One day we will return to some level of normality, including travelling abroad! To help you prepare for travel abroad with your pooch this post covers the rules for taking your dog on a plane. You should also read our post about entry requirements to the United Kingdom (UK), the European Union (EU), Canada, the United States (US), New Zealand and Australia.

To avoid confusion, and language differences, we’re going to use ‘plane’ instead of ‘airplane’ (US) or ‘aeroplane’ (UK).

SHOULD you take your dog on a plane?

Alongside environmental, financial and convenience factors, you should ask yourself if the plane journey is worth the potential stress to your dog. For example, taking your dog in the hold while relocating or setting out on the journey of a lifetime may outweigh the potential discomfort and stress for your pooch. There are lots of videos on YouTube about dogs on a plane – this one shows the process AirCanada followed to load a corgi.

We strongly recommend that you speak with your vet if you are considering travelling on a plane with your dog regularly. Unless they’re absolutely tiny and can happily travel beside your feet in the cabin, of course. Plus, some of the alternatives can be really exciting and bring their own experiences, such as driving across country borders in a campervan. Where plane travel is the best for you and your pooch, this post will hopefully be useful!

Dog sizes

Airline rules for pets differ by pet and then size. In this post we will detail the airline rules for dogs (excluding assistance dogs) using the following sizes:

Main airlines in the UK

These are the main commercial airlines that fly in and out of the UK. To enter the UK all animals must go in the hold, some can travel in the cabin to exit the UK.

Airline	Toy	Small	Medium	Large	Extra Large	Website
British Airways	Hold	Hold	Hold	Hold	Hold
Virgin Atlantic	Hold	Hold	Hold	Hold	Hold
EasyJet	Not allowed	Not allowed	Not allowed	Not allowed	Not allowed
RyanAir	Not allowed	Not allowed	Not allowed	Not allowed	Not allowed
KLM	Cabin	Cabin*	Hold	Hold	Hold**
Lufthansa	Cabin	Cabin*	Hold	Hold	Hold
Emirates	Hold	Hold	Hold	Hold	Hold
Etihad	Hold	Hold	Hold	Hold	Hold
FlyBe	Hold	Hold	Hold	Hold	Hold
Thomson / TUI	Cabin	Cabin***	Hold	Hold	Hold

Other airlines

The UK Government keep a list of pet-friendly commercial and charter airlines: Pet travel: airlines and airports you can use – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). We have provided some useful information about these other airlines below. Remember, all animals must go in the hold to enter the UK, the below is for dogs leaving the UK.

Other factors to consider

Size and type of animal aren’t the only factors that are considered when planning pet travel. Other factors relating to dogs include:

• Breed – are they on a banned breed list? Are they a breed that aren’t accepted by the airline (e.g. ‘snub-nosed’)?
• Duration of flight – for example Aegean Airline will not transport pets in the hold on journeys longer than three hours
• Carrier required for your dog
• Import/export country requirements – read this for guidance relating to entry requirements in the United Kingdom (UK), the European Union (EU), Canada, the United States (US), New Zealand and Australia.

Pet travel agencies

The rules are complicated and there are so many things to consider. It’s a bit of a minefield. We strongly recommend (and in some countries it’s required) that you engage a pet travel agency to help and/or make the arrangements for you.