MCB CAMP BUTLER, OKINAWA, Japan -- United Airlines executives announced a new policy which began March 3 that exempts pets moving on permanent change of station orders from high cargo fees.
Recently, United Airlines had re-evaluated its pet travel program, making changes that could have cost pet owners more than a thousand dollars. This was avoided by the development of an important exemption for pets.
The PetSafe Program, now used by United Airlines, would have cost hundreds or thousands of dollars in increased fees when traveling to and from certain countries, such as Japan. Under the program, pets would have been treated as cargo, requiring a third-party freight forwarder, potentially resulting in fees costing between $1,400 and $4,000.
United Airlines decided to waive the program for pets traveling on the PCS orders of status of forces agreement personnel. Under the waiver, a pet and its kennel weighing 99.9 pounds or less will be checked as excess baggage, and the owner will be charged a set fee of $250.
“We appreciate United Airlines establishing a formal exemption to the airline’s PetSafe Program,” said Maj. Gen. Peter J. Talleri, commanding general of Marine Corps Installations Pacific and Marine Corps Base Camp Butler. “The exemption will be beneficial to service members, their families and their pets.”
“We more fully understand the impact of our implementation of our PetSafe product as a result of the constructive feedback we received,” according to a written statement by United Airlines spokeswoman Mary Ryan, as printed in Stars and Stripes. “We’ve evaluated the policies and developed a special process for military families traveling on PCS orders only, which allows them to transport their four-legged family members without the need for a third-party freight forwarder.”
The policy for heavier pets remains the same as before.
“As in the past, pets and carriers which weigh 100 pounds or more will still have to be booked as cargo, and those rates will remain the same,” said Col. John C. Wright, the chief of staff for MCIPAC and MCB Camp Butler. “This requirement has always been in place.”
Military travelers should contact the airline’s PetSafe Program for more details about the new travel rules, according to Ryan.
Pet owners should be aware that there is a separate fee charged by All Nippon Airways for pet travel from Naha Airport to Narita International Airport. The fee is approximately 450 yen per kilogram.
“Customers should contact ANA and United Airlines before they travel,” said Capt. Christopher M. Gilmore, the distribution management officer for MCB Camp Butler, MCIPAC. “They should confirm ANA’s pricing, and they should also confirm their pets are properly booked with both airlines.”
The United Airlines PetSafe Program and exemption policy will not affect pet transportation via the Air Mobility Command’s Patriot Express, a U.S. government-contract flight, which provides support to U.S. military members and their families.
“The Distribution Management Office of the Passenger Travel Office will first and foremost make every effort to book all travelers and their pets on the Patriot Express … once (the office) has received port call information from the Installation Personnel Administrative Center,” said Gilmore.
Due to the limited number of pets allowed on each Patriot Express flight, booking is made on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information about pet travel, call PTO at 645-3899 or IPAC at 645-6222. For more information about ANA’s pet policy, call 800-235-9262. For more information about United Airlines’ PetSafe Program, call 800-575-3335 or 832-235-1541 or e-mail conchetta.washington@united.com.