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They probably wouldn’t. We are on the same flight as our pet. I talked with Delta last night and they say the reason all the extra fees are attatched is because he is flying cargo and not checked baggage. He can’t fly checked baggage because from May thru September 15 they only allow larger dogs into cargo. CR will probably charge all sorts of extra fees and we will just pay them. What kind of problems can we expect when we book for the return trip? If we had booked after Sept 15 he could have flown checked baggage. Thank you for your help.
i still don’t understand why they make that distinction between cargo and checked baggage — is it because they have no temp regulated pet hold?? if you dog were coming as checked baggage, he would be offloaded (at least in SJO) to the spot where they put oversized parcels, surfboards, etc. but because he is designated as cargo, i can’t tell you if they would put him there or some other place, and that is what you have to find out. there may not be and additional fees on this end if he is offloaded in the same building. what a hassle for you.
thank goodness my dog can fly in-cabin. this sounds like a lot of trouble and expense.
I just arrived 3 weeks ago with my puppy from Minneapolis to San Jose and I did all of my Pet Shipping homework before undertaking this trip.
I chose Continental Airlines because of their PetSafe program (they have a dedicated Pet tracking hotline and some extra pet care services some airlines don’t claim to have if you have a long layover) EVEN THOUGH Continental requires dogs to travel in Cargo if they can’t fit under the seat. I chose to fly into SJO because the weather is cooler so there would be less risk of them not shipping her if the ground temp was too hot which could happen if you go through Liberia.
Here is what I experienced:
1. I booked my puppy on the same flights I was traveling on through the C.A. PetSafe Cargo Desk.
2. I had a health exam from my Vet 6 days before traveling which I got ‘stamped’ by the Minnesota USDA office.
3. I got a rabies certificate – although since she was just 13 weeks old her first rabies shot was not > 30 days – it’s an exception that is allowed for puppies.
4. Continental recommended a Broker in SJO – and YES, you need one to get your dog through Customs and the SJO Health Inspector if they go Cargo. The Broker works for a company that specializes in Pet Transport.
6. I sent my Health Docs to this broker and he sent me back an Import Permit. I then faxed all of my docs to the PetSafe Cargo desk – this must be done 48 hours before travel.
7. When I arrived in Minneapolis at 4am (2.5 hours before my flight) at the ticket desk as instructed, the Ticket Agent told me the MPLS Cargo desk (at another terminal) would not open until 7am and therefore I was ‘stuck’ and couldn’t ship my dog on my flight because she had to go through there directly. I naturally screamed bloody murder and so finally they ‘woke up’ and called the PetSafe desk who instructed them to inspect my documents, (Health Certificate, Rabies Certificate, Import Permit), which they did, and they then put her on my flight.
8. I had to pay about $260 (based on size/weight) to ship her in Cargo. Her crate had to be a bit bigger than normal due to it being an Int’l flight. I’m sure she appreciated the extra leg room!
9. On my Layover in Houston, I was able to log onto the Continental QuickPak web site and track my Puppy’s entrance into their Cargo area to be sure she made the flight and our transfer. I could also have called their tracking desk but I didn’t feel the need to do that once I saw she had arrived in Houston.
10. Upon arrival in SJO, I had to go 1KM to the Cargo Terminal to meet my Broker. I then waited about 3 hours for my puppy to clear Customs and Animal Inspector clearance. There is a little cafeteria there so it’s not so horrible plus you can sit in the air conditioned Continental freight office to wait. When she was ready to go, I paid the Broker the import fee which was $230.
11. I had booked a Tour Bus to drive me to Guanacaste and told them in advance I would have a long wait at the Cargo area. The driver was very patient, I bought him some cold drinks, and when my dog finally cleared, we were on our way. During the trip to Guanacaste he stopped for me a few times to let her walk and go potty. I gave him a big tip at the end.
Note also that someone from Continental was nice enough to realign my dog’s water dish in transit, (I had installed it a bit high up and they lowered it), so they were actually paying attention to her needs. When I asked them about her condition while awaiting her clearance in SJO the broker said they had seen her and she looked calm and fine. She had food taped to her kennel so if she had needed feeding they could have done that.
The whole flight / layover / clearance took about 12 hours. Unbelievably, when we were reunited she was very calm and she had barely soiled her crate at all and had not chewed up her bedding in a panic which I had expected her to do.
We’re now settled in in Guanacaste and she’s very happy. My biggest issue now is keeping her away from poisonous Toads!
Bottom line – Continental’s service may be costly, but except for the hiccup in Minneapolis at check-in, it seems to work as advertised.
Hope this was helpful…good luck!
Many thanks for all the replies. We chose Delta because they have a direct flight from Atlanta and it is only about 3 and a half hrs. I am concerned we may be turned away the day we are to fly out because the temp has been in the 90’s here in Birmingham and we are about like Atlanta. We at first consulted Continental but they had no direct flight. They did give us the name of a broker whom we have tried to contact in CR. He answers the phone but when I speak in English he hangs up. There was no other name offered. We have no problem with all the vet issues, shots, etc. Our vet is familiar. I just don’t know what to do about the broker issue. The Costa Rican Consulate in ATlanta said we didn’t need a broker if we were bringing in a family pet. Continental said we did. Delta says we don’t. Can anybody offer the name and phone number of a broker who speaks English? There are always lots of different rules when it comes to CR no matter what. And, they are never the same it seems.
