Pet Transport in New Orleans, LA
We provide international pet transport to and from New Orleans, planned around the weather, the season and your destination’s entry rules. A move to or from another state goes by road with a partner driver or on a domestic flight.
Book the whole move, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- Export and import paperwork
- Check-in at MSY
- Door-to-door relocation
- Meeting your pet at the arrival airport
In New Orleans, a pet’s license and rabies tag are updated every year, even after a three-year vaccine.
Prefer to talk it through? Call 1-877-540-0555
New Orleans at a glance
How a move from New Orleans works- Flights from
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans (MSY)
- Door-to-door pickup
- Roughly one to two hours’ drive of New Orleans
- Airline guides
- Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines
- Export paperwork
- USDA endorsement through VEHCS
- Service area
- South and Islands
Pet Relocation from New Orleans
New Orleans sits on the Gulf Coast, where heat, humidity, and storm season are the main things to plan around. Summer ground temperatures reach the airline limit that keeps pets out of the hold, so we book cooler windows, and hurricane season from June into November can disrupt schedules, so we keep backup dates ready. From Louis Armstrong International (MSY), the route is chosen for each move on the weather, the season and airline availability.
How a Move from New Orleans Works
For New Orleans, the MSY reservation can be the whole job, or the start of a door-to-door plan.
Flights and check-in
We book your pet’s flights from Louis Armstrong New Orleans (MSY), set the dates around the weather, the season and each airline’s rules for pets, and handle the check-in with the airline on travel day.
Door to door, when you book it
Door-to-door pet transport adds the road legs. A partner driver collects your pet from home, anywhere within roughly one to two hours’ drive of New Orleans, and handles the check-in personally, and we meet your pet at the arrival airport. We do not run local rides to the vet, groomer or daycare.
Paperwork for a move abroad
For a move abroad, the paperwork starts with the destination. APHIS’s export page, read September 16, 2026, says to verify your destination country’s entry requirements every time you plan to travel, and that a USDA-accredited veterinarian submits the health certificate for USDA endorsement on your behalf. APHIS calls VEHCS the fastest route to endorsement, says processing there is staffed Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time outside federal holidays, and says there is no in-person or drop-off service. We prepare the file with you, including an import permit where the destination country asks for one, and check each document against its rules before your pet flies. Our destination guides cover the rules country by country.
Arriving
Moving a Pet to New Orleans
Coming from another state? APHIS’s interstate pet travel page, read September 16, 2026, says the receiving state or territory sets the requirements for a pet moving in, and its list of destinations includes Louisiana. The Louisiana SPCA’s humane law questions page, read September 23, 2026, says it holds the city’s animal control contract for Orleans Parish, and that a pet must visit a licensed veterinarian each year for whatever vaccines are judged necessary, rabies included. A dog coming from another country also has to meet CDC’s entry rules, which our guide to the CDC dog import form sets out.
How the service works from start to finish is on our pet transport services page.
Flying a Pet Out of New Orleans
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
Location: Approximately 11 miles west of downtown New Orleans, in Kenner, Louisiana.
MSY is smaller compared to major international hubs. For complex international pet relocations or flights requiring extensive layovers, travelers often connect through larger airports like Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) or Atlanta (ATL).
Airlines that fly pets from New Orleans
Each airline named on this page publishes its own rules for animals. Our guides set out what each one says:
Alaska Airlines: cabin fees, carrier rules and its seasonal embargoes.
American Airlines: cabin, cargo and PetEmbark.
Delta: cabin rules, fees and who it ships pets for.
United Airlines: what it publishes for dogs and cats.
Our Pet Transport Process
Consultation
We review your pet’s details, destination requirements, and preferred timeline during an initial consultation.
Travel Plan and Timeline
We build a detailed travel plan that aligns routing, airline rules, and seasonal considerations.
Pre-Travel Preparation
We guide you through crate selection, documentation, and pre-travel readiness steps.
Transportation Coordination
We coordinate airline booking, airport pet check-in when required, and ground transport logistics.
Arrival Support
We provide guidance for pickup, customs clearance if applicable, and post-arrival considerations.
Our Pet Transport Services
Air Pet Shipping
We guide pet owners in choosing the best air routes, confirm airline availability, manage documentation, and coordinate airport pet check-in at MSY when required.
