Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, United Airlines, WestJet. If you are planning to fly on any of these airlines, please Email Us or Calll Us for rules and restrictions.

When you go through security you have to remove the dog from the carrier and place only the carrier on the belt for the x-ray machine.  You will hold and walk through with the dog and then place him back in the carrier. After that he will just sit at your feet the entire flight in his bag. It’s a super easy process.​

Usually the puppies are very calm and just sleep the entire flight.  If the pup poops in his carrier just take the entire bag to the bathroom and just dispose of it the best you can. Airlines are pretty strict about removing the pet from the carrier in the cabin so I would definitely take them to the bathroom if you need to. Have some paper towels with you.  As far as peeing, he very well may go in the carrier, especially if it is a young pup. Don’t worry about that. Our rescue partners will have wipes and towels to clean him off as soon as he arrives.

Our number 1 tip for travelling with a pup is to bring paper towels and we will always try to bring those for you.  It is worth checking beforehand that we will be providing them for you.

On arrival you must declare a live animal on your declaration card for customs.  If the dog traveled as baggage in the hold of the plane you will find that there is a separate section where special luggage (like dogs in crates) come out.  This is where you will pick up the dog.

In the US there are no duty fees. You simply go through the line for travelers with something to declare, tell them you have a dog, show them the health certificate, and that’s it.

In Canada there is a duty fee of about 40$ CAN, which will be refunded to you by our rescue partner who is meeting you at the airport. You will go through the first customs agent where everyone exits with their luggage. When you hand your declaration card to that person, they will send you to a secondary customs area to clear the dog. They will ask you a couple of questions such as the dog’s name, age, breed etc.

If you accompany one of our Antiguan rescue, once you exit customs our rescue partner will wait for you at the arrival exit. They will take the dog, his health certificate and will refund any fees paid.

From a member, Margaret.

I feel in love with my little Charlotte, a beautiful white and gold kitten who was born late last April at the hotel in St. John, Antigua where I was residing for medical school. I knew I couldn’t leave Antigua without her in October, when I completed the Antiguan part of my MD journey, and I was so happy I received expert guidance from Joy at Dogs and Cats of Antigua, as well as wonderful care from the entire staff at The Ark.

Charlotte was spayed and received her initial medical care at the Ark, including microchip and vaccines. I then obtained a veterinary appointment with the government vet in St. John within a week of flying back to the U.S. last October and she couldn’t have been more wonderful. Charlotte passed the government veterinary visit with flying colors, and I was ready to fly on October 8th!

The day of departure, I simply showed the Antiguan government officials at the airport the government vet paperwork and took Charlotte out of her (pink) official pet carrier and she was ready to fly with me. It was as simple as that! I made sure she had a pretty collar somewhat loosely around her neck so I could gently hold her under the collar to make sure the didn’t slip from my hands when I had to take her out of the carrier for it to be inspected.  Charlotte was safely in the US with me the following day, after a total of three flights, and I never had a problem at all flying with her. She was so quiet and calm the entire time, so I had no problems at all!

I sincerely hope to hear that other people traveling from Antigua have the joy of bringing a beautiful Antiguan kitten/cat back with them!

There is no cost to accompany a dog or cat back from Antigua but donations are accepted and appreciated.

• The cost prepare a dog to fly is about $150 U.S. ($405 E.C.) and includes Vaccinations, ticks, fleas and worming treatments if required. Micro-chipping and the Government health certificate that is required to travel.
• ​Airfare for dogs and cats varies from $50 – $150 U.S.
• The cost for the airlines varies from $50 U.S ($135 E.C.) to $150 U.S. ($405 E.C.) if the dog is traveling with a passenger but if he is traveling in cargo it can be up to $650 U.S. ($1755 EC)
• Please call the airline or visit their website to above to double-check their current policies.

Get all the information you need to know about importing a dog or a cat in your country. Print the latest version of the health certificate directly from their website to avoid unwanted fees.

• If you are traveling with your pet to the United Kingdom. 
• If you are traveling with a Dog or Cat to Canada
• If you are traveling with a Dog or Cat to the United States.

If the dog/cat is young and small enough, it could fit into a travel bag which can be taken on the plane and should fit under your seat when you are traveling. If the dog is a little bigger, it will need to go in a crate which will go in the baggage area on the plane.

How much time does it take to hand over a dog at a stopover if we are trying to make a connecting flight

To hand the dog(s) off, the passenger needs to claim their baggage, go through secondary customs, exit, hand the dog off, then go to departures and go through security again.

The puppy is with the courier in cabin as the carry on.  They collect the dog in the kennel where the baggage comes out.  The dog comes out well before the baggage. Couriers take around 30-45 and at most, 60 minutes to gather luggage and dogs, clear primary and secondary customs, exit and hand off the dogs. The person doing the pick up would be right at the exit to take the dog and courier can then head straight back to departures to go through security. They should have 30+ minutes to get the connecting flight

Right now we are able to send dogs and cats with travel buddies to Boston, Newark, New York, Philadelphia or Toronto but we are always looking to open up more routes as we secure new partners worldwide.