First Flight

[starwynde]

Unfortunately, I'm not talking about a new fledgling, but the process of moving back to the mainland from Hawaii, as my husband's tour is almost finished here. I'm familiar with the process for dogs and cats so not worried about our other animals, but I am worried about Gem, my lovebird. I know the flight will be about 6 hours, and from what I understand, flights between Hawaii and the mainland do not allow any animals in the passenger cabin. Which means the only flight option I have is to put Gem in the cargo hold.

Does anyone have experience with this sort of move and have some recommendations on how I can prepare Gem, or if this is even advisable? I know some holds are temperature controlled and pressurized, but I am unsure if this is safe enough.

[linda040899]

Check with Continental Airlines or Delta Airlines. Both are excellent with handling live animals, particularly birds. With Continental, the "cargo" area is climatized and extremely animal friendly. I've used both and they've done a good job for me when I ship birds.

[starwynde]

That's good to know. I will give both a call and find out what their specific guidelines are. I'm feeling a little about about this whole thing. It kills me to see so many animals on craigslist here because people bought/adopted them but decided they are too much work to prep and bring back to the mainland with them; for me, it would be like abandoning my kids, which is just not an option for me. Thank you.

[linda040899]

I wish LauraO were around a bit more often. She moved her entire flock from Hawaii to the West Coast and that included an African Grey. I admire your dedication to your lovebirds and wish there were many more like you!

[starwynde]

I have had Gem since he was 4 weeks old... a little ball of fuzz who had no problem waking me up every few hours for a feeding and telling me who was, and still is, the boss (he is of course). There is no way I could leave him, or any of our other animals behind. It's just not an option for me.