/"Staffys", Tibetan Spaniel. United Airlines also doesn't accept the following cat breeds: Burmese, Exotic Shorthair, Himalayan, Persian.

• Sunny
  Feb. 17, 2021
  Conflicting Stories/No Accountability!

  I called United twice ahead of flying with my dog as I was concerned about a line on their website that stated a dog cannot travel within 30 days of their rabies vaccination, and I was going to vaccinate her a few days ahead of my flight to ensure her shots did not expire during our trip. Both customer associates assured me that, as my dog is not a puppy and will have received three rabies vaccines in her lifetime, this policy did not apply to her - it only applied to new puppies who were receiving the vaccine for the first time. With their reassurance, I took my flight.

  The outbound one was fine; there were no issues at the front desk. The inbound one was the problem. At the front desk, three different associates scruntinized her shot records and referred to their 30 day policy. I patiently tried to explain to them that 1) she had been allowed to fly a few days earlier and 2) I had been concerned about this issue & for that reason had proactively called United, not once but twice, and received reassurance that I wasn't doing anything wrong. I asked them if I could call United so they could hear it from someone else, but they immediately denied this and continued to be rude and abrasive. They also tried to gaslight me about my outbound flight, saying that there was no way another United front desk would have let my dog fly (although, my standing there in front of them in that city should have been proof enough). Finally, they let me go on the flight with my dog, and for the sake of getting out of there I didn't push the issue. There is something that continues to bother me about this situation, as there was no accountability from United though I tried to be a responsible customer & I was met with rudeness and condescension. I will not fly my dog with United again.

• Sean
  Jul. 5, 2020
  They lied, misled, avoided me, then denied me

  United Airlines screwed me. I called the accessibility desk in mid-June asking if rabbits were allowed as emotional support animals TWICE; BOTH TIMES they said yes, on a case by case basis, but that I'd need to file paperwork through the ESA portal, which I filed on 7/1.

  I reuploaded them today on 7/5 after talking to a rep at the desk who said it was never received (despite the portal saying they were all received and the service rep referencing my paperwork while talking to me--oops).

  They even indicate here on their own website that they accept rabbits specifically: https://www.united.com/web/en-us/content/travel/animals/

  I spent ~250 bucks securing and renewing the necessary paperwork and filed it 8 days early, only to be told 2 days before my flight that rabbits are NOT allowed at all. See attached screenshot of their email contradicting both their website AND what their service reps said.
  
  Why?! WHY lie about this! Just be honest up front! Don't they realize that people with a legitimate need for an ESA have them for severe anxiety and/or depression? They’ve made mine ten times worse. They cost me money and time and sanity for no reason other than wanting to APPEAR that you're supportive of this when you're clearly not. Now I'm sitting in any empty apartment scrambling to find new travel accommodations. United is terrible.

• Elizabeth
  Jan. 27, 2020
  Went Well Overall

  I would give them 3-4 stars (bones?) if not for the great costumer service I received. The first time we tried to bring our dog to the airport for her flight, we were turned away due to an unknown embargo. They said the embargo must've been put in place last minute because they usually call or email if there is an issue, and they had never seen that happen before, but we were still pretty mad about taking our dog all the way to the airport and stressing her out only to be turned away. The staff at the counter were 0 help but the PetSafe rep got us on another flight before her health certificate was expired (in less than the 5 day minimum). We were told to call the ticket counter before leaving the day of her make-up flight to make sure all was good to go but of course the ticket counter won't take calls. But the PetSafe rep assured us she would be able to fly anyway. They recommended we file a complaint through the United Cargo website and after a few weeks (I guess they were investigating) they issued us a full refund for their mistakes. I really appreciate when a company can own up to their mistakes, and I didn't expect more than a hollow apology. Our pup arrived in good health, on time, and happy to see us. Despite the stress and confusion I would use the service again because I think they take care of their cargo and customers.

• Phillip
  Jan. 23, 2020
  Call before booking

  I knew that Delta's minimum age was 10 weeks, but I booked on United anyway. Big mistake! After I booked, the next day I called to pay for my puppy's flight home. As soon as they asked her age they said she's too young. Minimum age to fly is 16 weeks. Had to cancel the flight, and rebook somewhere else. That is okay, because United's ticket was $1100, Justfly.com on Delta was $325! Just call before booking!

• Sharon
  Apr. 6, 2019
  Nightmare!

  My 17 pound Jack Russel /Chihuahua mix has flown in cabin with me on every major carrier including United in a soft sided carrier at least 20 times. Today as we are trying to leave Reno the check in agent and then her supervisor said that he was too big for his carrier because he couldn’t “stand up”. He can stand and turn around even if a bit stooped because soft sided carriers are very forgiving. I am stuck in Reno overnight and at great expense had to buy a last minute flight on another carrier tomorrow. I will never fly United with or without my dog again.

• Debbie
  Mar. 25, 2019
  ANIMAL CRUELTY by UNITED's "NOT" Safe Pet Cargo

  Please take to heart my WARNING. DO NOT use United Airlines (NOT) Pet Safe Cargo. Their animal abuse and irresponsible handling continues sadly as my new 9wk pup was a defenseless victim of a BROKEN LEG during her transport. They say they will pay your vets bills yet do not and take no responsibility for their cruel actions! The list is long of incompetent actions by United from changing flights without notice, undisclosed holding locations, to stating problem may have been at locations this pup never visited, such as Paris and Honolulu?? My pup flew from Montana by a reputable breeder, a happy pup with all health certs to me terrified with a BROKEN LEG. A complaint filed with DOT was the only action to get a phone call by a superior with United. This woman was quick to point out several ways they owed me nothing. I wish there were ZERO STARS, please don't risk your loved pet to what has happened to me and so many others! See article 3-24-19 about this very issue. https://www.care2.com/causes/are-changes-to-uniteds-petsafe-policy-enough-to-protect-dogs.html.

• Caroline
  Nov. 13, 2018
  Smooth Sailing (almost)

  I flew my dog on a direct flight from ORD to PHX. I was terrified considering the bad reputation that United has. But they were the only airline who would fly a dog her size with a direct flight from Chicago to Phoenix.

  The process leading up to it was very easy. They are very responsive and helpful over email and were quick to update my account when I submitted the required documents.

  The only reason I'm giving them 4 stars is my dog was almost not able to fly because I did not bring the "original copy" of her health certificate. I read through the instructions several times and spoke with the PetSafe reps to make sure I had all necessary documents. It doesn't say anywhere that I need the original document of her health certificate. Luckily they made an exception for me but please take note of this if you are flying with United!

