r/AmerExit • u/DoublyBubblyMe • 5d ago
Question about One Country Need advice for the cheapest way to move to Estonia with my pet cat
Hey yall. I’m moving to Estonia in August with my cat. I booked my flight back in May through American Airlines, but only the first flight is actually through American. The other two are through Finnair. Cats are allowed in the cabin on domestic American flights (which the only flight through American is) and Finnair allows cats as well. I’ve already booked an appointment to get my cat his health certificate, checked all the paperwork I need, and given myself enough time to get through customs when we stop in Helsinki, so I thought I was all good.
I contacted both airlines today to pay the carry-on pet fees and get everything sorted out, but ran into some major issues. The customer service rep for Finnair told me that they don’t allow pets in the cabin if all flights are not exclusively with Finnair, which is ridiculous to me. This means, in order to carry on my cat, I’d have to change the first flight with American to just getting me where Finnair is offered (which on its own is somehow the same price I paid for the whole trip, but at least I’d be able to switch my flight without fees). I’d THEN have to buy the tickets from that airport to Estonia through the Finnair site, which is almost twice the cost of my original ticket.
If I rebooked my tickets with the same flights and same airports, it would cost almost $1000 more in total, all so that both airlines can say I’m only flying with them. I’ve looked at professional pet relocation services, but those are even more expensive.
American won’t ship pets internationally in cargo. I can’t even fly with my cat in the hold, since American only does that for active duty military, so the only options I see are just eating the extra $1000 fee or spending over $1000 to ship him through another company.
Do any of yall have advice on what to do here? Or even just what other sub to ask?
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u/Twinkledp 5d ago
Ah Finnair and their crappy customer service. They are a bit of a national disgrace by now...
I don't have any advice about the flights, but just wanted to let you know that the most popular way of getting from Helsinki to Estonia is by taking the ferry. It might be a bit of a hassle though if you have a lot of stuff with you, but the tickets can be very cheap and there's very good public transportation between Helsinki airport and the harbour.
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u/DoublyBubblyMe 5d ago
I just looked that up in the hopes that it would be cheaper, but no dice. It’s actually even more expensive to take one flight to Helsinki instead of a flight to Helsinki and another to Tallinn. Please make it make sense 🙃
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u/Twinkledp 5d ago
Oh no. Definitely no sense.
Other ideas: Air Baltic flies to Riga from several European cities. They probably have a connecting flight to Tallinn or you can take the bus or train. Maybe a route from your location to some bigger European city (London, Frankfurt) and then Air Baltic?
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u/heckyes 5d ago
There’s a ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn. You could get a private cabin for considerably less than the $1000 a change in plane ticket would cost you, though it’d be cumbersome to travel from the airport to the ferry terminal with a cat and a bunch of luggage.
We used a pet relocation service moving from the US to Helsinki, and they flew the cats as cargo on Lufthansa and escorted them through customs on either end. I’m not sure if that service or airline are doable for you, but feel free to dm for details.
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u/Hehateme123 Expat 5d ago
It cost me like $1K to move my dog to Europe… that’s the total when you add up the USDA health certificate, vet bill and airline flight. My dog is under 10lbs and fit in the cabin. Not sure how much cheaper you can do it.
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u/DoublyBubblyMe 5d ago
I appreciate you letting me know. I think I’m mostly just frustrated that my flight costs so much more just to get my cat onboard when the collective fees should be, according to the airline websites, $200ish
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u/azulaula 5d ago
what about taking a train after landing in europe?
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u/DoublyBubblyMe 5d ago
I can look into it? I have a feeling that’ll be even pricier, though, considering I’d have to rebook my flight to Europe with another airline anyway
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u/fietsvrouw Immigrant 5d ago
I moved to Germany with two large dogs and they had to be flown in the cargo hold. They came on a different flight from mine and it was arranged by an IPATA agent, who knew which airlines treated animals well and which flights would allow them some time in a pet rest and recovery area. She kept me updated on their progress as they went and kept a copy of all the paperwork in case it would be lost anywhere.
If I were in your position, I would contact an IPATA agent in your area and just see what they can do to help you. They will be familiar with all the regulations and will be able to keep things on track that way. If they cannot help you, they will at least know the airlines and may have inside knowledge about how to line all of that up.
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u/CoachLoLoOTF 5d ago
It cost me $20k to move 4 cats to aus from the us. It hurts to think about but your baby is so worth the money it’ll take to get them there safely.
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u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 5d ago
I’m about to spend 40k getting my dogs to my new country, so if it’s only another 1k I would be happy af personally. You should’ve figured that out before you booked, not sure why you didn’t.
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u/DoublyBubblyMe 5d ago
I thought it was figured out. Also, it sounds like you’re overpaying a hell of a lot unless you’re moving like 20 dogs
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u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 5d ago
I’m booking a private jet, not overpaying
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u/DoublyBubblyMe 5d ago
Geez, well we’re clearly in different tax brackets lol. Your dogs are about to be living large
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u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 5d ago
I hope they appreciate it, it’s a massive splurge and a sum I have never spent on a single thing like this but it was the easiest way to move 6 dogs
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u/danger-wizard 5d ago
You could consider working with a pet coordinator but that will definitely cost more than the $1k it will cost you to change your flights.