Airport transport and check-in
We have an increasing number of dogs being adopted to other countries, in particular Belgium and the Netherlands. As well as needing flight companions to accompany them, we need volunteers who are able to get the dogs to the airport and checked in.
What is involved?
Working with another volunteer (one as driver, one as co-pilot), you will collect the dog or dogs from either the shelter or their foster home and transport them to the airport they are flying from. Your vehicle will need to be able to accommodate enough travel boxes for the number of dogs on that flight – we will need to know how many you can transport so we can match you with a suitable flight.
Once at the airport, you will meet with the flight companion and will be responsible for checking the dogs in. If you have flown with your own dogs in the past, you will have experience of this but if not, we can pair you with one of our more experienced volunteers initially so you can see what is involved – it isn’t too complicated! Don’t worry if your Portuguese isn’t up to scratch, the airport staff speak English and are generally very good with the dogs. If you are able to take photos too, all the better!
The whole process usually takes about 6 hours – 2 hours to the airport, 1 ½-2 hours at the airport and 2 hours back but some flexibility is needed.
What does it cost?
Fuel costs, motorway tolls and parking costs are all reimbursed for the driver.
Airports, dates and times
Our dogs often fly from Lisbon but there are also some flights from Porto. Flights are arranged as we find flight companions for the dogs so we would contact you to see whether you are available on a particular day. Please note that some flights can mean a rather early start!
What do I need to do if I am interested?
Please get in touch – we often have a number of flights that we need transport for and the dates are also published on our Facebook page. Either way, you will make a dog and its new family very, very happy!