Well, it wasn't quite as difficult as I thought it was going to be--this flying with cats for over ten hours--but it wasn't as easy as it should have been either.
Air Canada doesn't give you all the information you need to know in order to fly best with your cat(s), so I'm going to post some information we discovered from actually going through the process.
The most important thing I wish I had known was that they expect you to attach both a water dish and a food dish (or one that is divided into compartments for food/water) to the cat carrier's door. The agent 'helpfully' explained that we could go to Terminal 2 in Narita (a 3 minute bus ride!) to buy a water bottle as we were checking in (we had just waited an hour and a half at the counter in order to be the first in line). The agent then said that this was optional, even though she expected me to check that it had been done on a tag that they attach to the carrier. Very strange!
Another thing that was a bit of a concern was that we went to the Animal Quarantine at Narita Airport as soon as we arrived on the 13th to take care of all the paperwork involved in exporting our cats. We didn't leave until the 15th, but after the paperwork at Quarantine was done, we headed to the Air Canada counter to change our older kitty (who is blind) from travelling in checked baggage compartment to the cabin. I had been told when I made my reservations that this could be done/should be done two days before to ensure that option for our kitty because they only allow two animals per flight in cabin. The woman at the Air Canada counter first told us that we need to go to Quarantine on the day of the flight (which was wrong because Quarantine says that you can go there 2-3 days in advance) and then she told us that she couldn't check to see if any other animals were in the cabin because she didn't have access to the computer, but that it should be okay because at the moment no one else had reserved a pet in cabin (how she knew this without access to a computer and with an airplane that seats over 300 people I'll never know...amazing powers of observation perhaps?). I am not the kind of person that can easily put niggling little worries out of my head, so the following morning I called the reservation center and, sure enough, the process was a BIT more complex than counter lady from the evening before described. Passengers have to RESERVE AND PAY ONLINE for a pet in a cabin!!! We are so lucky that I worry about details because we would NOT have been able to change our kitty from checked to cabin if we had not done this! Grrrr! I hate it when people employed in organizations do not know what they are talking about yet act as though they do and give you information that can ultimately really inconvenience you (obviously NOT the first time this has happened...but that's another story!).
The process of paying for the kitty we had to check was started at the counter where we were checking in but (perhaps because it was in a different currency which is to say that Air Canada's rate for pets as checked is $270 to be converted at the moment you check in) we had to hop across to the ANA counter to make the payment and then hop back to the Air Canada counter to show them the receipt from aforementioned ANA crowd. Luckily, the Air Canada agent allowed us to stay in line whilst we were at ANA (we did not have to remove all our bags and get back in line) and luckily the Canadian dollar was really low that day and we got a good exchange rate.
As we were finishing up our check in, I heard the neighbouring agent tell another couple that they would have to pay 80,000yen to check an extra bag (it was a hard-sided carry-on trolley bag which I had no idea why they were checking). The agent was clearly out to lunch on her data as I had read the info about checking extra bags and there were no rates that even remotely approached the astronomical fee she was quoting these young travellers. They very calmly and politely said that they thought that they were allowed two bags, the agent insisted with a gleeful smile that they were only allowed one. The young travellers persisted politely and the agent said she'd check. The agent came back and casually said, 'oh, yes, you're right, you're allowed two bags' (I'm internally shaking my head at this exchange). Lesson of the story: know exactly what the deal is and question the counter staff because they DO NOT KNOW! (I had read Air Canada's details on baggage restrictions thoroughly and deciding that they were likely too Byzantine for counter staff to understand, promptly printed them to have on hand). The entire process of arguing with counter staff is exhausting, however, so you better have both your wits and your print ups available when checking in.
Okay, so to wrap up and end this blossoming tirade against Air Canada deficiencies (I'm not even going to talk about the announcement that came 15 minutes after we finished our check in that all Air Canada computers were down and that check in would be delayed an hour), I want to reproduce below the details on the tag that I had to check and that the counter staff then attached to the cat's carrier that was being put in checked:
KENNEL ACCEPTANCE CHECKLIST
__ 1. Kennel construction moots [sic] acceptable requirements (no wheels, no wire kennels, leakproof bottom, absorbent material)
__ 2. Hardware (bolts/screws) complete and assembled
__ 3. Door is locked and secured
__ 4. Kennel size allows freedom of movement
__ 5. Ventilation standards: Domestic - 3 sides
Intl - 4 sides
__ 6. Health Certificate: Baggage-available. Cargo-attached
__ 7. Correct labeling attached (live animal-arrows)
__ 8. Water and feed dish attached (two dishes or divided dish)
__ 9. Feeding and Watering certification completed
__ 10. For checked baggage. Load Office advised? [this I didn't understand and asked the counter agent about and she said that she was the one that would advise them]
Weight ___________ CNX ____________ [sorry, I forget what the 'CNX' stood for]
Comments ________________________________
Agent Name ______________________________ [even though the counter agent told me that I had to check this list, this kinda makes me wonder if the checklist wasn't for her to check--in fact, the very title 'KENNEL ACCEPTANCE CHECKLIST' suggests that this is the proper procedure since it is Air Canada that is doing the accepting!]
OH I JUST noticed this on the other side of the tag! :
[counter agent was not aware of this other side and did not ask me to fill out although it is very clearly supposed to be filled out by the passenger travelling with the cat]
FEEDING & WATERING INSTRUCTIONS
NAME ANIMAL RESPONDS TO:
BAGGAGE PASSENGER: _________name_____________
CARGO SHIPPER: ____________address____________
___________telephone number_________
CARGO
CONSIGNEE __________name____________
____________address_______________
_________telephone number___________
TIME LAST FED: ______________ TIME LAST WATERED: ________________
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: _________________________________________________
I CERTIFY THAT THE ANIMAL BEING SHIPPED HAS BEEN FED AND WATERED WITHIN 4 HOUR PRIOR TO TENDER TO AIR CANADA.
SIGNED ______________________________________
TIME _________________________ DATE _________________________
Carrier shall not be liable for injury, sickness or death of any pet. The pet owner is responsible for compliance with governmental regulations and carrier is not responsible if a pet is refused passage into or through any country.
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