[quote=”alewis”]Many thanks for all the replies. We chose Delta because they have a direct flight from Atlanta and it is only about 3 and a half hrs. I am concerned we may be turned away the day we are to fly out because the temp has been in the 90’s here in Birmingham and we are about like Atlanta. We at first consulted Continental but they had no direct flight. They did give us the name of a broker whom we have tried to contact in CR. He answers the phone but when I speak in English he hangs up. There was no other name offered. We have no problem with all the vet issues, shots, etc. Our vet is familiar. I just don’t know what to do about the broker issue. The Costa Rican Consulate in ATlanta said we didn’t need a broker if we were bringing in a family pet. Continental said we did. Delta says we don’t. Can anybody offer the name and phone number of a broker who speaks English? There are always lots of different rules when it comes to CR no matter what. And, they are never the same it seems.[/quote]
Was the Broker that Continental referred you to Jorge Villalobos with TCAP? (Here is their web site) http://www.tcapcr.com/tcaping.html If so, I agree, his English isn’t good over the phone (I spoke Spanish to him). I used email with him and he’s OK in English, and in person his English is servicable. I would send him an email. He’s effective and his office is on site at the Terminal so I’d try to use him if possible.
BTW – I don’t think the distinction is whether you are bringing in a ‘family pet’, but rather whether the dog is coming in via Cargo or via checked baggage. If coming via Cargo, you need the broker & import permit, period. If coming through baggage, maybe not, (I can’t say), but I believe you should call Delta’s office in Costa Rica to confirm their procedure Don’t rely on the ‘home office’ people, trust me.
All I did was call the CR embassy in Miami. They told me exactly what I needed. I informed the vet,got the shots and she contacted the USDA guy, I met him at his office.He signed off my vets report. I then took all that crap to AA in Miami and they had some stooge ” officially” sign it off.
I arrived at the flight a week or so later, they put the dog on the plane and the kids at Liberia unloaded her first, let her out of the crate, gave her water and brought her to me on leash.
The customs guy was there, took the yellow copy and out the door we went.
I think the shipping was $150. That was six years ago.
It was that easy. Like I said. I contacted the embassy instead of asking on a message board.:roll:the CR embassy isn’t always a source of accurate info. when i first started bringing my dogs down here, i, too, called them and they told me i had to have all the paperwork notarized and stamped by THEM before i could take my dog to Costa Rica. The stamps were going to cost $80, and the trip to the consulate was 160 miles rountrip. Then i started checking around and found out this was not true and i went with the information that was on the USDA pet importing website where they clearly state that no embassy has to notarized the health certificates. what i am still having troubling understanding is . . . what is the difference between luggage and cargo, especially if the dog is loaded on the same flight? one requires the broker and a fistful of $$, and the other does not, so what difference does it make what the temperature is if the dog is flying cargo or as luggage if it is on the same plane as you.
[quote=”maravilla”]the CR embassy isn’t always a source of accurate info. when i first started bringing my dogs down here, i, too, called them and they told me i had to have all the paperwork notarized and stamped by THEM before i could take my dog to Costa Rica. The stamps were going to cost $80, and the trip to the consulate was 160 miles rountrip. Then i started checking around and found out this was not true and i went with the information that was on the USDA pet importing website where they clearly state that no embassy has to notarized the health certificates. what i am still having troubling understanding is . . . what is the difference between luggage and cargo, especially if the dog is loaded on the same flight? one requires the broker and a fistful of $$, and the other does not, so what difference does it make what the temperature is if the dog is flying cargo or as luggage if it is on the same plane as you.[/quote]
I agree, it’s stupid to have different rules for shipping animals via Cargo vs. checked Baggage but I don’t know why it is that way.
Regarding the temperature, since animals always fly in a pressurized / climate controlled section of the hold, I think the issue is the ground temp. My dog sat around for 3 hours in San Jose waiting to clear customs. If it had been 95 degrees out it would have been awful (and dangerous) for her. Plus, temps on the tarmac can be brutal. That’s why I didn’t risk flying her via Liberia airport and that’s why Continental won’t fly your animal if the weather indicates it’s too hot at any of the points en route.
There is no PHYSICAL difference. The cargo hold, checked baggage are the same exact place. Temperature must be the key since Delta doubles the price between May 15 and Sept 15. Those are the months where the price doubles because it must be cargo if it is not in the plane with you. The flip side of the coin is that if you fly the other months and avoid the double fees, your ticket costs more because it is the high season for CR. I have contacted the broker and he has responded so am going to pay all the fees regardless. But, I have learned a lot and will not fly him again until we actually ship some of our stuff for the move down. We will be part time people as we are going to maintain a condo here in B’ham as well. We read Scott’s book about buying CR real estate but we really have no idea if we made a good decision or not. For sure the dollar is on the wane and we felt it wise to get some of our retirement money out of the US which we did thru our 401K. If the pensions and SS dry up we are in big trouble. We have left savings in the 401K but the money could turn out to be worthless. I just have to hope that doesn’t happen. I hate digging in the dirt and so have no desire to grown my own food or anything else. That’s why we bought a 3rd floor condo-we love looking at the beautiful trees and flowers but don’t want to have to grown them. Life is just uncertain no matter where you life or what you do.
If you’re importing a dog for (the dog’s) permanent residence you need to clear customs and pay the federal taxes. You can do this yourself or hire a broker. I hired a broker and everything went smooth. (At this time you can’t do this through Liberia)
If you’re not importing the dog, just bringing it for a visit you don’t need to pay the taxes, so you don’t need a broker or do the importation documents yourself.
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