Wow! He's gorgeous! I hope everything works out for him.
As for the no flying thing, It's a fairly new regulation. Animals can't be flown over Christmas holidays due to baggage allowances (everyone has too much baggage), nor can they be flown over the summer due to the heat. Although the compartment is cold in the air, it is very hot when the plane is on the ground, which, as anyone who's ever had a delayed flight will know, can be as long as several hours. The Christmas thing is 2 years old, and I think the summer thing is new this year but I'm not positive about that.