neha86

We will be flying two medium sized dogs from India to Mongolia. They are too big to be allowed in cabin and will have to go as checked in baggage. The options are to go via Hong Kong or Seoul. The Hong Kong route would be with Cathay Pacific and MIAT and the Seoul one with Korean Airlines and MIAT. Any suggestions on which airline / route would be better? The dogs will be flying for the first time. Also, is it possible at HK or Seoul to take them out for a short while before checking them in for the next leg? Or are you not allowed to meet the dogs at all during transit. The dogs are unlikely to let anyone else walk them which would mean they don't get to relieve themselves for 11 to 15 hours...

bhomburg

With dogs traveling as checked baggage, airline staff does not take the animals out of their carriers and walks them while in transit except in dire emergencies, IRROPS and the like (AA once flew my dog to EWR while leaving me behind in DFW - big problem for them...). Make sure you have a long enough layover to collect your animals (the carriers will arrive on the oversize baggage belt at around the same time regular checked luggage arrives on the carousels) , walk them and re-check them.
The "claim and re-check" part is compulsory - animals as checked baggage ("AVIH") are never checked through and handed over to another airline. Even JV alliance partners do not allow this. This necessitates entering HongKong resp. Korea, so you would need to fulfill all requirements and have proper paperwork in order for your animals being able to enter those countries. I would not want to have less than three hours for this at the very minimum (more is better) and be able to easily change the onward connection in case you get held up.
Then there is the fees: What size are your dogs? CX calculates charges for pets according to weight and distance (USD 20 per kg in your case), which usually works out to be a good deal more expensive than the piece system employed by KE who charge USD 150 per kennel for your itinerary. Also, what breed are your dogs? CX has a pretty long list of brachycephalic breeds they will not transport. KE is more lax there.
For the leg on OM, you need to pay again. OM (MIAT) charges a flat fee for pets with a combined kennel/animal weight of up to 15 kgs, and per kg for pets where the combined weight exceeds 15 kgs.

edit:
Looking at the animal import procedures and requirements (check those links above), it looks like HongKong will be impossible for your dogs to transit: Transit Permits are not issued for animals transported as checked baggage according to this document, plus since you will be arriving from India which is not on the list of rabies-free countries (referenced as group I and II in the AFCD link above) your animals will have to go into quarantine - essentially meaning you can strike CX via HKG from your options list.
For ICN/Korea, upon first glance at the requirements, this seems doable (microchip, rabies antibody test from official vet, health certificate from same official vet, exam on arrival): A cat or dog whose accompanying documentation has been verified and whose health has been confirmed through a clinical examination at the port of entry may be released on the day of arrival. I'd do further checks and get something in writing before traveling, though. I have no personal experience with trying to enter either Korea or Hongkong with animals.

I'd definitely try to avoid the scenario of having to connect to another airline in a transit country with unfamiliar and restrictive animal import regulations and rather try flying with just one carrier to minimize the headache. KE or CA fly from India to ULN, for example. As a last resort, layover and total flight times permitting, I'd rather check them through to ULN and deal with ‘accidents’ in the carrier than risk them being quarantined in transit for months or worse. My dog did fine on quite a few 12-to 14-hour journeys - even the first time.
Also, look into shipping them as cargo with airlines serving both your start and end destinations – professionals will take care of everything, but at a dearly price.