  As far as the actual trip everything went very smoothly. I was lucky enough to pick a window seat (28F) where I was able to see her being loaded and unloaded. (I actually got a video of her being boarded, too) She was the last to be boarded and the first to come off the plane. She was transported directly from the van to the conveyer belt and they were not unnecessarily rough.

  When I picked her up she was obviously tired but overall she was fine. I could tell they gave her some water because her bowl was wet when I let her out.

  I wanted to leave this positive review for anyone else like me who was terrified of flying their pet and wants any confirmation that it is not going to be a traumatic experience. Just make sure you bring the original copies of their health certificates. That was the only negative part of my experience.

• Kevin
  Jul. 22, 2018
  New restrictions on customer-paid carry-on pets are rediculous

  First, I have to admit--and be greatful--that UA allows pet birds on board. I have gladly paid the $125 each way, even though it was often more expensive than my own ticket. But now they say the carry on pet counts as one of your carry-ons. That means the real cost is $150 since you have to check a bag. And the new rules are uninformed. Read the instructions. At the airport, under no circumstances, can you take the dog out of the carrier. TSA disagrees with that, obviously. And until United owns the airport, I don't think they can regulate this outside of their gate areas. Is American Airlines going to let United regulate the behavior of people passing by their gates? I think not.

• Jessica
  May. 8, 2018
  United will kick you off your flight!

  Do not fly United with pets. My parents were kicked off their flight today. They purchased their tickets and my dog’s ticket on the phone with no issues. Then when they got to O’Hare airport they were informed no dogs are allowed in cabin anymore. My parents had to drive the 3 hrs from the airport back home because all other airlines were too expensive for same day ticket. United did nothing to help.

• Anne
  Mar. 16, 2018
  DON'T FLY UNITED WITH YOUR PET

  Just don't; they are actively trying to eliminate pets from their flights. I've flown twice with my dog in the last month and horrible experiences both times - can't gate check stroller as special handling, must go with checked luggage even though smaller than child strollers. Can't unzip carrier 2 inches for extra air circulation when no air in hot cabin. On and on. Just don't fly United if you care for your pet.

• Alyssa
  Dec. 18, 2017
  Awful PetSafe customer service experience

  My disaster began yesterday with United. I am (still) in the process of shipping a dog from DFW to BOS to get my puppy home. He's a 5 month old non-Pit breed, but he looks like one. What's important is that his health cert says otherwise.
  
  
  
  When the breeder brought him to the airport on 12/17, a cargo supervisor (with an authority complex) said, "That looks like a Pit, he can't fly). The breeder turned around, drove 2.5 hours home and had to do it all over again today. I called United and DM'd them on Twitter and they supposedly called DFW to intervene.
  
  
  
  They let her check the dog in, but not without a fight. The workers discriminated against the dog based on looks only, not the health cert signed by the vet. I'm SO relieved to know that United's cargo workers are dog breed experts. I can rest easy tonight just praying my dog makes it to Boston in one piece.

• Mike
  More than a year ago
  Very Expensive

  Wanted to take my large dog (80 lbs) across the country. Our airfare round trip was going to be 500 for us both. Fee for dog to go in kennel in cargo $529 one way! Rediculous and definitely not the friendly skies that I once flew on

• Mary
  More than a year ago
  Satisfied Customer

  My new puppy came from Indiana to Reno last July and she was 7 weeks old which I thought might be too young. I offered to go pick her up because I had heard horror stories. The breeder reassured me that said she only flies the puppies on United and she used a booker and hadn’t had any problems. Puppy had one short layover in Denver. We met her in Reno. She was the first one off the flight before other passengers and baggage. I went to the UA baggage service and gave them the claim email and they tracked the flight and as soon as it was on the runway the UA employee went to the tarmac with her radio and was communicating with everybody to ensure that she was the first one off the place. The UA employee was back in about 5-7 minutes after leaving. Our puppy was calm and clean. She was curious but not distressed. Her carrier was clean and spotless. She wasn’t thirsty or hungry when we took her out of the carrier. She needed to pee which UA gave us a pee pad to use. They also offered to get her fresh water and also gave us time to acquaint ourselves with puppy at their luggage area. The breeder and I compared photos of her drop-off to my receiving and they were almost exactly the same. I would recommend UA pet cargo service.

• Judy
  More than a year ago
  From fearful to delighted

  I recently flew United with my 9 yr old Jack Russell who can be very jittery (I rescued @ 7 years so don't know the issues surrounding her behaviors.) Due to some of the harsh reviews I was nervous about having the proper carry on crate etc. From the moment I encountered the person who printed our boarding passes I sensed we were in for a good experience. EVERYONE was extremely helpful & reassuring. The entire process was flawless and would definitely again fly United with my pet!

• Kristin
  More than a year ago
  Dog was WELL taken care of

  We flew from Dulles International in Virginia to Honolulu on a non-stop flight in June 2016 for our move there. We had a WONDERFUL experience. The petsafe guy at Dulles was FANTASTIC. He calmed all our fears, explained how she is taken care of, made extra sure that she could reach her water and food bowls, took out a drill to screw extra holes in the attachable bowls so he could make sure they wouldn't fall during the flight, and was very gentle with our dog. You could tell that he really cared and he mentioned to us a couple of times about how he really loves his job and all the animals. He put us at ease.

  When we boarded the plane we asked one of the pilots (didn't know he was a pilot at the time since I missed the bars on his uniform shoulder) to make sure that we didn't leave without our dog. He got off the plane and waited on the tarmac for our dog to be boarded, took a picture of her with his phone, and then came all the way back to coach to show us the picture. Just, WOW. He didn't have to do that.

  We saw the air conditioned van pull up to the plane right before we took off and we saw it waiting for us at the gate when we landed in Hawaii. When we picked up Basie at Hawaii she was sleeping in her crate. There was no food or water spilled and she had no injuries. We are very happy with our experience and will definitely use petsafe in the future.

• Thomas
  More than a year ago
  Horrific Nightmare

  From the actual boarding to ridiculous requirements on size, dimensions, waterbottle length etc for transport to the fact that they demanded all of my brand new champion puppy's original documents only to lose them and be unable to ever find them on the other side...this was the most traumatic and stressful and expensive experience for our family, and the employees were all completely incompetent. Everyone tells you a different thing. If the website says the carrier must be 17.5 inches wide, when you arrive there is someone insisting it be 16 inches wide. My pitiful spaniel was terrified amongst all these militarized, huge killer breed dogs barking ferociously. His entire cage was covered with feces, and he was swimming in his own urine. I paid thousands of dollars for this. United is the worst.

