How to fly with a dog

Cabin or hold

It comes down to the weight of the dog with its carrier. Within the cabin limit, the dog travels next to you in a carrier under the seat in front. For most airlines the limit is 8 kg.

• Turkish Airlines: cabin up to 8 kg with the carrier, carrier no larger than 23 × 30 × 40 cm.
• Lufthansa: cabin up to 8 kg with the carrier, soft carrier up to 55 × 40 × 23 cm.
• KLM: cabin up to 8 kg with the carrier, carrier up to 46 × 28 × 24 cm; heavier dogs go in the hold, up to 75 kg including the crate (KLM’s rules).

A heavier dog flies in the hold as excess baggage or as cargo. Not every airline takes animals in the hold: Emirates, for example, does so only on flights from Dubai and carries animals to Dubai as cargo only.

The hold: crate and weight

The hold requires a rigid crate. IATA requires enough space for the dog to turn around normally while standing, to stand and sit fully and to lie in a natural position. The exact crate rules and weight limit are set by the airline.

• KLM: hold up to 75 kg including the crate (KLM’s rules).
• Qatar Airways: no pets in the cabin, but in the hold up to 75 kg including the crate on most routes; heavier animals as cargo (Qatar Airways’ rules).

Check the crate with your dog inside: it must be able to stand and sit up fully, turn around and lie down. If it can’t, the crate is too small and may be refused.

Choose a non-stop flight if you can: in the hold every connection means another loading and more waiting for your dog.

Snub-nosed breeds

Many airlines don’t take pugs, bulldogs, boxers, Shih Tzus and other brachycephalic breeds in the hold: these dogs breathe with more difficulty in heat and stress. The cabin is usually fine if the dog is within the weight limit.

• Turkish Airlines hasn’t carried snub-nosed breeds in the hold since 1 October 2021 (Turkish Airlines’ rules).
• Lufthansa doesn’t take snub-nosed cats and dogs in the hold: cabin or cargo only (Lufthansa’s rules).
• KLM doesn’t take most snub-nosed breeds in the hold, including pugs, bulldogs, boxers and Shih Tzus: cabin or cargo only (KLM’s rules).

Documents for your dog

The rules are set by the destination country, and sometimes by the transit country. Dogs have requirements that cats don’t. The main ones for the EU, the UK and the US are below; for other countries see country rules.

Entering the EU from a non-EU country (European Commission, Your Europe):

1. Microchip. It must be implanted before the rabies vaccination, otherwise the vaccination doesn’t count.
2. Rabies vaccination at the age of at least 12 weeks. After the first vaccination, wait at least 21 days.
3. Rabies antibody test (titer) if the country of departure isn’t on the EU’s list of approved third countries. Blood is taken at least 30 days after vaccination and at least 3 months before the health certificate is issued; the result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml.
4. EU health certificate: valid for 10 days from the date of issue until the entry checks.
5. Tapeworm (Echinococcus) treatment — dogs only — when entering Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland or Norway. A vet gives it no more than 120 hours and no less than 24 hours before entry and records it on the certificate.

Entering Great Britain: a vet treats the dog for tapeworm 24–120 hours before entry, unless you travel directly from Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta or Norway (GOV.UK).

Entering the US: the rules for dogs are stricter than for cats. If in the past 6 months the dog has only been in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries, the CDC requires it to be at least 6 months old, to have a microchip readable by a universal scanner, and a CDC Dog Import Form receipt — one per dog, valid for 6 months. Dogs from high-risk countries have additional requirements, and an unvaccinated dog that has been in a high-risk country won’t be allowed in (CDC).

The titer test and the waiting period after vaccination take months. Start with the documents and buy tickets once the timeline is clear.

Build a document checklist

Service dogs

Guide dogs and other service dogs travel in the cabin under separate rules. In the US, a service animal for air travel is a dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability; emotional support animals are not service animals, and airlines may treat them as pets. An airline may ask for a U.S. DOT form on the dog’s health, behaviour and training, and for flights of 8 hours or more another form confirming the dog can avoid relieving itself or do so in a sanitary way (U.S. DOT).

Outside the US, airlines set their own rules for service dogs. Check them in advance and carry the training documents.

Sedatives: only on a vet’s advice

IATA does not encourage sedatives and tranquilizers for animals before a flight. The AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) warns that they increase the risk of heart and breathing problems. Turkish Airlines doesn’t accept animals that were sedated before the flight (Turkish Airlines’ rules).

We recommend discussing your particular case with a vet and an animal behaviourist: they can advise how to help your dog cope with the flight and whether it needs any products at all

Getting your dog ready

1. Get your dog used to the carrier or crate a few weeks ahead: let it sleep there at home and give treats inside.
2. Check the age: under IATA rules an animal must be at least 8 weeks old and fully weaned, and many airlines require more: Lufthansa from 12 weeks, and from 15 weeks on flights to, from or via Germany.
3. Give a light meal about 2 hours before check-in and water right up to the flight. Walk your dog well before it goes into the crate (IATA).
4. Put absorbent bedding in the carrier or crate (IATA). The hold needs a water container: Turkish Airlines requires an automatic water dispenser, food and feeding instructions on the crate if the wait is 4 hours or more or the flight is over 8 hours.

Request pet carriage right after booking, or even before: there are few spots for animals in the cabin and the hold. Lufthansa confirms the booking no later than 72 hours before departure, and KLM asks you to add the pet in My Trip at least 48 hours ahead (KLM’s rules).

What to do next

Find a flight that takes your dog in the cabin or the hold: our search compares airline prices including the pet fee and shows where animals aren’t accepted. Then check the destination country rules and build a document checklist. More on carriers in Pet carrier for a plane: sizes and weight.

When flying with a pet, it’s best to buy the ticket on the airline’s own website: it’s easier to add the animal to the booking, and if the flight or rules change you deal with the airline directly, without a middleman.

Find flights with a pet