Thank you topknot.
I've talked to Continental Airlines who seem very switched-on to pet travel and have recently opened a
"state of the art pet kennel" at Huston. They have all the admin in place to shuffle the papers around. And at London, Heathrow things should go smoothly as I will collect the little bundle of joy. I live about 30 minutes away by road.
Unfortunately, none of that means anything if US breeders do not ship internationally.