• Breanna
  More than a year ago
  Overly impressed

  After reading the horrid reviews I was dreading sending my dog on any airline, let alone United. Unfortunately this was my only option. I went to the cargo area to send out my 4 month old puppy and the workers were nothing but helpful. They helped me with the paperwork, adding stickers, and gave her ice chips. Also pet her and calmed her with me. I was pretty upset and nervous leaving. During the time I was at the cargo office there was severe wether, which didn't help, knowing her flight will likely be delayed. Once they said they were ready I sent her off after a rough goodbye, worrying completely about her trip. I constantly checked her flight status and shipment tracking status. Then I saw the news that her flight was delayed. I was unsettled even more because the delay was an hour and a half. Called in to check on her status and was told they were checking on her, talking to her, and giving her ice chips and that she was calm. They also said her flight may potentially be cancelled, and if so they will get her on the next flight which unfortunately was still 4 hours later. Waited on the flight status, and found that the flight was still delayed. We called the worker and he personally said he would go get my puppy and care for her at his desk. He went above and beyond for me and my puppy. He even recommended that we switch her flight since the plane she was meant to be on was having mechanical problems. When it was time to board, he called us and told us she was being loaded onto the plane. I can't believe how far he went to care for our puppy and ensure her safety and happiness. When she arrived in Chicago she was promptly unloaded and when we received her she was cleaned up and her crate was as well. They also took great care of her. I cannot give anything but praise for this experience! Thank you for taking care of my precious cargo united!

• Nina
  More than a year ago
  Terrible and Unsafe

  Terrible company! They will treat your animal as if it is not a living sentient being. They are neglectful and I've heard stories of the company not even taking responsibility for the consequences of their neglect. If you love your pet, do not use this service.

• Rob
  More than a year ago
  Outstanding - pilots are fully on board

  We've taken dogs on United 9 times now. Several flights ago, our dog appeared to be late in getting to the plane. The pilot's response: "I will not leave the gate without your dog."

  I mentioned this experience to the pilot on the next flight. He not only said the same thing, but when there was a delay in leaving the gate, personally went to check on my dog. He then looked for me in the cabin to report back.

  On my most recent flight, the pilot went to cargo and took a selfie of the dog, then found me at my seat to show me.

  This is outstanding service in my book!

• Jasmyne
  More than a year ago
  Do NOT Do It

  I was flying from Pensacola, FL to Seoul, South Korea. I looked up the pet policy, and everything seemed fine. Luckily, I called the airline to make sure my pets would be able to fly on the flight I chosen. They told me it would be 125 for each pet one way, plus another 125 for each pet (because my layover in America would be over 2 hours...WTF), plus fuel fees, plus fees to hold the pet during layover so they can use the bathroom (the guy literally said "so they can pee and poop" ...how professional), and plus all this other stuff. In the end, it would have cost me 1,500 for EACH pet! Instead, I ended up flying with Air Canada. My ticket was cheaper, and it was cheaper to fly the pets (100 each). They got to ride in cabin with me also, so we were happy.
  
  A few more things. They do not allow you to fly early flights with pets. If you want to fly with them, the flight has to be leaving by at least 10 because the place needs 3 hours to check the pet in.
  
  Tip. If you are like me and you are going to Asia, avoid going through China and Japan. I do not know about other Asian countries, but it would have been a headache getting my cats out of there.

• Ted
  More than a year ago
  Mr

  I'm a shipper. Shipped two pups to Oregon for the first time this week and last week. Have had positive experiences with them. Apparently they changed the bedding when the pup reached the connecting flight. I've learned to buy a "calming" collar that emits pheromones that will calm the pup for the duration of the flight. It worked just fine. They took real good care of the pups. I would recommend them, however, I shipped when the temperatures are cool here. I have no idea if their cargo area is heated. I know it is pressurized though. That's the main thing.

• Kat
  More than a year ago
  Nervous Dog Mom

  I really wanted to write this review after reading so many bad ones... and being a concerned dog mom who reads comments I want to leave a positive one for others like me! My husband is active duty military and we found out we were moving from NC to HI in early September. Our border collie is our baby and so of course he was going to be making the move with us. This was my first time setting up a flight for a pet. Due to complications with the flights the military booked for us, we were unable to get our dog booked on the same flight. Now not only was I worried about him flying at all, but I was very concerned that he would be flying without us - I had seen several reviews about not letting your pet fly without you. The only flight they could offer me went from DC to Houston - where he had to spend the night - before continuing on to Honolulu the next morning. Honestly everything about the experience was good. The person I booked the flight with over the phone was helpful and reassured me that my spoiled pooch would be well taken care of! I called a few days before his flight to confirm and was again assured that everything would be fine. When my parents dropped him off in DC they said they felt that everyone was kind, professional, and would take good care of our dog. We were able to call in during his overnight stay in Houston to make sure he had arrived and was doing well. He arrived in Honolulu clean, a little sleepy, but happy to be back with mom and dad. Overall, everyone we spoke with that was involved was friendly, helpful and left me feeling at ease about my dogs flight. I would definitely recommend Untied PetSafe program and we will probably be calling them again when it is time for this island dog to go home to the mainland!

• Cynthia
  More than a year ago
  Safe Long Trip for Puppy

  My 12 weeks old Borzoi puppy was shipped from San Francisco to Atlanta. Staff were very friendly, kept me abreast of whereabouts and arrival time of my puppy. Sent a person to make sure puppy was brought ASAP to Petsafe Office. She was bright and alert, and in perfect shape. Keep in mind other bad reviews may have had dogs not in good shape to begin with before shipping.

  Highest recommendation for safely shipping your baby!

• Nick
  More than a year ago
  ABSOLUTE INCOMPETENCE

  AVOID these people if you can do anything else.

  Absolute incompetence at its finest. I've called United several times to have my husky transported from Charlotte to Frankfurt. From the first time I've called, I gave my husky's measurements and weight (they have to use that to quote the price). The price was roughly $1039 for the flight. They took my dog's weight and her crate's measurements in quoting me that price. They booked her on a flight from Charlotte to Chicago to Frankfurt. I followed up several times to make sure I knew what I needed and to confirm all of the reservation details.

  Three days beforehand, I call and all of a sudden my dog now requires a bigger crate, that, lo and behold, cannot fly out of Charlotte - but instead can only be flown out of Raleigh and Atlanta. Keep in mind, that I was going off of my previous conversations and reassurances from United's agents that everything was covered and would be fine. For other reasons, my parents then had to take the dog with them to Chicago to try and make the connecting flight. Then during the check-in, they are told that, SURPRISE, it's actually going to be $600 more because the person who put in the data in the system only based the price on the weight. Apparently I was giving the measurements of the crate to a wall.

  So, to recap, the original quoted price from Charlotte-Chicago-Frankfurt was @$1039. Then, relying on information that United provided us, we were then told that we had the wrong crate and that Charlotte's planes cannot handle extra large crates. We booked the dog in Chicago, so for a shorter flight from only Chicago to Frankfurt we had to pay $600 more. The idiots at the check in counter told us that it happens all the time and it's just something that happens - what do you want us to do?

