Going through Cairo with Dog
 

Hi there its my first time posting here I currently live in Ethiopia but we decided its time to head back home.I will need to go through Cairo to get to my final destination which is Algeria.I was wondering if anyone flew with their pet (a huge german shephard) through Cairo ...im really worried about my dog as ive never seen any pet while going through that airport in years.I could use a LOT of details.thanks.

Which airline?

Ethiopian airlines :/

Ethiopian does not serve Algeria.

As Ethiopian does not serve Algeria, this looks like you bought a ticket with a combination of Ethiopian and Egyptair operating your flight. As animals generally are never interlined between airlines, you will need to claim him in Cairo , go landside and pass immigration/customs/agricultural inspection there before you can check him in again with the carrier that operates the onward segment.
This will in all likelihood turn out to become a nightmarish experience with various Egyptian authorities. I had to cancel a trip to there after over the course of several months I was unable to establish how to get my (service) dog into Egypt.
I would strongly advise to abandon this plan and do the following, in the order of preference:

- change your flights so all segments are operated by Egyptair. That will enable you to check the animal through to your final destination and avoid all transit hassles. Be aware that Egyptair has a 45kg weight limit (dog plus carrier combined) for animals as checked baggage. Find their pet policies here.

- Change your itinerary to one that will use just one airline with one stop: Options are Turkish Airlines via Istanbul (this is likely what I'd do, TK is a pet-friendly airline), Qatar via Doha and Emirates via Dubai. Here as well, the animal can be checked through. Compare layovers - timing and duration. You want the layover to be as short as possible, and during cooler phases of the day.

- ship the dog as manifested cargo with either of the above one-stop carriers. This will be substantially more expensive but probably the best solution.

BTW, this thread would probably be better placed in the 'travel with pets' forum.

Make sure to get a vet to certify the dog has its rabies shot. I've seen other pets on Egyptair, so at least it's possible. One worry would be the summer heat (depending on the date of travel). CAI is defintely NOT pet friendly, and I'd be very worried if my pet were out of sight in transit.

I like bhomburg advice to investigate Turkish or Qatar, as they will have better standards dealing with animals. Whatever you do, coordinate closely with the airline at every step, making sure someone is watching your animal at the airport, ensuring its secure in the cabin safety ect...

I've flown with pets several times here in Egypt, but always with KLM/Air France...which of course, do not fly to Ethiopia.

Good luck!

Thank you soooo much for typing all that info for me i really do appreciate it.I will def try to avoid Cairo as ive recently heard a creepy story from a family friend.I will def try the Turkish airline option but i think the transfer time will be long because i opted to go through Egypt since there is only a 1 hour connexion time.I still ask around here for advice ans il be going to both Turkish and Qatar airways to get more information.Again thanks so much for putting in a lot of info it really helped ! Also about this being in another thread i was kind of new so i didnt know how to handle the site but will do that next time.Cheers.

Thanks for your reply :) Since my pet is really more like a family member i will of course make sure to ask questions and get answers throughout the entire flight.I cant take the risk of him being misstreated or killed .I believe we should be past being worried about those sorts of problems in 2015 but clearly things arent getting better anytime soon here in Africa.I hope Qatar Airways or Turkish airways will meet my expectations in time.Again thanks for your reply :)