Flying Your Puppy Home

Flying your Red Diamond Labrador Puppy to their forever home

We recommend that new families   pick their puppies up from our home.     But…Realistically, in most cases it’s necessary to fly the puppies to their new home. If we limited our puppy destinations to more local homes, we would be overlooking some fantastic new homes/families further away. So in the puppies’ best interest, we do fly them so they can have the best new home.

  1. Puppies can fly with Continental year round from Wichita or Kansas City to major airports throughout the US. We will make those shipping arrangements for you.
  2. You can fly to Wichita or Kansas City, and take your puppy back home on the plane with you as carry on. Depending upon our work schedule, we may or may not be able to meet you at the airport (it is a 2-hour drive).

How Does This Work?

  • First, we have to find your closest airport that a puppy can fly into (requires a certain size of plane with climate controlled hold).
    *Not all airports with Continental service can receive puppies.   Only those that receive the big planes can transport puppies. You can call Continental at 800-575-3335 to determine what airport is the closest to you that can handle puppies, or we can call and inquire for you.
    *We will make the reservations, but we can only reserve for the airports that accept the planes with climate-controlled holds.
    *Temperature extremes can limit this (heat and cold) during some times of year with other airlines. Continental can ship despite temp extremes, as they have temperature controlled transport to and from the plane. But, Continental doesn’t fly into some airports (like Boise), so we have to find that out for your location.
  • We will make the arrangements. You just pay for the associated costs at least 2 weeks in advance.
  • Then, wait until your puppy is at least 8 weeks old to ship him/her. Shipping requires that a puppy be by itself for several hours, and younger puppies can become overly stressed if this wait is very long. So, we’ll look for a good flight for him or her.
  • The cost to fly a puppy 8 weeks old to any major city is generally around  $400.00. This price can fluctuate if the airlines raise their prices.  For older puppies and mature dogs, we must call the airline for a specific price to the  higher weight of the Labrador.
  • This   is not at profit to us (in fact, the fee doesn’t always totally cover our costs).
  • Your puppy will be flown to the nearest major airport to you, or to the airport you specify that accepts puppies via Continental.
  • Flight times will be determined by the airlines, though we reserve the right to refuse to ship puppies if their travel day is too long. So far we’ve never done this, but we will if we feel it would be a danger to the puppy.
  • We are not responsible for airline flight changes, such as weather postponements, delays, mechanical problems, etc. If your puppy can’t fly on the scheduled day, a reschedule will be arranged. It is an inconvenience for both of us, as you and I may both have taken vacation days for the scheduled flight, but we don’t offer refunds if a flight is rescheduled.
  • Reservations will be made upon receiving payment for the shipping and associated costs, and full payment for the puppy. Please give us at least 3 full weeks prior to shipping your puppy to help ensure flight availability.

“The Big Day”

Checking/Verifying Flight Status

What should I take to the airport with me?

  • REQUIRED. Photo ID for the person listed to receive the puppy (which is the buyer, unless you told me otherwise).
  • REQUIRED. My cell phone number:620-717-1941.
  • REQUIRED. The phone number for Continental Airlines pet reservations line:   1.800.575.3335 or 281.553.5052.   Also, it is helpful to have your confirmation number from my e-mail that included the flight itinerary.
  • Water to offer the puppy at the airport or at your vehicle.   There will be a food and water dish attached to the inside of the carrier, so you don’t need a bowl. Bottled water might be best to avoid extra smells that tap waters can have for the first day.
  • A collar   and leash to allow the puppy to exercise a little before the drive home, and for potty stops.
  • A clean towel or something soft and cuddly to put into the carrier for your drive home from the airport.
  • A map to where you pick your puppy up. Do a search in Google for the airport if needed, as most have online maps that you can look at to help guide you to the terminal or Air Cargo (most puppies are either delivered at Baggage Services for Continental or else their Air Cargo counter).

Please be at the airport immediately upon your puppy’s arrival! It is best for your puppy to be picked up immediately, and also the airline personnel get very nervous if you are not waiting there.

Are there any options other than flying?

There are some over-land animal haulers, but we will not sell a puppy to someone planning to use a land transport service. This is due to several reasons:

  • The transport time is too long and stressful for a young puppy
  • The chances for contamination (viruses, bacteria) from previous dogs that have been in the compartment is too high.
  • Scheduling with land transporters is too difficult, and my work schedule makes it difficult to accommodate their last-minute changes.

Other Airlines

We   prefer to fly with Continental because they have less temperature restrictions than other airlines due to their better facilities. But we could explore other airlines if needed.

You are always welcome to fly in and pick up your puppy.

The nearest airport is Allen County Airport in Iola, Ks

Allen County Airport is a public facility located 3 miles SE of Iola, Kansas serving the needs of local and regional aviation. The airport is staffed during the day throughout the week and is a favorite stop for aircraft due to its lower fuel cost than other area airports.

Contact Mitch Garner (620-365-1465) or Bill King (620-365-1422) for additional information.

Location

Lat/Long: 37-52-12.300N / 095-23-11.000W (37.8700833 / -95.3863889) (estimated)
Elevation: 1015 ft. / 309.4 m (surveyed)
Variation: 04E (2000)
Distance From Iola, KS: 3 miles S.E.
Mailing Address: 1705 Minnesota Road, Iola, KS 66749

Sedona King from Scarlett & Brick

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This