  So - fly this airline if you want to deal with incompetence from beginning to end, where the price they tell you is more than likely not what you're going to end up paying, and the flight information that they tell you will likely be wrong. Absolutely amazing at how horrible the entire experience was. I can't wait for my dog to land and them to brag to me about at least she made it alive.

• Irene
  More than a year ago
  First Time Air Travel with Dog

  This was our first time traveling by air with our small dog. No issues getting reservations with the dog. On flight to our destination we took the dog out of the carrier and kept him on our laps even though the policy is in the carrier for entire flight. We were in first class and the attendants did not have an issue with us taking the dog out of the carrier. On the return flight we were not so lucky. The purser (lead attendant) made us return the dog to the carrier. This did not go over well with the dog. He was quite agitated and one of us had to keep the carrier on our lap with our arm in the carrier the entire flight. We attempted to medicate the dog to help but it was too late. Next time we will medicate earlier in case the flight crew follows the policy to the letter.

• Giselle
  More than a year ago
  Long flight but really happy!

  We were moving from Argentina to Houston on a 11 hour flight non stop with United. It was the first time my 10 year old was traveling on an airplane and I was so so scared. We decided to travel with United because they had the pet friendly program at cargo and also because it was a non stop flight. I was traveling on the same time as her. They really took care of my dog, they were nice, they notified me that my dog was on the plane and she was ok and then when I picked her up at the United Pet Cargo she was really happy. I recomend United when traveling pets on cargo as the planes are prepared for our dogs and cat.

• Sarah
  More than a year ago
  Stressful Relocation

  I used the United Petsafe program to relocate my three beloved cats from England to Vermont with us on 16 Jan 2016. I had to use United Airlines because I was on government orders, but I would have preferred British Airways. Anyway, I made the pet reservations two months in advance of the departure date and was told different information each time I called. Every time I rang, I spoke to a different receptionist and their range of knowledge and experience was vast. I also found them generally rude and indifferent; at one point, I even asked to speak with the supervisor to complain about one particular receptionist's unbelievably rude demeanor. She actually tried to defend him and we argued for a bit about the concept of customer service until she finally admitted responsibility. I also called back several times in the weeks and days leading up to the departure just to confirm the reservation. Another big issue was about the health certificate. The Petsafe instructions indicated that only a health certificate was required for cats and that only dogs required rabies vaccination documentation. I called Petsafe to verify that no vaccinations were required for cats (I try to avoid vaccinations if at all possible) and even e-mailed them so as to have the verdict in writing. Each time I enquired, Petsafe assured me that no vaccinations were required. On the day of the flight, the front desk person at United, who was very rude, insisted that vaccination records were mandatory and threatened to stymie our travel plans. I asked her to ring Petsafe and the person she spoke with agreed that vaccinations were necessary. When the phone was transferred to me, I asked the Petsafe person to check the regs, and, after a long wait, he returned with the verdict that none were required. So we were finally good to go, but not before a huge amount of additional stress. The airport staff didn't seem to know much about animals and apparently regarded cats as exotic creatures. They did not handle the crates as gently as I would have wished, but we were helpless to intervene after they left our sight. We flew from Heathrow to Newark and we were told to pick up our cats in Newark to transfer them to the connecting flight to Burlington, VT. This did not go smoothly and the Petsafe desk was inadequately manned. We had to take one of the cats in the cabin with us, as the connecting flight used a smaller jet. I watched on the Burlington-bound flight as my two cargo cats sat at the side of the luggage loading dock for at least 20 minutes in the frigid January temperatures (@ 20 degrees Fahrenheit and windy). I took a photo of their hapless carriers on my phone, which the flight attendent apparently took offense to. I angrily replied that I did not appreciate the way in which my cats were being treated and she just blew me off. In Burlington, the United agent on duty was totally useless and unhelpful, but an off-duty United agent visiting from NJ came to the rescue. While my story ends without tragedy, there was certainly an unsatisfactory degree of stress and inconvience. In summary, I would never recommend flying with pets unless you absolutely necessary!

• Katie
  More than a year ago
  No problems

  I flew 1 way from Boise, ID to Pittsburgh, PA with a stopover in Denver, using a large Sturdibag for my dog. The United employees barely noticed that I had a dog with me. I actually had to remind the check-in agent that I needed to pay the pet fee. He didn't even ask to see the dog or the carrier, all he did was hand me a receipt after paying. Nobody cared that I had my dog. Nobody inspected the carrier, nobody even told me to put him under the seat on the plane. My dog was very nervous to be under the seat in front of me, so I held the carrier on my lap for the entire flight, take off, and landing. It's definitely against the rules to have the carrier out like that for take off and landing, but since nobody said anything to me I didn't bother putting my dog through the stress of going under the seat. That being said, I did eyeball it and I'm sure the large sturdibag would fit fine under the seat due to the squishy top. If you're nervous about the process, just act like you've done this a million times and no one will question you! I'd also recommend a window seat if you're not sure your dog will be sleeping for the flight - mine got a little noisy and the only way I was able to calm him down was sneaking my hand into the carrier. Not sure I could have gotten away with that in the aisle seat!

• Upset!!
  More than a year ago
  Bad experience

  We have flown with our 16 pound, 3 year old dog for over 1-1/2 on United. He is small enough to fit under the seat as carry on baggage and fits in the approved carrier. He has made at least 12 trips. Last night, the United ticketing agent decided the pet had to go in the checked baggage compartment and would not let him on board. We had to cancel our trip! Horrible experience.

• Stacey
  More than a year ago
  Good but Too Complicated and Expensive

  From 2013 to 2014 the rules changed significantly for flying with my pets. I was allowed to put two pets together in '13 but could not in '14. The cost also went up very significantly from $600 to $1300. Additionally, the rules were not communicated clearly and almost caused me to miss my flight and have the pets miss theirs. I am very disappointed in United and do not find them worth it at all. Lufthansa handled it much better and much more cheaply. I gave the airline 3 bones only because they did not cause harm to my pets, and I think 2 or 1 would be reserved for companies who would do that. But for the major cost upgrade simply for flying from Chicago to Austin was ridiculous.

