Good news for animal lovers! Jet Airways to soon restart pets transfer service

A girl interacts with her pet while waiting for a blessing from a priest on the day of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of domestic animals, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico January 17, 2018. (Reuters)

There's good news for pet lovers. They will now be able to use the facility to transfer their pets in flights of Jet Airways. The airline had stopped this service in June 2017 but will resume it citing rising demand, according to a report in Hindustan Times.

The airline will become the third Indian carrier to provide animal transportation as air cargo. Currently, Air India and SpiceJet offer this service.

Although the airline is restarting the facility, it has made certain modifications. Unlike previous acceptance, it has only allowed the movement of pets if it does not involve transshipment. It means passengers who want to relocate their pets will however be able to book them only on direct flights.

The cost of transporting pets from flights varies and it depends on several factors including the size of the animal, the space they occupy in the flight, the cost of crate which is purchased by the owner and the travel distance. It costs around Rs 5,000 to transfer a small-sized animal, while it ranges between Rs 12,000 and Rs 14,000 for a large pet. These pet transfer charges exclude the cost of a crate, which is priced around Rs 12,000 for a large-sized animal.

It is to be learnt that special arrangement is to be made by carriers for travelling of animals. Carriage for them to be arranged at origin airports. There is special training for the staffs at the source station to ensure that the crate which is used, documentation and general condition of the animal are in accordance with the rules and regulations stipulated in the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Live Animal Regulations Manual.

The staffs are further trained to take care of movement of crate from cargo warehouse to aircraft bay prior to loading into aircraft and arrival formalities.

Although the exact date of resuming the service has not been confirmed, it is expected to be started in June, this year.