TailWings Pet Travel (Formerly Known as JALSA Pet Travel Specialists)

This review reflects my personal experience with TailWings Pet Travel. While my cats arrived safely, the overall service was extremely stressful, confusing, and far more expensive than we were led to expect. I’m sharing my experience so other families, especially military families PCSing, can decide on whether or not they’d like to use this company. 1. Vague quote & lack of transparent pricing The quote I accepted stated that it was “recommended” to hire a destination import agent, but it wasn’t clearly explained that this was mandatory for Japan or that it would involve a substantial import service fee. No cost estimate or range was provided upfront. A mandatory import fee of about $990 USD was mentioned only at the end of the process, a day before my pets landed in Japan. This fee was invoiced by the Japanese agent, but the lack of upfront disclosure, especially given that this is a routine part of importing pets into Japan, was extremely stressful mentally and financially. 2. Destination agent relationship was unclear TailWings introduced and encouraged the use of a specific Japanese import agent “to maintain continuity.” I was never asked whether I wanted to hire an agent or clearly informed that I would be entering a separate contractual arrangement later in the process. Because TailWings and the agent were the primary parties communicating with one another (often in shared email threads, and later individually) the agent felt like part of a coordinated process rather than an independently chosen service. This made responsibility and expectations unclear. 3. I had to research critical import details myself Much of what I learned about Japan’s pet import process to include quarantine procedures, inspection times, and consequences of night arrivals came from my own research and from other military members, not from TailWings. For example, I learned independently that pets arriving on night flights into Haneda are not seen by the quarantine officer until the following day, meaning they must remain confined in their crates until they are seen the following day. And this may be longer depending on if they have a second flight. This was not explained upfront, despite its major impact on animal welfare and planning. 4. Flight changes, delays, & kennel fees Due to paperwork issues and flight changes, my cats missed their flight and were placed in a kennel at an additional cost. This expense was presented as my responsibility, despite not being clearly outlined in the terms and conditions, and I had no practical alternative if I wanted my cats to continue their journey to us. 5. Communication gaps Communication was inconsistent throughout the process. Initially, TailWings, the Japanese agent, and I were all included in shared email threads. Later, decisions affecting timing, paperwork, and costs were made between TailWings and the agent without my inclusion and then relayed to me afterward, leaving me in the dark at what I believed to be critical moments. At one point, after my cats were scheduled to board their flight, I had to proactively ask TailWings for confirmation that they had actually boarded. Despite asking in advance for updates, I didn’t receive confirmation until about 5 hours after take off. 6. Documentation errors TailWings required original health documents to be recreated at the Heathrow vet appointment because my copies were not accepted. After this, errors appeared in some of the reproduced documentation (including incorrect birth dates). 7. Complaint handling After everything was over, I submitted a formal written complaint outlining these concerns, particularly the communication failures. The response denied responsibility and focused on stating that other parties were independent, but it didn’t meaningfully address the communication issues I raised. My cats are home, safe, and healthy, and I’m grateful for that. However, I would not use this company again.