• S
  More than a year ago
  Anxious Cat Mom

  I recently moved from the US to the UK, and wanted to bring my two cats with me. The UK only allows pets to be brought in as manifest cargo, and only through certain airlines and airports. I knew that there would be a 3 to 4 hour clearance time needed for them once they reached Heathrow, so I booked their flights to arrive before mine. I was extremely anxious when I went to drop them off. The employees at the cargo desk were very nice, and even gave the babies a little pet through the cages. They attached a million "Live Animal" and "This End Up" stickers to them and verified that we had all of the correct documentation. Since our cats were on veterinary diets, they even taped our bags of food to each carrier. 20 long hours later, we arrived at the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre, and were told by the clerk that our cats were both there, healthy, and cleared to be released! When they brought them out, they told us that the bedding had been changed, they had been fed and watered. Both cats looked relatively relaxed and perky (considering all of the people and noise). Once we arrived to our new house, they had a very short adjustment period, and behaved as though they only spent a night a boarding kennel. I would definitely use again!

• McKensie
  More than a year ago
  Quite Deceivnig

  When I originally booked my pet on this flight, I saw that his kennel size would cost $125 to fly in cargo. I proceeded to book my dogs flight. Then, I get a confirmation email stating that it is going to be $259 + gas + all these other fees. I tried to contact the PetSafe customer service line and was connected to a customer service agent who barely spoke enlglsh. I kept asking him different questions regarding my pets travel, but he kept reciting the same answers (like out of a book). Then I tried to switch the reservation, which was of course not possible. This is SO expensive!! It costs much more than MY plane ticket in the cabin. Please look elsewhere. Alaska Airlines is much cheaper and I had a great expereience with them.

• Cathy
  More than a year ago
  Breeders choice

  I purchased a puppy outside of cleveland 2 days prior to Super Bowl weekend. My small pup traveled from cleveland to Newark with a 2 hour layover then to palm beach airport. My breeder only uses United she tolld me because they are caring and very pet friendly and ships puppies across the country. Super Bowl was at the meadowlands and thought this was crazy. Nervous Mom waited at palm beach ap office for him to arrive. He was hand carried into the office and tge gentleman was even talking to him. He put tge small crate on the high counter and the desk person talked to him too. I was soooooo impressed, my 7 month puppy and I are using united in August 2014 to see my brother. I can't say enough about the love and care.

• SaltyDog
  More than a year ago
  Worst experience EVER

  United's Petsafe is in the hands of a bunch of in competent cargo agents. The people that handle your dog are not trained in handling live animals but see them as cargo. We called and talked to a pet safe rep before booking our flights her advise was DEAD WRONG. This started a chain reaction of errors mistake after mistake. Each time we talked to a petsafe agent we simply got a different story. At the end they could not even fly our dog on the same flight as us. They ended up flying her on a different set of flights to a different city (160 miles away) and we had to drive to pick her up. The additional cost we had to foot the bill. They initially quoted a fee of $390 our final out of pocket expense was $808 out of pocket. And now there is no one that we can talk to. United simply does not care. DO NOT FLY YOUR DOG WITH UNITED. PETSAFE is a JOKE ( and I am being polite). Even if another airline is more expensive at the end it will be cheaper then United. Incompetence after incompetence. JUST DONT FLY UNITED with your DOG.

• Naty
  More than a year ago
  Awesome experience

  I never write reviews but decided that this experience deserved to be rated somewhere. I have flown with my boston terrier on united from ottawa, canada to miami with a layover in washington and had a great experience. I read these reviews before flying before because I was worried about my dog being too tall to fit in the carrier. She could move inside the carrier but couln''t stand. I was very positively surprised with the staff from united from the moment I checked in until the time we landed in miami. They did look at the carrier when I was checking in but didn't bother to check dimensions or anything probably because it was a sherpa carrier and that was guaranteed onboad. They looked at the dog only to say how cute it was and didn't test if she could stand (the dog was sleeping tight at that time). During take-off I could see my dog was having trouble breathing and as soon as the plane was stable in the air I asked to put the dog on my lap and the attendant politely agreed and asked if the puppy needed water. I kept her on my lap for the whole flight. That made me feel safe and comfortable. During layover in washington we had a potty break and on the second flight I kept the carrier on my lap until the time of landing, when they asked me to put the carrier under the front seat. The whole trip was great and I am very glad I chose united! I would certainly do that again if i needed to transport my pet. It might have been luck, but i crossed with many people that day and everyone was very nice and helpful. If you are flying with your pet make sure you don't read lots of reviews. They only scared me. If you have all the documents and if your dog is healthy and can move inside the carrier, you should be fine. :)

• Kelly
  More than a year ago
  Awesome experience

  Our dog is a special case as we had to leave her back in Alabama while we drove across the country to northern Arizona for graduate school. When we got settled was when our friend would get her on a plane. The problem is our dog was an abused puppy so she's extremely skiddish. The whole experience from start to finish was calming and easy to get through. The customer service center for booking her flight was very helpful and gave me numbers of both the departure cargo hold and the arrival hold. When we got to Phoenix to pick her up, the man who works at the desk (Greg) was so kind and explained everything. We got there almost 4 hours early so he gave us some local tips for places to hang out while we wait. When Izzy got to Phoenix she was calm and had enough water through out her journey that she wasn't thirsty. Their handling of the crate was kind so when I went back to see her, she wasn't crying or anything. In fact, our skiddish dog was wagging her tail. I will recommend United Petsafe to anyone who needs pet travel. I will definitely use them again if we need to fly somewhere with a dog.

• Jacquelyn
  More than a year ago
  What Happened United?

  When Continental ran the program it was great. I have shipped dogs with them for many years. Since United took over it has gone down hill. They are slow, rude, and lazy. They used to help me carry crates, had the dogs off the plane and in the pick up area quickly, and were very friendly. Since United took over they are always late, rude, and never offer help. The only reason I still use them is because they are the only ones that have climate controlled shipping.

• Chris Conner
  More than a year ago
  hesitant!

  I recently moved from Palm Springs, CA to Hilo, HI. I have a 10 year old Border Collie mix.. I was very hesitant in shipping her but I had no choice.. I could have given her to someone, but would YOU give your daughter away.. I chose pet-safe to fly her to Kona as they do the direct release.. One of the biggest mistakes I did was reading these reviews.. they scared the crap out of me.. but when you read bad reviews, you also have to take in account that the owners admit no part of their own.. anyhow.. Don't read reviews.. just know they do this every day and bad things can happen.. hell, they can happen to us.. Rozie, my dog and I arrived in Kona yesterday and PET SAFE was AWESOME!! They took great care of Rozie.. they were very sweet when I checked her in, took her and her kennel to the plane in a van, check your airports though, not all of them do that.. and for god sakes.. do a direct flight.. that's what we did.. could have stopped in Honolulu but decided a direct flight, even though more expensive was better for Rozie.. She was the last one loaded and first one off.. She got to cargo before we did and Kona Vet service was there waiting for us. Should you use Pet Safe?? if you MUST fly them, I say YES!! Make sure your dog's health is up to it first.. It was a very scary thing for her and I but we both made it through..

