Thomson (for flights to UK) office in Punta Cana?

yb1

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Does anyone have any contact info for a Thomson UK office in Punta Cana - if one exists?
I'm trying to get solid info about a complicated flight to the UK (complicated as in direct flight only, with dog and excess baggage). It would be great to be able to speak to a rep in person!

ps. I already have the contact and all the info for Thomson Pet Travel Services.
 
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PJT

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Try this number for Thomson airways in the DR, 809-959-3020.


Regards,

PJT
 

yb1

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Tried calling all day, no answer and no recorded message on the voice mail. Looks like there's no office here anymore...
 

Chirimoya

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Y, that number could be the desk at the airport, which would only be staffed when a flight is arriving or departing.

I have a number that may no longer work and I'm not even sure if it's a landline or cellphone - I somehow got hold of a couple of years ago when a friend was visiting and wanted to extend her stay (they said no). It's 809 586 2223
 

yb1

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Thank you Chiri
but that number is a fail!
will try the check-in desk in person.
 

yb1

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Flying back with Thomson to UK, cargo, dogs

Info I've found that might be helpful for others...

Thomson office in Punta Cana (somewhere near airport in TUI building)
809 468 7176
They no longer sell tickets to the UK.

One way tickets from DR to UK available only if you have recently flown out with Thomson. They are not bookable online.
Only available via Thomson 24 hour holiday line: 01144 2476 282 327
That number goes direct to a human! as opposed to "dial 1 for.. dial 2 for..." which doesn't work from here on my iphone.

Thomson's free baggage allowance is a measly 23kg plus 5kg hand luggage. Their ?17/kg long haul excess baggage charge is @#%*&#!
Sending personal belongings back via cargo is a cheaper option. Thomson work with Leisure Cargo.
contact: Rodolfo.Paez@leisurecargo-la.com (operations in PUJ)

Leisure Cargo use Caribe Cargo as their export company.
For rates, bookings etc contact their city office in Santo Domingo
CARIBE CARGO
Customer Service: Gissel Gonzalez - speaks fluent English.

You will need an Import Clearing Agent at the UK end unless you feel you can DIY.
Thomson suggested KRL HOME - kr-l
contacts: Jean Procter jean.procter@kr-l.com / Sarah Gooch sarah.gooch@kr-l.com

Flying pets back to the UK. Can only fly into UK as cargo no matter how small your dog is.
AIA PETS (used by Thomson)
AIA Pet Travel | Airbridge International Agencies

Sarah Nash
UK Manager
Airbridge International Agencies
Office : 0203 432 7819
SNash@aiacargo.com

The procedure for pet entry to UK is quite a long process with microchips, rabies jabs, blood tests, tapeworm, paperwork etc all having to be done in a certain order. It helps if your pet already has a passport. Will try to remember to post about that once we've completed it all.
 

yb1

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To add to the above.

You can't use only the inbound part of a return ticket either eg.
outbound Gatwick to PUJ
inbound PUJ to Gatwick

If you are not on the outbound flight then the ticket is automatically cancelled :-(
 

Jahdr

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Btw hi Y, did u manage to travel with ur dog to uk? Im in the same struggle as im moving to the uk and also with my dog i have t found the right people who can help me with that, as thomson airways demand i need a custom broker to do the procedure for the dog.. Arghh can u help me somehow? Or letting me know if u managed to sort all thats stuff?.


P.s my dog got microship, bloodtest, rabies and all sorted out already. Hope to hear from u soon






To add to the

You can't use only the inbound part of a return ticket either eg.
outbound Gatwick to PUJ
inbound PUJ to Gatwick

If you are not on the outbound flight then the ticket is automatically cancelled :-(
 

Vinyasa

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Dec 22, 2010
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To add to the above.

You can't use only the inbound part of a return ticket either eg.
outbound Gatwick to PUJ
inbound PUJ to Gatwick

Not true if you let them know you are not using it

If you are not on the outbound flight then the ticket is automatically cancelled :-(

Not true if you let them know you are not using it
 

yb1

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Btw hi Y, did u manage to travel with ur dog to uk? Im in the same struggle as im moving to the uk and also with my dog i have t found the right people who can help me with that, as thomson airways demand i need a custom broker to do the procedure for the dog.. Arghh can u help me somehow? Or letting me know if u managed to sort all thats stuff?.


P.s my dog got microship, bloodtest, rabies and all sorted out already. Hope to hear from u soon

I will PM you this evening.
 

yb1

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Btw hi Y, did u manage to travel with ur dog to uk? Im in the same struggle as im moving to the uk and also with my dog i have t found the right people who can help me with that, as thomson airways demand i need a custom broker to do the procedure for the dog.. Arghh can u help me somehow? Or letting me know if u managed to sort all thats stuff?.


