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Small Animal Transportation

 

Notice for Completing Small Animals Transport Procedures

Currently, special service application is only available on international flights of China Eastern Airlines departing from China. If you need such service on flights departing outside China, please contact the local operation office.

I.Definition: 

Small animals refer to domesticated dogs, cats and birds. Wild animals and animals with strange shapes or a tendency to attack humans (e.g. snake) do not fall into the category of small animals. 

II.Transport Document Requirements: 

1.Domestic Flights

(1) Animal Quarantine Conformity Certificate issued by the Animal Health Inspection Institute

(2) Vaccination Certificate for small animals

2. International Flights

(1) Sanitary certificate of Entry-exit Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China issued by China Inspection and Quarantine Administration

(2) Valid entry-exit documents issued by governments (of the destination/transit location) 

(3) Valid Health Declaration Statement and Certificate for Rabies Vaccination issued by related competent authorities. 

(4) Prepare all the related entry permits, health statement and vaccination certificates required by the entry/transit countries in all itineraries. 

(5) Prepare any additional special documents required by the governments of entry/transit countries in all itineraries. In regard to required documents, please refer to TRAVEL INFORMATION MANUAL, or consult related consulate or embassy, or check the government websites of relevant countries. 

III.Flights available for application: 

1. Passengers may apply for direct flights operated by China Eastern Airlines or Shanghai Airlines and bearing flight numbers of China Eastern Airlines or Shanghai Airlines. For airports providing the service, please go to "Information Service - Airport Service - Service Content" (http://www.ceair.com/guide2/jcxx/index.html); aircraft without an oxygen cabin cannot carry animals, and there is the possibility of changing aircraft type temporarily. As for the specific condition, the inquiry results from the airport on the departure day shall prevail. 

2. Application for carriage of small animals will not be accepted if within any flight segment, the temperature is forecast to be below minus 12℃ (inclusive) or above 30℃ (inclusive) (for specific weather conditions, the forecast by China Meteorological Administration on the day that the passenger applies for the carriage shall prevail. Website for inquiry: http://www.cma.gov.cn/. As for flights departing overseas, the weather forecast by local meteorological administrations shall prevail). 

Note: the temperature condition during the carriage by air has great impact on the safe transport of small animals. For the safety of the beloved pets, the maximum or the minimum temperature on the departure day shall prevail for your reference of small animal carriage. 

IV. Application time limit:

Passengers shall apply for the carriage no later than 48 hours before the scheduled departure time. 

V. Application methods: 

Please go to the ticket office of China Eastern Airlines with all necessary certificates, call 1855-589-5530 or visit the official website/APP/Mobile website to submit the application for small animal carriage, and fill in the Small Animals Carriage Application Form.  For applications submitted through official website/APP/Mobile website, passengers shall fill in the Small Animals Carriage Application Form online, and submit the service booking application. China Eastern Airlines will confirm the application according to the departure date, and then contact the applicant (09:00-19:00, every day). Please make sure that you are able to be reached through mobile phone after submitting the application, and we will contact you as soon as possible. If you are not contacted by the staff of China Eastern Airlines via call or SMS 4 hours (not including the above non-business hours) after your application, your application may have failed due to an Internet issue or system delay. Please try again or call 1855-589-5530 for help. 

※Note: Your submission of the application form online does not mean that your service application succeeds. As for the application result, the response from the staff of China Eastern Airlines shall prevail. After you succeeded in application, the staff of China Eastern Airlines will send you the approved Small Animals Carriage Application Form by e-mail, which will be the only valid certificate for your small animal carriage. Make sure you print it out as required. 

VII. Service charge: 

The weights of small animals and their containers and food shall be charged at the airport according to the regulations on excess baggage and other related provisions. 

VIII. Handling at the airport:

Please prepare one copy of the printed Small Animals Carriage Application Form, valid ID certificates and Animal Quarantine Conformity Certificate, (for international flights) valid certificates required for entry, exit or transit with the carriage of small animals required by related countries (regions), including the entry or transit permit and some other certificates required by the countries (regions) of the entry or transit locations, and go to the departure airport to pay a service charge for the carriage of small animals and complete the check-in procedures 90 minutes before take-off. 

IX. Notice of Check-in: 

1. The total weight of any separately packaged small animals and their containers (including food and water) shall not exceed 32 kg.  

2. Please prepare dedicated flight carriage container for your small animal, and the specific requirements are as follows: 

(1) The container shall be dedicated to the flight carriage of small animals, which must be made of tough materials with a firm topping and at least three sides of ventilation. The door of the container shall have a lock system, which is made of strong metal material. Once the container is locked, the small animal shall be prevented from opening the door by itself and escape (see Figure 1).  

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Figure 1

(2) The vents of the container should be made of metal materials and firmly installed on the container (see Figure 2); if the vents are made of non-metal materials, they shall be the ventilation holes in a round shape or other shapes. 

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Figure 2 

(3) All the components of the container (including the nuts, latch, bolts and other locking parts) must be firm and function properly.  

(4) The container shall have protruding edges on the sides or a handler, so as to facilitate the easy handling during sorting or loading. 