• Peter K
  More than a year ago
  Scam

  I would sue United if I had the energy after my move from DC to SF. From the moment i had to drop off my dog at DCA with two clerks arguing with each other over the paperwork, to one of them complaining of back problems so she could not transport my pet (I had to load him myself onto a platform cart), to having to pick up my dog at a hanger way out of SFO, unloaded along with machinery and other dogs amidst construction going on in the hangar. I will never forget the sight of my dog Benji being dumped in the midst of hell, with him barking his lungs out in bewilderment from the transportation, the construction, the dust - and on and on. You are a scam, and I fully intend to expose you in all corners of the internet. I will never fly united again.

• Gloria
  More than a year ago
  Don't fly your puppy as cargo

  United delivered my puppy with him and his crate covered in vomit and pee. Even the inside and outside of the top of the crate and sideseams were permeated with vomit which would indicate that the crate was upside down at one point or a very large dog had vomited on my puppy's crate. I've had days of grief and hundreds of dollars of medical care to stop the vomiting and diarrhea. I'll never ship a pet again. I paid for extra care and kenneling services. The breeder was promised "the best place" in the pet area. It ended up being inhumane and I'm so sorry I put my pup through this

• Jenni and Holly
  More than a year ago
  Lack of concern!

  We have been waiting for 10 long weeks to get our beautiful little kitten from the breeder in Canada. We were assured that everything would go off without any issues.....well, let's just say that did not happen! Flight from Canada to ORD was delayed but landed with over 40 minutes to transfer this tiny baby 3 gates down! Instead they rescheduled her flight for 24 hours later and were taking her to a Kennel! Let me also say that we drove 2 1/2 hours and got a hotel near BWI so we could pick her up at a pet friendly airport. I saw that her airbill had been changed and got on the phone immediately! The woman on the phone seemed less than concerned over my anxiety and I would even go as far to say that she thought it was funny how upset I was! I told her that I did NOT want her in a kennel as she was such a small cat, never been around any other animals and only handled by her breeder, her response was "well it is a kennel, like she was at a vets!" Needless to say she didn't understand. I asked her if there were any earlier flights rather than waiting 24 hours, having to book another night at the hotel and worrying about my other cat at home, NO, is there another airport nearby, she said LaGuardia, in NY, has a flight that we might be able to get her on?!?! Oh, and you can't change it anyway because you aren't the shipper. I was so upset I think I hung up on her. Called the breeder, she is now upset and calling them. She was hung up on with the first phone call. The second phone call she found out that there was a flight coming into Dulles at 12:11 am (about an hour away from Baltimore)...we'll take it!
  
  So, run down to front desk, try to find a hotel near Dulles, check out and hit the road in the rain at 10:20 PM. Oh and let me just say that the employees at the Double Tree at BWI went out of the way to help us and get us a discounted rate at the new hotel!!! Drive in DC traffic, late at night and in the rain, arrive at the new hotel. Wait, Wait, Wait, go to the airport, arrive at the Cargo pickup....pitch black...no one is there :-( Called Petsafe and were told to wait 30-40 minutes longer and someone should come and let us in....wait, wait, wait, worry, cry, worry, 45 minutes later still nothing....another phone call....hold...hold...hold..."oh, hang on a few minutes more....we need to see where she is, there is a chance she might still be in Chicago!" Tears won't stop at this point, I am on the verge of hysterics!!! Suddenly this amazing young man comes up to the window and asks if he can help us, he can see I am crying, puts his hand on my arm and says that he just saw our cat...
  
  Ok, she is here...breathe....next step to get her...oh, did you know that they aren't supposed to release the animals until the supervisor comes in at 4:00 am...but he can see that we are upset and gets us our Cleo!
  
  She was so upset, clawing at her cage, water spilled all over the place, her fur soaked, food expanded due to sitting in water for so long and her voice was hoarse from crying so much!
  
  I cannot begin to describe the amount of anxiety we were put through. I can assure you that if we ever have another animal that needs to fly, we will make the trip and pay for an in cabin flight....animals deserve more and a company like Petsafe should make sure they have empathetic employees who understand animal lovers.

• Janet
  More than a year ago
  United almost killed my Greyhound

  United PetSafe almost killed my Greyhound on July 3, 2013 on our flights from San Diego to Boston. My dog and my cat were never allowed out of their crates, even though I had paid extra for a "Safety Stop" in Houston. They were never given water nor food, nor allowed to relieve themselves for 12.5 hours! They were NOT transported in an air conditioned PetSafe van, as promised in United's marketing materials and as promised on the phone and at the airport. The baggage handler kicked my Greyhound's crate, as she tumbled around in the crate, across the tarmac six times, to push her under the wing of the plane and they left my dog and cat under the wing of the plane in Houston's stifling heat. I have video and pictures proving this. The temperature on my phone was 91 degrees in Houston, it had to be at least 100 degrees on that tarmac. My pets were finally put in the cargo where they sat for more than one hour as work crews tried to fix a seat belt problem and then an air-conditioning problem. The cargo door was open allowing the brutal heat to cook my animals. We had to change planes because of the faulty air-conditioning and I never saw the PetSafe van take my animals out of the cargo. I was informed that I had to get off the plane immediately. My animals were still in cargo. Upon arrival in Boston the cargo employee stated, "This is animal cruelty" while looking at my Greyhound and her crate. Her crate was covered in blood, feces and urine. My cat's crate was covered in feces and vomit. My Greyhound suffered severe dehydration and heat stroke. She needed to be hospitalized in intensive care for 3 days; her kidneys were failing due to heatstroke, and her liver was struggling. She was urinating and defecating blood. My vet bill was more than $2700. I detailed everything to United Airlines and asked to be reimbursed for the vet bills. Their offer to me was $1000, and that was to be given to me only if I signed a 4 page non-disclosure agreement. United claims she had a pre-existing condition and they refuse to tell me what this "pre-existing condition" is. I have a letter from our vet in California indicating she was in perfect health and had NO pre-existing condition. The vet who treated her in Massachusetts has written a letter indicating that her medical problems were brought upon by her mistreatment by United, resulting in heat stroke. DO NOT FLY YOUR PETS IN CARGO WITH UNITED. They have taken absolutely no responsibility for the brutal and neglectful manner in which my animals were treated. They killed Maggie Rizer's dog and Michael Jarboe's dog last year. Google their stories. In all of our cases they refuse to take responsibility and blame it on a "pre-existing condition." I only wish I had read about what they did to Maggie and Michael's dogs before I ever entrusted my animals to them. Please share this with your associates, friends and family. DO NOT TRUST PETSAFE. Your animals are NOT SAFE and United will take NO responsibility, whether they injure them or kill them!

