10-24-2011, 05:46 AM
I hate to say it, but a quick round trip to the mainland might be the solution (tho costly...) to many of your issues and concerns. If it were me, I'd feel much more comfortable knowing that I could personally verify every aspect of the shipping process. When we flew our dog we found a pet-friendly skycap to transported her, we watched to make sure she got loaded onto the plane, we informed the captain and crew that we had a dog on board, once seated on board we received a signed receipt saying she had been loaded (part of United's normal procedures), and by the time we reached baggage claim in Kona we simultaneously met the vet who was there to check the dog out and saw our dog being delivered. There was some confusion on the first leg of our trip because DC-based ticket counter folks weren't aware of current regulations, but again, because we were physically there with our paperwork and knowledge, we were able to get that straightened out too...