More Letters From WestJet & Air Canada


It's that time of year again, we we're all flying home or to visit relatives at Christmas time. According to various research and marketing companies, flying with your pets is a growing trend. More and more Canadians and Americans are loathe to leave behind their furry family members when they go to visit family or escape on vacation, and ferret owners are no exception.

Unfortunately, WestJet and Air Canada still refuse to update their pet policies to include ferrets on board their flights as they do other pets. I have been told all sorts of things by now - that ferrets are apparently rodents, that they can chew out of dense fabric carriers and hard plastic crates, that they can chew through aluminium plating and ground their aircrafts, that they aren't legal for transport, and the list goes on.

To be fair, most of those answers were simply made up on the spot by employees who have no idea what they are talking about, so it's unfair to paint the policy makers in the same light as them - though it certainly is tempting when they fail to provide their own answers.

In an attempt to further the cause of being able to fly with our fur kids, just like many pet owners already do, I wrote new letters to both WestJet and AirCanada. I explained to both companies that ferrets are generally very friendly, they don't smell and that their excrement smells far less then that of a cat or dog's leavings. I mentioned that because of a ferret's compact size, specialty soft sided carriers are even made for them when incorporate litter boxes to absorb any odour. I explained that ferrets naturally sleep 18hours a day, and so they would likely sleep through their flights. I went further to point out that even if a ferret didn't sleep through the flight, they are generally very quiet pets that do not bark, hiss, meow, whine, growl, chirp, squeak, squawk, shriek, or thump like certain other animals they DO allow in their cabins.

I was very hopeful that they'd take my request seriously, but judging by the answers I got, I have my doubts. Without further ado, here are their responses, and we'll start with WestJet.

Thank you for contacting WestJet’s President and CEO, Gregg Saretsky. Gregg has read your letter and has asked me to respond to you on his behalf.

I appreciate your position and the reasons that you believe we should accept ferrets for carriage on our flights and, from what I’ve seen in your past correspondence with us, I know that you are aware of our position as well. Based on my personal experience with a ferret, I understand that they are generally pleasant animals and can be quite enjoyable to have as a pet; I have friends that got a ferret several years ago and I have had the opportunity to care for him when they travel. As a pet owner myself, I understand your desire to travel with your pet and I am sorry that you have been unable to do so. While we understand that you have outlined many reasons you feel we should accept ferrets for travel, WestJet has not changed our position on this matter and therefore cannot accommodate your request.

I will be sure to share your letter with the appropriate departments for their consideration in the event that they are contemplating changes to this policy in future. Thank you again for contacting us; I hope that we will be able to welcome you on board with us in the future.
Kindest regards,

Charmane

So essentially, I received a reply to placate me - a seemingly sympathetic voice who "likes ferrets" but they can't do anything to help me - I'm sure they're SO upset by this. I'm then assured that the letter will be shared with the "appropriate departments" but will not be receiving any confirmation from them that they have seen the letter. They also mentioned that their CEO read the letter, but couldn't be bothered to solicit even a signature from him to confirm this? Very dissapointing.


And now for Air Canada:

Thank you for your letter addressed to Mr. Rovinescu. It is my pleasure to respond on behalf of Air Canada. Our pet policy allows household pets on board and is limited to cats and dogs and we sincerely regret that this is disappointing for you. Customer feedback is very important to us and we assure you that a copy of your letter and your comments regarding our accepting ferrets on board has been documented for internal review by our Marketing Management Team. Your suggestions and recommendations will be given full consideration in our ongoing product review and development efforts. Thank you once again for taking the time to contact our office. We value your support Miss Schafli and we hope that we will have a future opportunity to meet your travel needs more favourably. It will be our privilege to welcome you on board. Sincerely, Richard York

Another placating letter. At least they mentioned which department would be reviewing the letter. Well my dilemma was not solved, I had hoped for the possibility that an executive with decision-making power to skim my letter, have an "aha" moment occur where they realize excluding ferrets is stupid, and simply type them in as an accepted pet on their websites. I sent another letter to Air Canada, asking for a timeline of when the letter would be reviewed by the "Marketing Management Team" and if I could potentially book my ferret on my flight with them, as I needed to decide which airline I would fly with this christmas. Here is the second response:

Thank you for your reply.
We have not been notified of any future changes to our current pet policy. That said, Air Canada regularly updates their news under the "What's New" link which can be found at the following:
http://www.aircanada.com/en/news/index.html
Thank you for contacting us, we hope we will have the opportunity to welcome you onboard in the near future.Kind Regards,MaryAnn Huggett

Barely an adequate response to the letter that I sent to them. Now the problem I have, is that no letters I have sent to either company over the past few years has ever seemed to make it through the wall of customer service agents. So, while I would certainly like to start a petition to send to both companies that allowing ferrets on board is something that their customers want, I don't want to put in the effort only to receive another placating letter and have the issue thrown out by a customer service rep who couldn't care less.