(5) The bottom of the container shall be stable and secured on the flat surface without any slip. If a container with rollers is used, the rollers shall be fixed or removed in advance to prevent it from moving during the flight carriage. 

(6) The dimensions of the container shall conform to the Live Animals Regulations of IATA, with sufficient space for the small animal to stand, sit, turn round or lie down in normal gestures (see Figure 3). 

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Figure 3 

   ①  Dimensions description:  

A: length from the tip of nose to the end of tail;  

B: height from elbow to the ground;  

C: the maximum width of small animal;  

D: from the tip of ear or the top of head to the ground. When the small animals stand still, their ears shall not touch the top of the container.  

② Dimensions of the container: 

Length =  A + 0.5B 

Width  = C x 2 

Height = D 

(7) Ensure good ventilation in case of the suffocation of the animal. 

(8) The container shall be able to prevent the leakage of any excretion of the small animal from contaminating the aircraft, equipments or other articles on board. The container shall be laid with absorption pads. The absorption pad shall not be made of any materials with toxic substances (such as newspaper). 

(9) Each container shall only hold one small animal.

(10) For long-haul flights (over 6 hours), a drinking machine must be prepared for the small animals. 

3. Please pack your small animal container properly, and the specific requirements are as follows: 

(1) Both ends of the locking system must be applied the self locking nylon strips for fastness (see Figure 4), which must be tied firmly for the best. The dimensions of the strips should be at least 3.6 x 100 mm (W x L) (see Figure 5). 

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                Figure 4

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                Figure 5 

(2) The container must be wrapped with Nylon mesh for protection. The mesh hole diameter shall be such that the small animal cannot protrude its head through the holes. The diameter of the cords shall be larger than 2mm; the protection mesh should be tied fast and tied knot should be away from the container door, and not affect the stable set of the container. The mesh shall be free from any damage at the time of check-in. 

(3) When it is necessary to bundle the mesh-wrapped container: Medium-sized container (the dimensions of the container are ≥  81×55×58 cm, while ≤ 91×60×66 cm, both inclusive) should be bundled in a way that the top and bottom sides of container are winded at least twice, vertically and horizontally forming double crosses; large-sized container (the dimensions of the container ≥ 91×60×66 cm) should be bundled in a way that the top and bottom sides of container are winded at least three times, vertically and horizontally, with the bundling strips laid evenly. In case that turning the container would disturbing the small animals during the bundling work, the four lateral sides of the container would not be winded horizontally, which means the strips will only present in a vertical and parallel way. It is required that the bundling strip goes through the mesh on the door and the protection mesh, entering one mesh hole and exiting from another, with even intervals between the strips, so as to bind the container door, container and the protection mesh. Meanwhile, use the self-locking nylon strips to tie the bundling strips and the door together (see Figure 6). 

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Figure 6

(4) Where the size of the carried animal is too large, and the corresponding flight carriage container exceeds the required dimensions for the checked baggage (for which the sum of the three dimensions exceed 203 cm), the animal and the container shall not be accepted for carriage as checked baggage. The passenger is suggested to handle the carriage through the cargo channel. 

4. The animal brought by the passenger shall not be allowed into the passenger cabin, but shall be transported in the cargo cabin instead. You shall be fully responsible for the small animal for which you applied for the transport. China Eastern Airlines shall not be liable for the injury, illness, escape, and death of small animals under normal transport conditions. 

5. Value declaration services are not available for small animal carriage. 

6. The transport of small animals shall be declined in any of the following conditions: 

(1) Any long-haul flights, direct flights or flights on any type of aircraft where the cargo cabin is not appropriate for the transport of small animals. 

(2) The carriage container does not satisfy the provisions of Article 2 hereof. 

(3) Animals that are pregnant or expected to give birth within 48 hours. 

(4) Animals aged less than 6 months. 

(5)Flat-nosed dogs and cats, ferocious dogs, dogs that are not suitable for high temperature and high altitude environment, and other small animals that are not suitable for air transport or China Eastern Airlines can not ensure safe transport according to their own conditions. Included but not limited to:Terrier,Affenpinscher,Boxer,pitbull,Spaniel,Mastiff,Pug,Mastiff,American Staffordshire terrier,American puppies,Boston Terrier,Brussels griffon,Spaniel,English Toy Spaniel,King Charles spaniel,Bullmastiff,Belgian shaggy,Chrysanthemum,American bully pitbull ,The yankees dog,Pekingese,chow,Japanese Chin,Dogue de Bordeaux,Shar pei,Shih tzus,TOSA INU,Fila Brasileiro,Dogo Argentino,Samoyed,Brazilian filet and its hybrids,Burmese,Himalayan Cat,Persian cat,Exotic Shorthair,British Shorthair Cat ,etc.

(6) On the date of check-in, the temperature within any flight segment (minimum or maximum) is below 12℃ (inclusive) or above 30℃ (inclusive). 

7. The following types of containers are not allowed for transport of small animals:  

(1) A container that is made by welding iron-wire meshes (see Figure 7). 

