Delta Cargo

We had our dog shipped across the country. JFK-​SFO. He is a Siberian Husky, and we had a giant crate for him to comfortably get through the flight. Our dog has pretty bad separation issues, and howls, cries, and tries to break out if we aren’t around. So we were fearing that he would hurt himself. It wasn’t an easy decision to get him shipped, but it was a necessity.
We got him really tired, by giving him a two hour exercise routine so he can be more relaxed on the flight. My brother was picking him up on the other side.
We called Delta for all the information, but they forgot to inform us the most important thing… Where we drop him off. We went to the terminal, with a massive crate, parked the car and took the dog inside the airport. It was definitely awesome to have our husky be appreciated by dozens of international travelers. But once we reach the counter, they say that we have to go to Delta Cargo. Different building. We had 10 minutes to get there, so we took a cab from the front of the airport (because it would take longer to pick up my car from parking). We take the cab and on the way call Delta cargo. They say we missed the cut off. So we turned the cab back around to our car.
We used google maps to find Delta Cargo. The address on maps was incorrect, and lead us to another cargo. So the man instructed us to go else where. We did this a few times, entered the wrong cargo until people instructed us to the right place. Finally we found it.
It was an hour long process to get his crate verified, and documents signed. But we finally had it done. We went through a program called DASH, which is 100% satisfaction and safety. The price came out to be way cheaper than quoted online for the size of our crate. And that was a huge relief. The man helped a lot and patiently went through the process.
DASH says we can drop him off an hour before, and pick him up an hour after the flight. But what ended up happening was they took him an hour and 45 minutes before the flight, and he was ready to pick up in half an hour.
My brother went through the same frustration looking for Delta Cargo in SFO. He typed in the address on google maps, and it lead him to nowhere. He found the place after half hour.
DASH program definitely got our pup through the flight and cargo gracefully. Our dog had apparently been sleeping the whole time, and came out sort of disoriented. But that’s natural. He was fine, and happy when he came out.
Our only complaint is with the directions to Delta Cargo. It’s like this place is extremely exclusive. No proper directions for a normal person who wants to ship the dog and pick him up.
My recommendation is to reach the vicinity 2 and a half hours before the flight time for Drop Off. Half hour to find the place, and 1 hour for paper work and good bye. They need him an hour to an hour and a half before the flight so he reaches the plane in time (apparently that takes an hour to load him).
And I suggest you track your dog online, see when he lands, it’ll tell you when he’s ready for pick up. But if you care enough about your dog, then be there well in advance before he is available for pick up. My recommendation is reach by the time he lands. Even though they say it takes an hour for him to get off the plane. Our pup was ready in half an hour. And my brother was also looking for the place for about 35 minutes.
Overall great service and responsibility. Health Certificate is needed 10 days prior to flight by vet. Check the requirements and make sure he is ready to fly. Make sure the crate is big enough (he can stand erect without the top of his head, fur or ears touching the roof of the crate)
I suggest Delta Cargo to get a phone in each office where the pick ups and drop offs happen. I’m sure they have phones, because they are offices, so just make the number public instead of hiding it from us. Because we have no clue where you are. The delta cargo phone number is of no help when we are looking for the place. They are only good for information and flight booking.