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What is the best airline for traveling with your pet?

26 May 2024

Traveling with your dog or cat is a unique experience that can enrich your journeys in many ways. Fortunately, more and more airlines are offering policies and services that make traveling with pets easier and more comfortable.

Each airline has its own policies regarding pet transportation, including whether pets are allowed in the cabin or the cargo hold, weight and size limits, and any required documentation. It’s important to review and understand these policies before making your travel plans to avoid any surprises.

Thus, we have conducted a study to offer a ranking of airlines that makes it easier to travel with pets. To create our top 10 ranking, we have used the following criteria:

  1. Number of pets allowed in the cabin. Airlines that allow pets in the cabin have an advantage over those that do not.
  2. Maximum weight allowed for pets in the cabin. The higher the weight allowed, the more flexibility the passenger will have.
  3. Number of pets allowed in the cargo hold. For those who cannot bring their pets in the cabin, the ability to transport them in the cargo hold is crucial.
  4. Maximum weight allowed for pets in the cargo hold. The weight limit for the cargo hold is also an important factor.
  5. Flexibility and no weight restrictions in any category.

From our analysis of nearly 90 airlines, the following ranking has resulted:

#Airline nameCodeScore
1Air FranceAF10
2SwissLX9.5
3LufthansaLH9.5
4Air BalticBT9
5TransaviaHV9
6KLMKL8.5
7Air DolomitiEN8
8IberiaIB7.5
9Croatia AirlinesOU7.5
10IberojetE97.5

Using different criteria, we would surely find another ranking, so below you can see all the data to draw your own conclusions.

From the table, it can be concluded that Air France, Swiss, and Lufthansa are the best airlines for pet transportation, receiving the highest rating thanks to their flexible policies that allow multiple pets both in the cabin and in the cargo hold. However, the final choice will ultimately depend on your specific needs, such as the size and number of pets you are traveling with, as well as the routes and destinations offered.

Finally, don’t forget to check the entry requirements for the destination country before traveling. It is essential to ensure that your pet meets all the regulations and has the necessary documentation to enter the destination country without any issues. Check the website of the country you will be visiting. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also provides useful information for traveling with pets to international destinations.


Below is the complete list of considered airlines:

AirlineCodeMax. num. pets in cabinWeight of pets in cabin (kg)Max. num. pets in baggage holdWeight of pets in baggage hold (kg)
AegeanA3181no limit
AerlingusEInot allowedNA164
AeroflotSU18150
Air BalticBT28175
Air DolomitiEN181no limit
Air EuropaUX181no limit
Air FranceAF18375
Air TransatTS110145
ITA AirwaysAZ1101no limit
AmericanAA19not allowedNA
AustrianOS18214
AviancaAV18120
AzulAD15not allowedNA
BABAnot allowedNAno limitno limit
Blu ExpressBV1size limitnot allowedNA
BrusselsSN181no limit
CondorDE181no limit
CorsairSS18150
CzechOK18132
DeltaDL1no limitnot allowedNA
EasyflyVE110223
EasyJetU2not allowedNAnot allowedNA
EmiratesEKnot allowedNAno limitno limit
Etihad AirwaysEYno limitsize limitno limit
EurowingsEW18not allowedNA
IberojetE9110no limitNA
FinnairAY18150
GolG3110not allowedNA
IberiaIB18145
Iberia ExpressI218145
Jet2LSnot allowedNAnot allowedNA
JetBlueB619not allowedNA
KLMKL18275
LatamLA17145
LOTLO183no limit
LufthansaLH282no limit
NorwegianDY181no limit
OlympicOA185no limit
QatarQRnot allowedNAno limitNA
Royal AirAT15175
RyanairFRnot allowedNAnot allowedNA
SASSK181no limit
Satena9Rnot allowedNA132
SingaporeSQnot allowedNA132
SwissLX282no limit
TAPTP18145
TransaviaHV110175
TUIflyX3181no limit
TurkishTK181no limit
UnitedUA2size limitnot allowedNA
Virgin AtlanticVSnot allowedNA1no limit
VivaAerobusVB112145
VolarisY41size limit145
VoloteaV718not allowedNA
VuelingVY18not allowedNA
Wizz AirW6not allowedNAnot allowedNA
SpiritNK218not allowedNA
SouthwestWN2size limitnot allowedNA
AeroméxicoAM19145
Air CanadaAC1size limit145
FrontierF91size limitnot allowedNA
All Nippon AirwaysNHnot allowedNA145
Air ChinaCAnot allowedNA132
AirAsiaAKnot allowedNAnot allowedNA
Binter CanariasNT381size limit
FlybondiFO110not allowedNA
Nok AirDD1size limit1size limit
WingoP5110not allowedNA
JALJL1no limit1no limit
Croatia AirlinesOU183no limit
Thai Smile AirWEnot allowedNAnot allowedNA
French BeeBFnot allowed8175
LuxairLGnot allowed81no limit
Kuwait AirwaysKUnot allowedNA172
Malaysia AirlinesMHnot allowedNA1no limit
Oman AirWYnot allowedNA275
Xiamen AirMFnot allowedNAnot allowedNA
Tianjin AirGSnot allowedNA1no limit
Air DolomitiEN181no limit
UIAPS110175
Hainan AirlinesHUnot allowedNA232
SmartWingsQSnot allowed8132
1kg = 2,2 pounds

Tell us in the comments what you think of the ranking and if you are going to travel with your pet this summer.

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