P.s my dog got microship, bloodtest, rabies and all sorted out already. Hope to hear from u soon

Ok I'll post it here for everyone :)

Yes I flew her back to the UK with no issues in June 2014 but trying to find the right paperwork and procedure was hell. The UK are very fussy about paperwork. I’ve heard of owners being charged ?600 odd for admin and kennel fee because their paperwork wasn’t in order/wrong dates written down by the DR vet etc.

I arrived in the UK a week before my dog. I didn't fly Thomson but the dog flew with Thomson as cargo.

AIA Pets in the UK handle animal flights and payments for Thomson (see contact info in my previous post). I made first contact via the online quote form* then dealt with an agent direct.
*Enter “unknown” in the flight number box if appropriate.
I looked for “human” flights and gave AIA the flight details (they won’t do it for you). They confirmed that she could fly on that plane, booked it and took payment ?830 airfreight + ?50 clearing fee at gatwick. Expensive as my dog is only 40lbs/18kilos and the equivalent human price for that flight was ?550.

I used Caribe Cargo to raise the airway bill in the DR ($50). On request they sent a copy to me and their PUJ office. Paranoid me visited their PUJ office to check if they had received it and to “make friends” with the staff that were going to load my dog on the plane (no bribes were needed :)

With the airway bill and flight confirmed I contacted an import clearing agent at Gatwick - KRL who work with AIA Pets. I paid them a small fee (can’t remember how much ?50?) to get her through immigration/customs at Gatwick. I was instructed to collect her from their Gatwick warehouse 4 hours after the flight had landed.

Dog paperwork: My dog is a DR one and so has no passport. Make sure all paperwork has been filled out correctly and everything had been done in the right order. It took 4 months (with all the waiting between blood test etc) to prepare her for the flight.

Doggy paperwork:
1) a Third Country Veterinary Certificate (now also called “Model of animal health certificate for non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets from territories or third countries”, either from your vet or download the latest version from gov.uk link below under the section “Third country official veterinary certificate”
https://www.gov.uk/pet-travel-information-for-pet-owners#documentation
Pay attention to completion rules eg. blue ink only, blue stamp ink only, capital letters, dates filled out See my next post on how to fill in.

2) “Declaration” confirming no intention to sell or trade your pet. It’s download from above link under the same section.

How to print UK A4 sized documents on US 8.5x11inch paper.
UK document size A4 is different to US (Dominican) paper size. If you try to print it, the form will break up over multiple pages.
To print A4 to US 8.5x11inch paper:
Set the printer magnification to 94% or use Fit to Page, if your printer has that option.

3) vaccination card/history

4) FAVN Certificate, (rabies antibody titration test) issued by the US laboratory who processes your dog’s rabies blood test.

5) Fit to fly certificate / Certification de Salud. Your vet issues this within 96 hours of departure and the DR department of Agriculture at PUJ signs & stamps it on the day of flight.

Dept Agriculture at Punta Cana airport (PUJ) 809 959 1555. You must call them at least 2 working days before departure date in order to make an appointment to fill out the paperwork on the day of departure.
They must also stamp and sign the Third Country Vet cert and each page of all attached documents.

In my absence I was lucky to have expert help to take her to the airport and put her on the plane - from Collares Rojo an animal shelter in Bayahibe who're used to flying dogs out via Punta Cana and know all the staff at the airport. My dog arrived back in the UK on time, relatively untraumatised and in good health :)

Tips: secure the flight crate door with tie wraps so no one can accidently open it and lose your dog.
Put an ID tag on your dog (with destination contact info).
Write name & destination address in waterproof marker on crate. Additional transit stickers were provided by Caribe Cargo.
They didn’t put water in her crate as it would just spill but she was offered water before she left. You could try using ice but it would probably melt before she flew. Make sure you give her water when you collect her from UK airport (she was too traumatised and refused the water offered to her by the handlers when she landed).
I put a thick towel on the bottom of the crate for a little comfort.
Caribe Cargo at PUJ were really good about looking after her. They assured me she would be kept in a cool place next to a fan whilst waiting. And that the pilot has to sign an animal-on-board form so they’re aware she is on board although i’m not sure if the cargo hold is temperature controlled?
 
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yb1

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Completing Third Country Vet Cert

Notes on completing Third Country Vet Certificate

Third Country Veterinary Certificate (now also called “Model of animal health certificate for non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets from territories or third countries”, either from your vet or better still download the latest version from gov.uk link below under the section “Third country official veterinary certificate” fyi it has changed since I used it.
https://www.gov.uk/pet-travel-information-for-pet-owners#documentation

See note in previous post about printing UK A4 size form on US/Dominican paper.

The certificate is valid for 10 days from the date of signing.

