The "Trying Times" Have Started

I called the AirFrance/Delta customer service line today to see if they had approved allowing Seymour onboard and found that no one had put in a request. Lesson 1 - get the name of the person you talk with and get specifics on how AirFrance will be notifying you about accepting the pet.

I found that although AirFrance and Delta work together, they have 2 different computer systems. They were able to get the AirFrance approval while I was on the line but could not get the Delta approval (which I was told had already been done last Monday) because the connecting flight was "not a valid connection". AirFrance stated that when you have a pet traveling in cargo, you need at least 2 hours between flights. Since Seymour is traveling with me, we don't need that much time, but the Delta system would not allow them to put Seymour on the flight.

After over an hour of being transferred from one person to another, one airline to another, Quincy from Delta said "Not to worry, he is confirmed on all of the flights - but I can't give you anything in writing". For some reason, I'm still worrying. Especially since I am purchasing non-refundable tickets to save money. I don't pay for Seymour until I get to the airport to take off. I know I have to show that I have all of his paperwork and microchip information up to date before he can get on the flight, but I am still questioning if Delta and AirFrance have actually figured this connection stuff out. It doesn't seem that I would be the first person to fly with a pet having connections between Delta and AirFrance, but it sure feels like it. I will probably call back on Monday (the last day I have to pay for my tickets) to be sure he really is confirmed.

So on Monday, I will cross my fingers and pay for my airline tickets and then get Seymour set up for his health exam. I also need to start working on getting Seymour used to being zipped in his crate for 8-9 hours at a time. Hopefully our first hurdle has been jumped!