The airline used by many overseas military families to transport their dogs back to the United States will now allow at least some dogs to fly on the same flight as their owner, a move that follows the loosening of some government restrictions last week.
Eight airlines, including German airline Lufthansa, had announced they would no longer allow dogs to fly in the cabin or cargo hold on the same flight as their owner due to new dog importing rules issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new CDC rules take effect Aug. 1, and many military families were left scrambling to find ways to transport their dogs, especially during the busy moving season. For some, this means using a pet shipper, a more expensive option than transporting the dog on the owner’s flight.
The policy was implemented to protect the U.S. from the reintroduction of dog rabies, which has been eliminated in the country since 2007. There are over 100 countries where the issue of dog rabies is not controlled, according to the CDC.
In an email response to Military Times on July 26, Lufthansa spokesman Joerg Waber noted that “existing bookings for the transportation of dogs remain unaffected, provided that all CDC requirements are met.”
That includes bookings previously made for flights scheduled for August or later. Many military families overseas book flights months in advance.
New Lufthansa bookings for dogs on or after Aug. 1 “will only be accepted for the airports in Washington, D.C., New York-JFK, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles and Philadelphia that provide the necessary infrastructure and meet criteria required by the CDC in case the animal is denied direct entry to the U.S.,” Waber added.
That infrastructure includes, for example, placement in a CDC-approved animal care facility, Waber said. If the CDC rules are not followed, the dog will not be allowed to enter the U.S.
The transportation of assistance dogs — and dogs separately shipped as air freight on their own tickets — to other U.S. airports, is still possible, as long as the owners meet the new CDC requirements, Waber said.
“They’re moving in the right direction,” said Liz Hensel, CEO of Leave No Paws Behind USA. But the Lufthansa website is not clear about what families should do, leaving travelers confused, she added.
“Families are under the impression they don’t have support,” said Hensel, a veteran who was named the 2024 Armed Forces Insurance Marine Corps Spouse of the Year.
As of July 26, Lufthansa had posted new information on its website, noting that already confirmed bookings will be honored after August 1, 2024, provided all CDC requirements can be fulfilled.
They’ll offer additional options if a dog’s booking was confirmed before July 3, 2024, including rebooking to a flight before Aug. 1; rebooking without the dog; and a refund of the ticket.
On July 22, the CDC loosened their new rules for importing dogs, announcing that through April 30, 2025, it won’t require veterinary documents for dogs that have spent the previous six months in rabies-free or low-risk countries. The only form needed is the CDC Dog Import Form, which can be completed online by the traveler or importer.
In addition to the dog import form, dogs coming from low-risk or no-risk countries for rabies:
• must appear healthy upon arrival.
• must be at least 6 months old at time of entry or return to the U.S.
• must have a identifying microchip that can be detected with a universal scanner.
Two versions of the CDC Dog Import Form exist: one for dogs coming from no-to-low risk countries for dog rabies, and the other for dogs coming from high-risk countries for dog rabies. Dogs coming from high-risk countries have more requirements, which can be assessed here.
How is this affecting Patriot Express flights?
Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., sent a letter on July 25 to the commander of Air Mobility Command, asking how the new CDC rules are impacting military families bringing dogs onto military-contracted Patriot Express flights. Patriot Express is a contracted commercial charter mission providing support for official duty travelers and their families to and from overseas areas.
“I am disturbed that the CDC’s rule … has already caused unnecessary confusion, with some airlines preventing dogs from onboarding with their families on international flights back home,” he wrote to Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan.
Waltz asked what assurances have been provided to service members and their families that AMC’s contracted airlines won’t issue blanket bans on dogs from onboarding; and what outreach AMC has done with the CDC for clarification and application of the rule to mitigate the negative impact on military families.
“At this time, the policy is so new [that] it is too soon to say how it is affecting Patriot Express flights enough to approach carriers about changes to the contract,” Scott Ross, spokesman for U.S. Transportation Command, told Military Times.
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The Patriot Express contract has a set number of pet spaces per flight, and those allocations can’t change without mutual agreement between the airline and the government.
Ross said current Patriot Express-contracted commercial airline carriers have requested — and some have received — their 90-day waivers from the CDC, which allows them to transport dogs without a document known as an air waybill.
Airlines can request waivers from CDC
New CDC rules require an air waybill for each dog beginning Aug. 1. Until now, air waybills have only been required if the dog was traveling separately as manifest cargo — essentially, on its own ticket on a separate flight from its owner.
The changes announced July 22 by CDC allow airlines to request a 90-day waiver if they are unable to create an air waybill for each dog transported to the U.S. This allows airlines to transport the dog in the cabin or as excess baggage in the cargo hold without an air waybill.
Lufthansa spokesman Joerg Waber confirmed that the airline has applied for and received the 90-day waiver.
None of the airlines are currently equipped for the process of receiving dogs as excess baggage or in the cabin with their own air waybill.
The passenger terminal, where pets arrive as excess baggage or to travel in the cabin, is not connected to the cargo facilities where air waybills are required for pets traveling as manifest cargo. So, airlines are not presently set up to clear a pet coming into the passenger terminal, according to Angela Passman, owner and president of World Pet Travel.
Those 90-day waivers, according to CDC, are provided within one business day of being requested by the airlines. The airlines can also request a waiver that can last nine months, which involves a longer approval process.
Airlines continue to be able to transport dogs if the dog is traveling separately as manifest cargo — on its own ticket, and as in the past, creating an air waybill for the dog.
Without being able to transport dogs on the same flights, many owners have no other option except to hire pet shipping companies accustomed to meeting rigid requirements.
That route, however, can cost anywhere from approximately $2,500 to over $4,000, depending on the dog. Hensel noted that bringing the dog on the same flight as the owner generally costs around $400.
Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.
