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VOICES - 4 - ANIMALS - OKINAWA |
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Providing A Voice For All of Okinawa's Animals - Great & Small... |
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FLYING WITH YOUR PETS ON AMC & FAQ:
CHECK IN PROCEDURES:
1. Passengers are advised to make reservations for their pets as SOON AS THEY HAVE THEIR PCS ORDERS! Spaces are reserved quickly! DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE! 2. Pet documentation requirements:
3. ATTACH TO THE KENNEL:
4. Arrival at the AMC PASSENGER TERMINAL:
FOR PETS TRAVELING INSIDE THE CABIN OF AN AMC FLIGHT:
1. KENNEL MUST BE HARD SIDED!
2. Pet CANNOT be removed from the kennel during the flight at any time. 3. Families with more than 1 in cabin pet will be required to sit separately due to in-cabin zone restrictions. 4. If all pet spaces in the cargo compartment are not used, on the day of the flight the aircraft carrier has the authority to move in-cabin pets to the cargo compartment.
PETS TRAVELING AS BAGGAGE/CARGO ON AMC
1. From Okinawa to Mainland Japan (Yakoda AFB): Once the plane lands and all passengers have disembarked, an announcement is made that all pet owners should meet AMC AF Personnel outside on the patio to retrieve their pets! 2. Pets are brought over by van or by fork lift (yes, fork lift.. but don't freak out.. it's o.k.), and you are given an opportunity to WALK, FEED, WATER your pets!!! You are given a LOT of time to do this, so have water/treats with you and be prepared!!! 3. There are a few patches of grassy areas outside the terminal building. 4. After spending time with your pet, pets are taken INSIDE the terminal "garage" area until the flight resumes. 5. You will find your pets happy and comfortable, just as we did. :)
ARRIVAL IN SEATTLE: 1. You disembark from the flight, and follow instructions given to the "customs" area (just follow the crowd). 2. Listen for announcements for pet owners! They can be DIFFICULT to hear! For us, we were told to meet an airport officer near the immigration/customs counters around a pilon (concrete pillar). Some people did NOT hear the announcement.... 3. Your pet WILL BE DELIVERED TO YOU AT THE BAGGAGE CLAIM CAROUSEL!!!! So if you miss the announcement, just keep proceeding to baggage claim. 4. If you have a LARGE PET... be SURE to grab a luggage cart at the baggage claim area! 5. AMC baggage claim is at the VERY end (if you're outside the airport terminal facing the entrance to the ticket terminals... the baggage claim is ALL THE WAY TO YOUR LEFT). 6. AMC baggage claim is VERY conveniently located NEXT TO the exit doors and a LARGE grassy/garden area!!!!!!
AWAITING CONNECTING FLIGHTS WITH YOUR PETS IN SEATTLE:
1. The pet walking area is small and somewhat ridiculously located (and is NOT grass, but dirty sand). If you are in the TICKET COUNTER AREA.. FACING the counters... the designated pet walking area is ALL THE WAY OUT THE DOORS ON THE RIGHT END OF THE TICKET TERMINAL!!!!! 2. Walk outside the doors.. and STRAIGHT to a retaining wall that has a chain link fence to the left (which has container/cargo trailers parked there and the smell of garbage... I believe there are dumpsters there)... 3. You will see a small sign designating the pet walking area. 4. WE chose to go INSIDE THE FENCED OFF AREA, where there was a small "stretch" of grass... then went behind the cargo containers and sat down on a side walk with our dog until it was time to go back into the terminal.
CONNECTING FLIGHTS!
1. As you board your flight, tell the flight attendants that your pet is being boarded, and that you need CONFIRMATION, before the plane pulls away from the walkway, that your pet is SAFELY ON BOARD (please see printable documents section below). 2. If you have remaining connecting flights (we had 2 after Seattle), after disembarking from your plane, immediately ask an airline employee for assistance in locating your pet (confirm its whereabouts), and ASK TO SEE YOUR PET!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our experience - summer 2006: Airline employees in Denver could NOT locate our dog!!!! After the hunt began, he was discovered beneath ANOTHER plane (wrong plane) INSIDE A HOT, COMPLETELY COVERED luggage train/cart with the cover flaps CLOSED (so he was sitting in total darkness, alone)... Our dog's kennel had OBVIOUSLY BEEN DROPPED.... the top of our dog's nose was SLICED OFF and bleeding, his water bottle was completely crushed.. and it was OBVIOUSLY had been violently pushed FORWARD in the kennel, we assume his nose and body had slammed into the kennel door and the water bottle. PLEASE PUT YOUR WATER BOTTLE IN A LOCATION WHERE THERE IS LITTLE CHANCE THAT YOUR PET WILL "CRASH" INTO IT SHOULD THEIR KENNEL BE DROPPED, BOUNCED, OR TILTED! We were allowed to take our dog OFF the cart and out of his kennel (airline personnel clearly felt bad, but would not admit to mishandling our dog). We took him to the side of the airport terminal building and let him "relieve himself" anywhere he so choosed.. we were SO angry. I read them the riot act .. their airline's own policies.. about dogs NEEDING TO GO TO THE AIR-CONDITIONED area beneath the passenger terminal while awaiting a connecting flight, which they had NOT done.
REMEMBER: YOU ARE YOUR PET'S ONLY ADVOCATE!!!! YOU PAID MONEY FOR YOUR DOG'S FLIGHT, JUST LIKE ANY PAYING PASSENGER, AND THUS YOUR PET IS ENTITLED TO THE SAME RESPECTFUL TREATMENT AS ANY PASSENGER!!!!! IF YOUR PET IS MISHANDLED, DEMAND A COMPLAINT FORM, AS ALL PET HANDLING COMPLAINTS ARE LOGGED AND MADE PUBLIC ON SUCH SITES AS: ______________________________________________
PetFlight airline travel information for your petshttp://www.petflight.com/airlines ______________________________________________ *THIS IS AN EXCELLENT WEBSITE DEVOTED TO PET TRAVEL AND PET "INCIDENTS" ON AIRLINES!
USEFUL (clickable) LINKS: FLYING RIGHT WITH YOUR PET (Military Site)
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AMC FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
1. From
2. Where is the designated "pet relief" area located at (both at Kadena and Yakota)?
3. Does the pet need to be in its kennel inside the terminal?
4. What objects can be with the pet inside the kennel (toys? bedding? newspaper? food/treats? etc)?
5. Water bottle - there is a
6. Approximately how soon PRIOR to the flight does the pet need to be in its kennel, and ready to go?
7. Where/how do passengers retrieve their pet after a flight?
8. What paperwork MUST be attached to the kennel?
9. Can the pet wear a collar inside the kennel? If not, where should the collar be placed (hooked to the kennel, carried by the owner, etc)?
10. Should the pet have a leash attached to the kennel for airline staff (in case of emergency)?
11. Should the pet's kennel be secured with zip strips or any other devices (such as a baggage strap, duct tape, etc)?
12. Should the kennel door be secured in particular by extra means/measures (such as a lock, zip strips, tape, etc)?
13. At any time, are airline staff/personnel allowed to remove the pet from the kennel to assist it (for "relief", water, food, etc), such as in the case of an extreme layover, difficulty locating pet owners, etc?
14. Should pet food accompany the kennel? If so, how must it be attached or secured to the kennel?
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*SEATAC AMC SPECIFIC:
*VOICES4ANIMALS will work on providing emergency veterinary contact information for the SEATAC area. |
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The following documents were created to help make your travel with your pet EASIER, both in preparation and during the flight(s). We hope you will find them useful!
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