• Amy
  More than a year ago
  Rio de Janeiro to San Francisco

  Our 1 yr and 4 month mini schnauzer recently traveled from Rio to SFO via PetSafe, and overall, we were pleased with the service. The cost seemed reasonable (~$280) which included their kennel service on her layover in Houston. It's impossible to say what level of care she received during her travel (obviously - she doesn't talk!), and the fact that she arrived covered in her own urine told us that she was terrified as one would expect (she is a generally nervous pup and was never crate-trained, plus plane noises are incredibly loud for dogs, so it must have been very scary). I only gave them 4 stars for a couple of reasons: 1) when we picked her up at SFO, we found that her leash and collar had been placed inside her crate with her, which seemed strange (shouldn't it be attached to the outside of the crate for her safety? what if she had chewed on it out of nervousness and choked on the buckle?); and 2) United re-booked her on an earlier flight out of Houston and DID notify me of the change via e-mail, which was appreciated, but I had to change my plans for the day and miss work unexpectedly due to the change (it’s not problem for a human to arrive early, but a dog is just going to sit in the crate until it is picked up, so I would rather she have stayed at the Houston kennel a little longer to stretch her legs before the flight to SFO). I wasn’t expecting her flight to change, so I called PetSafe to confirm this. The customer service woman who answered my call did not seem entirely clear on my dogs' itinerary and did not instill much confidence when she responded to my questions, so we went to the airport in time for the earlier flight, which she did arrive on. It was all fine in the end; she arrived safely and that's the priority; however, it would be nice if you could call and get some update on the condition of your dog in the connecting city. I didn’t ask this question because of the lack of confidence I had in the woman who answered my call, but it would be great if they could connect you with a representative in Houston, just so that someone who is physically with your dog can tell you “yes they made it and they are doing okay.” Hopefully she never needs to fly again, but if she does, we would feel safe using PetSafe again.

• Lorelei
  More than a year ago
  August 2013

  I have a 6 lb Maltese. I booked myself and 2 friends (paying for all of us) for my move to Panama. When I made the reservation, the agent said I could not take him in cabin. She could not tell me why. I asked if it was a United rule or Panama rule. She did not know. I asked her to check and see if he could fly in cabin to France....yes. So I said that must be a Panama law then. I made the reservation for the 3 of us and for him to be send via cargo. Reservations told me to check with PetSafe to see if he could fly in cargo on the flights I wanted to book. I called PetSafe; they checked, I was told yes. So I booked our flights. The following day via e-mail PetSafe informs me that a 2 hr layover is not enough. PetSafe gives me a choice of 2 flights to choose from both have over a 13 hour layover. I chose one went back to reservations and they changed the flights. I then booked a nonrefundable hotel room in Houston for myself and friends. I then researched on line the carrier needed for United cargo. Purchased with all the special components at $150.00. Meantime I an already thurougly stressed with all the things needed for this move but cannot stop worrying about my little dog and wondering if what I am doing is right. The other day decided to check on the internet to find out why Panama does not accept pets in cabin. I found nothing. I then called Delta. Yes he can fly in cabin. I called American. Yes he can fly in cabin. I call Uniited back and talked to them about a cancellation. I get dinged $200/ticket. And the rest is in the form of a credit which cannot be used by me (even though I purchased with my $) but the credit for the 2 friends goes to them and must be used within a year. I am still trying to figure out now what I am going to do and truly traumatized about the whole thing.

• Lorelei
  More than a year ago
  August 2013

  I have a 6 lb Maltese. I booked myself and 2 friends (paying for all of us) for my move to Panama. When I made the reservation, the agent said I could not take him in cabin. She could not tell me why. I asked if it was a United rule or Panama rule. She did not know. I asked her to check and see if he could fly in cabin to France....yes. So I said that must be a Panama law then. I made the reservation for the 3 of us and for him to be send via cargo. Reservations told me to check with PetSafe to see if he could fly in cargo on the flights I wanted to book. I called PetSafe; they checked, I was told yes. So I booked our flights. The following day via e-mail PetSafe informs me that a 2 hr layover is not enough. PetSafe gives me a choice of 2 flights to choose from both have over a 13 hour layover. I chose one went back to reservations and they changed the flights. I then booked a nonrefundable hotel room in Houston for myself and friends. I then researched on line the carrier needed for United cargo. Purchased with all the special components at $150.00. Meantime I an already thurougly stressed with all the things needed for this move but cannot stop worrying about my little dog and wondering if what I am doing is right. The other day decided to check on the internet to find out why Panama does not accept pets in cabin. I found nothing. I then called Delta. Yes he can fly in cabin. I called American. Yes he can fly in cabin. I call Uniited back and talked to them about a cancellation. I get dinged $200/ticket. And the rest is in the form of a credit which cannot be used by me (even though I purchased with my $) but the credit for the 2 friends goes to them and must be used within a year. I am still trying to figure out now what I am going to do and truly traumatized about the whole thing.

• Tammy
  More than a year ago
  First time--Great

  This was my first experience flying a dog. First of all, I'd say, if you don't have to fly your dog, don't. It is way too much hassle and the risk of the pet dying. Having read all the reviews and horror stories, I had mentally prepared for the worst with my dog. Needless to say, based on my 5 bone rating, the worst did not happen. The gentleman at the United cargo office at Dulles was great! He showed me exactly what would happen to my dog through every step. He eased my fears and let me walk my dog up to 30 minutes before his flight. He made sure to provide some water for my dog and assured me that the dog would be kept in the air conditioned warehouse until just before he was loaded, after all the baggage. My dog had a 10 hour flight from DC to Honolulu. I flew the next day, so I was able to check on his progress. Within 20 minutes of landing at Honolulu, he was marked as received by the Hawaii Animal Quarantine. One tip I'd give to those flying to Hawaii is that the airport animal quarantine is staffed 24/7 so you can call them any time to check that your dog is safe (give about an hour after the plane lands). I ended up calling the next day to hear that he had arrived safely and was being his usual calm self in the kennel awaiting my arrival. My main tips to other first timers: 1) Don't fly your pet if you can avoid it at all 2) Book at least 2 months in advance and check your booking (via waybill number) through Unitedcargo.com. 3) Have your pet sleep in the crate with the door closed. My dog loved his crate so much that as soon as I put him in it in the cargo office, he laid down right away--the shipping office told me that the dogs who have problems are the ones who are high strung--they tend to throw themselves against the crates causing injury. The shipper really can't do anything if your pet his hurting himself. 3) Ask them to put water in your pets bowl while he is waiting in the shipping office. They may have to remove it for him to get evaluated by security, but at least he'll have some up to that point. 4) Read and pay attention to what the professional websites say to do. I followed all the advice from the experts (which is generally the same across the board) and had no problems. 5) Flying a dog is a risk--but the risk is minimal. Hundreds of thousands of dogs fly a year and very few are injured or killed. There are horror stories out there that are repeated time and again, don't let those stories get you down if you must ship your pet. If you are, like me, moving to a place where driving is not possible, your other option is to give away your pet. Weigh the options. To me, giving away a dog I rescued was not an option. And now, he is sitting comfortably in my new home in paradise and we are loving life. United did an excellent job and I would definitely choose them again (only mistake was in cost estimate which was in error due to failing to figure in the weight of the crate).