Rules for completion:
Must use a blue pen and blue ink for any stamps (colour must be different from the form ie not black).
Only Block letters / capitals may be used.
In English only.
Each page must be numbered at the top "Page X of XX" and signed and stamped by both the vet and the Dept of Agriculture.

Certificate reference number: no one including uk gov could tell me where this number is generated! In the end my vet used the Certification de Salud number, which worked.

Central Competent Authority: DR’s dept of agricuture based at the airports.

Local Competent Authority: is the vet.

ISO code use Alpha2 code ie. “DO” for Dominican Republic.

Commodity code/HS code: 010619 pre-printed = other mammals.

Descrip. of commodity = DOG

Species: CANIS FAMILIARIS

Put a line through the sections that don't apply (see where it says “either / or”) - the vet must write their initials next to the crossed out bits.

When the Vet's signs, stamps and dates the TCVC the date must be AFTER the tapeworm treatment date.

The Vet must also sign and stamp each page of any attached documents.

The TCVC reference number must be written on all attached documents.

You can use the stickers that came with your dog’s microchip instead of writing all the numbers.

Make copies of all paperwork, have them with you when you collect your pet at the UK end just in case documents gets lost in transit!

Good Luck!

P.S. On TCVCertificate all dates must be written in full eg. 3rd July 2014 (in english) and not numerically, so no confusion between US and UK date formats.
 
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yb1

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one more thing:

Tapeworm treatment must be given not less than 24hrs not more than 120hrs before flight departure.
It must be/contain Praziquantel or equivalent.
 

yb1

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Flying Dog to UK procedures/treatments

Flying Dog to UK procedures/treatments - allow 4 months.

Microchip implant date must be before the date of the rabies vaccination. It needs to be recorded in the pet's vaccination record - the body location also needs to be recorded in english or with a diagram. It also needs to be recorded on 3rd Country Vet Cert.

Vet gives rabies vaccination. Needs to be recorded on the pet's vaccination record and 3rd Country Vet Cert. with manufacturer and batch number. Vet can use the vial sticker on vaccination record card.

Must now wait a minimum of 30 days before taking blood sample for the rabies antibody titration test. Note day of vaccination counts as day 0 not day 1.

Vet does the Muestra Sangre (takes blood sample) and records date on the pet's vaccination record.

Prueba sangre - blood is then sent to authorised US lab to test if rabies vaccination worked. Allow 3 weeks (mine came back in 2).
If ok a FAVN certificate will be issued by the US lab. 
FAVN Certificate needs to be attached to 3rd Country Vet Cert.

If blood test is ok, the dog must now wait 3 calendar months after the date the blood sample was taken before it can fly. Note day of sample counts as day 0 not day 1.

Tapeworm treatment: must be done not less than 24hrs and not more than 120hrs before dog's scheduled arrival time in the UK. Active ingredient must be Praziquantel or an equivalent product.
Needs to be recorded on the pet's vaccination record and 3rd Country Vet Cert.
 

yb1

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MODS - i can no longer edit my posts. Could you add to post #13 under "Rules for completion"
On TCVCertificate all dates must be written in full eg. 3rd July 2014 (in english) and not numerically, so no confusion between US and UK date formats.

thanks
 

Pansy

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MODS - would it be possible to save this post under a heading such as "Flying Dogs to the UK"? As it contains a lot of really useful information which I think could be difficult to find in the future.
 

AlterEgo

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MODS - i can no longer edit my posts. Could you add to post #13 under "Rules for completion"
On TCVCertificate all dates must be written in full eg. 3rd July 2014 (in english) and not numerically, so no confusion between US and UK date formats.

thanks

Done.
 

Jahdr

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Feb 3, 2012
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Thank you for the info, very helpful.

It's so confusing!! We were told we HAD to have a customs broker to clear her through customs and to fill paperwork etc? but from reading your post it all seems fairly straight forward.

Do we need a cargo company to represent us?

How long does it take to get the airway bill?




MODS - i can no longer edit my posts. Could you add to post #13 under "Rules for completion"
On TCVCertificate all dates must be written in full eg. 3rd July 2014 (in english) and not numerically, so no confusion between US and UK date formats.

thanks
 

yb1

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Oct 6, 2008
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Thank you for the info, very helpful.

It's so confusing!! We were told we HAD to have a customs broker to clear her through customs and to fill paperwork etc? but from reading your post it all seems fairly straight forward.

Do we need a cargo company to represent us?

How long does it take to get the airway bill?


Caribe Cargo act as the "customs broker" The only documentation I got from them was the airway bill, on request. A copy is automatically sent to their PUJ warehouse/office who will handle the loading.
They issue it as soon as they receive their fee - you might have to chase them up on it, I did and it took less than a week.