‘Tis the season for cheesy, yet spirited holiday movies. But who needs the Hallmark channel when you have us to provide you with a real-life heartfelt story just in time for the holidays. Curious as to what it could be? Keep reading to find out!
How would you feel if you were separated from your beloved pet for an extended period of time? Let’s say…7 months? This is exactly what happened to many Australian families earlier this year when they were forced to relocate back home on a whim due to COVID-19 and leave their pets behind. Red tape and changing COVID restrictions made it a logistical nightmare to reunite the pets with their families; that is, until now.
On November 5th, in partnership with Air Canada, Worldwide Animal Travel helped coordinate a charter flight from Vancouver to Melbourne carrying 47 dogs and 19 cats, for a total of 66 pets. Originally scheduled for 80 pets, several of them were unable to fly due to positive blood samples during the pre-travel screening process and were deemed non-compliant for entry into Australia. Once in Melbourne, the animals completed a 10-day quarantine at a facility before being released to their families.
The pets flew in style on a Boeing 777-300, for a total block time of 15 hours and 20 minutes.
The total cost of the charter flight was $150,000.00, which included landing fees, crew rotation, additional fuel, ground handling in Melbourne and staffing and loading in Vancouver. Talk about a hefty price tag! Worldwide Animal Travel contributed a significant portion of this cost in order for the flight to take off. Although it was an expensive endeavour for us, the end result was priceless. It was the greatest gift we’ve ever given, just in time for the holidays.
While it was not an easy road to get to this point, our team at Worldwide Animal Travel is thrilled to have been a part of such an emotional and meaningful process.
Do you have a tissue box nearby? To see some of the reunions as they occurred, watch this video.
It’s been an exceptionally busy few months for us, and we appreciate the patience our customers have shown us during this time. We wish you all a very happy holiday season and we look forward to reuniting more families in the new year!
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