• Brenda
  More than a year ago
  The worst Pet travel program ever.

  We moved to SC from Anchorage, AK on July 25th 2013, The flight reservation for my dogs was made over a month in advance, my 2 dogs left Anchorage without issue. We had things set up so the dogs would arrive 6 hours after we did which would give us time to drive from Summerville to Charlotte NC to pick up our dogs, when we arrived in Charlotte we were informed that our dogs were bumped from the flight and they would be in at 9:30 pm so we waited for them, at 9 pm the cargo place in Charlotte got a phone call saying that the dogs would have to stay in Chicago until the next Mon,they were stranded in Chicago for 4 days. I am looking into an Attorney to sue United and Petsafe for the money we spent on their fare and emotional distress on my dogs and ourselves, also the cost of gas for the drive and my fiancées missed time from work on Monday when we had to drive 3 1/2 hours once again to go pick up our dogs, This is the worst experience I have ever had shipping pets. I DO NOT RECOMMEND using this service. If you can fly with Alaska Airlines do it they one of the best pet care policies out there, If you can't find another way to ship your pets.

• Cynthia
  More than a year ago
  Cluster Flipping Service

  After reading all the previous horror stories on this site, I guess I am glad that the flight this morning did not happen. Up until now, I've always flown pets via Continental's Quick-Pac and in 15 years never had a single issue. Now things seem to have changed dramatically since the merger with United. Just trying to book a flght for one of my Abyssinian queens was an exercize in futility and ineptness that took hours on hold and about 1/2 dozen calls at that. She was booked on a 6:40 AM flight out of New Orleans. However, the cargo office does not open till 5:30 AM and the New Orleans airport requires check in 90 minutes prior and not a minute less. So, the flight should NEVER have been booked. To complicate things, I had to drive almost and hour and a half into New Orleans, leaving my house at 4 AM, only to have the surly Cargo Office employees tell the cat was not going to make the flight and it should have NEVER been booked. When I called to complain, the supervisor told me of the next flight, which connected in chicago, arriving in Portlan (destination) at 8:30 PM!!!! ARGH!!!! By this time, my cat had been in the carrier since 4AM and this "supervisor" is suggesting a flight that would make her stay in the carrier 16 1/2 hours!!!! When I exclaimed that borders on animal abuse, she curtly told me that if I was not going to accept the next flight out, there was nothing more she could do for me. Now I am out a half a tank of gas and 3 hours of wasted time, all because some numb-nuts at the call center did not know what they were doing. If my friend in Portland wants this girl, she will have to fly here and return with the cat in the cabin. After my ordeal this morning and reading all the horrible thing on this site, I would say I probably dodged a bullet.

• Cailey
  More than a year ago
  Easy flight with cat

  I've flown three times with my cat, all United, and I was very satisfied with each experience. I had no problems with security, check-in, or boarding. All flight attendants and other airline staff were very friendly, many asking about my cat's travel experience or remarking on her appearance (as viewed through the carrier). The pet reservation must be made over the phone, which is cumbersome and my reason for not giving a 5-bone rating.
  
  NOTE: this page says that the pet carrier counts as a personal item, which was not my experience. I have brought a carry-on bag (usually gate-checked), backpack, and pet carrier without any problems. Indeed, the one time a boarding attendant asked me to consolidate my items into two bags, I explained that my third bag was a pet carrier and she actually apologized before scanning my ticket and letting me board. I'd call the airline to double check their policy.

• Donna
  More than a year ago
  Worst flight experience for my dogs

  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..
  
  

• Andrea
  More than a year ago
  Second try, still no success with pet safe

  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!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  

• Andrea
  More than a year ago
  PET"SAFE" IS NOT SAFE AT ALL!!!

  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?????"

• Bruce
  More than a year ago
  Dec 20, 2012 Most HORRIBLE!!

  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.

• Bruce
  More than a year ago
  HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!!!

  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.

• Mary
  More than a year ago
  Good experience.

  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.

• Neil
  More than a year ago
  Travel to Hawaii

  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).

• Shelly
  More than a year ago
  Never use this terrible excuse for a company.

  **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!

• Nancy
  More than a year ago
  Horrible Experience

  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.
  
  
  
  

• Kristine
  More than a year ago
  Double Charged, Forgot Food and Lost Our Dog

  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!

• Irene
  More than a year ago
  lax to Hartford CT

  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.

• J
  More than a year ago
  In cabin rate

  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

• Dan
  More than a year ago
  expensive, horrible service

  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!

• Rob
  More than a year ago
  Another great PetSafe flight

  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.

• Sabrina
  More than a year ago
  PET TRAUMATIZED !!

  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

• Camilla
  More than a year ago
  Frequent Flyer

  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.

• Terry
  More than a year ago
  Horrible Program - Fraud

  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.

• Debbie
  More than a year ago
  Dog flew as cargo

  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.

• Angela
  More than a year ago
  Our Dog was left in Denver

  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

• Cindy
  More than a year ago
  United's new pet travel policy for large animals is TERRIBLE

  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
  
  

• Carol
  More than a year ago
  international pets checked baggage!

  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.

• Leslie
  More than a year ago
  very disappointed

  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!

• Chris
  More than a year ago
  Worst Ever

  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.

• Wentz
  More than a year ago
  April 2012 Misleading information?

  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.

• Sandy
  More than a year ago
  incorrect information

  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.

• Jessica
  More than a year ago
  Plane "too small"

  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!!!!

• Susan
  More than a year ago
  Procedure has changed!!!!!!

  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.

• Gail
  More than a year ago
  Put on wrong plane

  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.

• Natasha
  More than a year ago
  Frequent Flyer Fido

  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.

• Natalie
  More than a year ago
  Dog kept waiting in cold at Incheon

  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.

• Snicker
  More than a year ago
  Cost!!

  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.

• Linda
  More than a year ago
  Mari410

  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!

• Patti
  More than a year ago
  flying with my poodle on United

  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.

• Ryan
  More than a year ago
  Liers

  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

• Emily
  More than a year ago
  Awesome!!

  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!

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