As always, if you feel that ferrets should be allowed on board, fill out the customer feedback forms on both WestJet and AirCanada's websites and post on their Facebook walls and let them know you want ferrets to fly like cats and dogs.

I'm travelling across Canada and need to bring my Ferret(s) - What do I do?

Ferrets aren't accepted on board WestJet or Air Canada flights in cargo or under the cabin, but don't panic - there is one option left, you can still fly your ferret unaccompanied. You have two options, do you want your ferret to fly WestJet or AirCanada? (No I'm serious... for about double the cost you can still get your fuzzbuts where they need to go.)

First though, you need to do some preparation. Standard kennel requirements for pets traveling unaccompanied (including ferrets) is a hard plastic crate, with ventilation on all sides. It needs to have knut & bolt closures on the sides and a metal gate door. This kennel available from PetSmart meets these requirements, is affordable and is what I personally fly my ferret Rolo in.

I like to line the bottom with puppy pads, and then toss in a whole ton of blankets for burrowing & sleeping purposes. No toys or harnesses are allowed in the carrier as it is a hazard to your ferret while confined (and bored) in cargo. I highly recommend getting your ferret(s) used to spending time in the carrier before the flight - I just used it as a den on the floor and found that Rolo enjoying sleeping inside it anyway.
Additionally, you will want to get a very small locking no-drip water bottle. These can be tough to find, but the FlatBac water bottle from Super Pet is my first choice, with a small locking dish underneath it to catch any drips. The airline may tell you that no water is allowed however, so call and ask. (They let me do it, even though it was against policy so I can't guarantee it will be the same for everyone.)
Regardless, you still need a locking dish on the inside of the carrier, so that should there be a delay or problem at the airport, the staff handling you pet will be able to provide water without needing to open the kennel. (And risk escape.) I also like to print copies of all my ferrets vet records and health information and put this inside a ziplock bag, and tape it to the top of the kennel. Don't worry about any other special stickers, as the airline will want to use their own.
Speaking of escape, once you have filled the kennel with blankets, locking dish, and your ferret(s), make sure to zip tie the door and kennel in the special holes provided to prevent anyone from opening the kennel during transit.

Now that you are ready to load your ferret on an airplane, I'll go over your flight options.

Option #1: Westjet - WestJet Cargo uses extra space on WestJet airplanes to transport various things, including animals. Despite the name, WestJet Cargo is actually Swissport, a logistics company. They will require you to book your ferret's flight no more than 5 days in advance. You can try to request that they be on your flight, but on such short notice it is unlikely, and you will need to enlist the help of friends and family to help you coordinate the pickup and drop off of your ferret.
To book your ferret's space you can contact WestJet Cargo at 1-866-952-2746 (1-866-WJCARGO).

WestJet Cargo needs you to arrive to drop your ferret(s) off 2 hours before their flight, and at the other end, it will take anywhere from 45minutes to 2 hours once the plane has landed to receive them again. They will also allow you to put two ferrets in one carrier, which is much more economical because they are going to charge you for the price of a cat anyway. To get an idea of cost, Rolo's flights from Vancouver to Toronto so far have been about $110 each way, and this is the company that I booked with. Always ask for the guaranteed temperature in the cargo hold, I was told between 5-15 degrees Celsius.

Option #2: Air Canada - ELS Marketing has the same deal with Air Canada, they are a logistics company that uses space on Air Canada's aircraft. They do offer a two week booking window, so again, no guarantees that you will be able to put your ferret on your flight, but there is a much higher chance, and once of my readers has successfully been able to arrange this with Air Canada. To book your ferret's flight with ELS Marketing, you can call 1-888-472-8888, and this is a link to their website: ELS Marketing

ELS Marketing will ask you to arrive 2 hours before the flight, and it will take between 1-2 hours the other end to pick them up, though this really depends on the airport and their individual procedures and level of business. They will allow you to put two ferrets together in one carrier, and also allow you to send an additional package of pet items while waiving the minimum service fees. When I called to get a price quote, I was told about $110, so they are price matched with WestJet Cargo. This company also offers trans-border travel, but in that scenario you will need proof of a rabies vaccine administered 6 months before the flight, and 10 days before travel a note from your vet stating that, to their knowledge, your ferret is fit to travel.

There is so much to cover, so if there are any unanswered questions about transporting your ferret (or other pets) leave a comment and I will get back to you!