Ground Pet Transport
Ground transport options are planned for shorter distances or pets not eligible to fly, with careful routing, timing, and comfort planning.
International Pet Transport
International relocations include guidance on import rules, health certificates, customs clearance, and airline booking coordination.
Door-to-Door Relocation
Door-to-door service combines ground and air transport with coordinated pickup, airport handling, and arrival planning.
Types of Pets We Transport
Dog Transportation
Dogs are the moves we plan most often. We match the crate to your dog’s size, book around airline rules and summer heat limits, and plan the routing through New Orleans (MSY) so nothing turns into a last-minute scramble on travel day.
Cat Transportation
Cats travel best when the day stays calm and the waiting is short. We choose airline-approved carriers, sort out the cabin-or-cargo question early, and plan the schedule so your cat spends as little time at the airport as possible.
Bird Transportation
Birds need a little more care: species-specific paperwork, airline approval, and travel that holds a steady temperature. We walk you through the health certificates and routing so nothing slips through the cracks.
Small Mammals
Rabbits, guinea pigs, and other small pets travel in approved carriers on carefully timed routes. We confirm that the airline will accept your pet well before the date, so there are no surprises.
Reptiles and Exotic Pets
Reptiles and exotic pets each come with their own rules. We review the airline policies and temperature requirements one by one and build a route that genuinely suits your animal, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
Our Service Areas Near New Orleans
We provide pet transportation services throughout Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, Slidell, Chalmette, and the greater Southeast Louisiana region, and we also coordinate pet relocations nationwide and internationally.
New Orleans falls within our South and Islands service area, which also takes in Atlanta and Miami.
Ready to start?
Book the whole move, or only the parts you need.
What to Expect When Shipping a Pet Through New Orleans Airport (MSY)
Who actually handles your pet at MSY: Air General runs the cargo warehouse at 5 West Access Road, Kenner, and that is where a pet booked on Alaska Air Cargo Pet Connect is dropped off and collected. Drop-off and collection run Monday to Friday, 5:30am to 8:00pm, and the counter is closed at weekends.
American Airlines Cargo is the other option here, through its PetEmbark service. Delta ships pets only for active US military and State Department Foreign Service personnel with permanent change of station orders. United publishes its own policy on its pets page.
Temperature limits and ground handling:
Airlines decide whether a pet flies, not the airport. American transports warm-blooded animals when ground temperatures are between 45F and 85F. Below that it requires a letter of acclimation signed and dated by a licensed veterinarian, which covers 20F to 44F, and it will not carry an animal at all below 20F. Alaska Air Cargo says many of its stations have seasonal temperature embargoes for animal shipments over a summer season that generally runs from May 1 to October 16. Between drop-off and loading your pet waits in the cargo handler building rather than a dedicated animal terminal, so the acceptance window and the handler opening hours are what a travel date has to be built around.
Questions about moving a pet to or from New Orleans
Request a QuoteFrequently Asked Questions
Is summer a safe time to fly a pet from New Orleans?
New Orleans summers are the biggest factor in timing a pet’s flight. Through the hottest months, ramp temperatures often climb past the limits airlines set for animals in cargo. American will not carry a warm-blooded animal when the ground temperature is above 85F at the origin, connection or destination city. Alaska Air Cargo says many of its stations have seasonal temperature embargoes for animal shipments over a summer season that generally runs from May 1 to October 16. We plan New Orleans moves around that, booking early-morning or overnight departures from Louis Armstrong or shifting the window so your pet is never left waiting in the heat.
Will my pet have layovers flying from New Orleans?
Where we can, we plan New Orleans moves with the fewest connections, because a direct flight is shorter and calmer for your pet. When a layover is unavoidable, we choose connections with enough time and the right conditions, routing through Louis Armstrong or a nearby hub to keep the total trip as short as possible.
Do you help with crates and carriers for New Orleans pets?
Yes. The crate is one of the most important parts of a safe flight, so we size it to your pet and to the airline’s rules, which set the dimensions, ventilation, and labeling a carrier will accept. For New Orleans pets we confirm the crate well before travel so there are no surprises at Louis Armstrong.
How do you price a pet move from New Orleans?
Every New Orleans move is priced on its own, because the route, airline fees, your pet’s size and crate, the season, and the destination’s rules all change the total. Tell us where and when, and we’ll put together an estimate: request a quote. For a closer look at what drives the price, see our guide to pet shipping costs.