How safe is it to fly a cat from Bangkok to Chicago on KLM?

He will be travelling from Bangkok to Amsterdam (13 hours) with an overnight stay in the Schipol pet hotel. From there he will travel from Amsterdam to Chicago (9 hours). How safe is this if he is flying on KLM in cargo? I know that KLM is one of the best airlines to use for flying pets but im concerned about the freezing temperatures at the stops and also the flight duration.

KLM - often code shares with Delta in the US. Animals die more often than many people think on flights. You can only hope for the best when you ship an animal and it is stored in the cargo hold. I think that you will have a greater chance that the animal will arrive safely than die but there is always a possibility that something could happen. Hold pressure can change and no one notice it, animals can freeze to death. Some kind of noxious fumes could choke the cat and it is probably a frightful and strange environment for a cat. Some cargo handlers are not as gentle as you or I would be with animals. Just another piece of luggage to throw around.Some passengers bring cats in carriers with them as carry-on. (Delta is the second worse carrier for shipping pets.)https://www.msu.edu/~silvar/airplane.htmhttp://abcnews.go.com/Travel/traveling-pets-airlines-dog-deaths/story?id=11198807#.UNOgEidAs20See your vet before you throw your cat in a box and send it off. There might be something you can use in this link below.http://www.ivillage.com/plane-travel-your-cat/7-a-219499I would worry more about flying from Bangkok to Chicago than from Chicago to BKK. If this is not a permanent relocation leave the cat in Thailand. Must be expensive to ship this feline through Europe to the US.Good luck.

I'm assuming you know about getting the cat cleared for international flights from a vet and all the required paperwork at least a month before he/she travels right?There is always a risk but you can lessen the stress placed on the cat by getting the animal shipping containers well before it's flight date. This gives the cat time to acclimatize to the container. One way of speeding the acclimatization period is to make him/her sleep in there or even just feed your cat inside the cage. Also, choose a container large enough to hold a small litter box during transit. Also cover your feline container with a light blanket. Something to calm the cat from sights and sounds and such, but which allows air to get to the cat.Good luck.