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Figure 7

(2) The door of the container is made of plastics or fiberglass (see Figure 8).

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               Figure 8

(3) The container of a combination type (see Figure 9).

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            Figure 9

(4) There is a window or vent on the top of the container (see Figure 10).

small-animals10

Figure 10

(5) collapsible container (see Figure 1 1).

small-animals11

               Figure 11

(6) The container is made of soft materials or its ventilation grids are soft plastics (verifying tip: when press with fingers, the surface of the container or the grids get dented or deformed).  

X. Ticket change and refund: 

1. For the purposes of any booked service of small animal carriage, if the passenger is to change for another flight, departure date, or cancel the service, he or she shall call 1855-589-5530 for related handling 48 hours before (inclusive) take-off. Where the service of small animal carriage is still needed after a change, the passenger is required to re-apply for the service according to related procedures. 

2. Ticket change and refund shall be handled in accordance with the ticket regulations. 

3. Where the application for the service of small animal carriage is approved but the temperature on check-in day does not meet the requirement, the passenger may call 1855-589-5530 for a refund or change to other dates; as for the passenger who has already come to the airport in such a condition, he or she may apply for a refund or change to other dates after the issuance of related statement by the on-site staff of China Eastern Airlines. 

XI. Transporting Pets and Assistance Dogs to China – Quarantine Requirements


Effective May 1, 2019, all passengers traveling on China Eastern Airlines flights to China will not be permitted to transport pets or Assistance Dogs (which includes guide, hearing, service, emotional support, and psychiatric service dogs) if the pet or Assistance Dog does not meet the inspection, documentation and quarantine requirements detailed below of Announcement No. 5 [2019] of the General Administration of Customs, P. R. China “Announcement on Further Regulating the Supervision of Pet Importation and Quarantine”. Further details on this Announcement are available on the official website of the General Administration of Customs, P. R. China (http://www.customs.gov.cn).  If you intend to transport a pet or Assistance Dog on a China Eastern flight to China, you must satisfy the requirements detailed below, and all required documentation must be presented at check-in. China Eastern Airlines cannot accept any pets or Assistance Dogs that do not meet the requirements below.
 
1. Only dogs (including Assistance Dogs) or cats are allowed for importation, and only one pet or Assistance Dog per passenger is allowed.
 
2. In order to transport a pet or Assistance Dog on a China Eastern Airlines flight to China, you must present a valid quarantine certificate and rabies vaccination certificate issued by an official animal quarantine organization of the exporting country or region to the General Administration of Customs in China.
 
3. Pets or Assistance Dogs must have microchips that meet the following international standards: ISO 11784 and 11785. The 15-bit microchip code must contain only numbers and must be readable with a microchip reader. For any non-compliant microchip, the pet or Assistance Dog owner may bring a microchip reader to read the non-compliant implanted microchip.
 
4. Pets or Assistance Dogs will be required to enter a 30-day isolation and quarantine period in a quarantine station designated by the General Administration of Customs, P.R. China, except for the following circumstances where pets or assistance dogs are exempt from isolation and quarantine:
 
•    The pet arrives from the following 19 designated countries or regions: Australia, Cyprus, Fiji, French Polynesia, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Liechtenstein, Macao, New Zealand, Portugal, United Kingdom, USA (Hawaii and Guam only), Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, and holds a valid microchip and passes an on-site quarantine examination.
•    The pet arrives from non-designated countries or regions (any countries or regions other than the above designated ones), holds a valid microchip and rabies antibody test report (blood titer or antibody amount must be above 0.5IU/ml) from an approved laboratory, and passes an on-site quarantine examination.
•    The Assistance Dog holds valid a microchip, as well as a corresponding owner certificate and a professional training certificate, and passes an on-site quarantine examination.
 
5. Pet or Assistance Dog owners bringing a pet or Assistance Dog to be isolated and quarantined must enter China via a port of entry equipped with isolation and quarantine facilities, which are listed on the official website of the General Administration of Customs, P. R. China (http://www.customs.gov.cn). As of May 1, 2019, ports of entry equipped with isolation and quarantine facilities are as follows:
 
•    Beijing Capital International Airport (Customs at Beijing Capital Airport)
•    Beijing West Railway Station (Customs at Beijing West Railway Station)
•    Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (Customs at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport)
•    Shanghai Pudong International Airport (Customs at Shanghai Pudong International Airport)
•    Shanghai Railway Station (Customs at Shanghai Railway Station)
•    Shanghai International Cruise Terminal (Pujiang Customs)
•    Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal (Wusong Customs)
•    Urumchi Diwopu International Airport (Customs at Urumchi Airport)
•    Alataw Pass (Customs at Alataw Pass)
 
6. China Eastern Airlines shall not assume any responsibility for any non-compliant importation of pets or Assistance Dogs that results in the return, quarantine or destruction of the animals by the General Administration of Customs, P. R. China within the specified period.

7. For details, please visit the official website of the General Administration of Customs, P. R. China at http://www.customs.gov.cn, and refer to Announcement No.5 [2019] Announcement on Further Regulating the Supervision of Pet Importation and Quarantine.