🔄 Updated : June 30, 2026

Flying with your dog comes down to one simple question — “does my airline accept dogs, and under what conditions?” — but the answer varies enormously from one carrier to the next. Maximum cabin weight, price by zone, snub-nosed breeds banned from the hold, heat-related seasonal embargoes: every airline has its own rulebook, and it changes regularly.

So we compiled and verified, on the airlines’ official websites, the dog transport conditions of 62 carriers. Here is the full comparison, followed by our picks by need (tight budget, large dog, brachycephalic breed) and the step-by-step booking procedure.

The 62-airline comparison

The table below summarizes, for each airline, acceptance in the cabin and in the hold (accompanied baggage), the maximum known weight, and how brachycephalic breeds (bulldogs, pugs, boxers…) are treated. “Cargo” means the animal is only accepted in the hold via the cargo service, not as baggage. Detailed fact sheets (fees by zone, crate dimensions, booking) are being published airline by airline.

AirlineCountryCabinHoldCargoSnub-nosedDetails
Aegean Airlines Greece ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤32 kg / 71 lb — Restricted Guide
Aeromexico Mexico ✓ ≤9 kg / 20 lb ✓ ≤45 kg / 99 lb — Restricted Guide
Air Algérie Algeria ✓ ≤6 kg / 13 lb ✓ ≤32 kg / 71 lb — — Guide
Air Canada Canada ✓ ≤10 kg / 22 lb ✓ — Restricted Guide
Air Caraïbes France ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤75 kg / 165 lb — Restricted Guide
Air Europa Spain ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤50 kg / 110 lb — Restricted Guide
Air France France ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤75 kg / 165 lb — Restricted Guide
Air India India ✓ ≤10 kg / 22 lb ✓ ≤32 kg / 71 lb — Restricted Guide
Air Mauritius Mauritius ✗ ✓ — Restricted Guide
Air Tahiti Nui French Polynesia ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✗ ✓ Restricted Guide
Air Transat Canada ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤45 kg / 99 lb — Restricted Guide
Alaska Airlines United States ✓ ✓ ≤68 kg / 150 lb — Restricted Guide
American Airlines United States ✓ ≤9 kg / 20 lb ✗ ✓ Restricted Guide
ANA (All Nippon Airways) Japan ✗ ✓ ≤45 kg / 99 lb — Restricted Guide
Austrian Airlines Austria ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ — Restricted Guide
Avianca Colombia ✓ ≤10 kg / 22 lb ✓ ≤70 kg / 154 lb — Restricted Guide
British Airways United Kingdom ✗ ✗ Only option Accepted Guide
Brussels Airlines Belgium ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤20 kg / 44 lb — Restricted Guide
Cathay Pacific Hong Kong ✗ ✓ ≤32 kg / 71 lb — — Guide
China Airlines Taiwan ✗ ✓ ≤45 kg / 99 lb — Restricted Guide
Copa Airlines Panama ✓ ≤10 kg / 22 lb ✗ ✓ Restricted Guide
Corsair France ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤50 kg / 110 lb — Restricted Guide
Delta Air Lines United States ✓ ≤9 kg / 20 lb ✗ ✓ Restricted Guide
easyJet United Kingdom ✗ ✗ — — Guide
EgyptAir Egypt ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤32 kg / 71 lb — Restricted Guide
Emirates United Arab Emirates ✗ ✓ — Restricted Guide
Ethiopian Airlines Ethiopia ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤45 kg / 99 lb — Restricted Guide
Etihad Airways United Arab Emirates ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✗ ✓ Restricted Guide
Eurowings Germany ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✗ — Accepted Guide
EVA Air Taiwan ✗ ✓ ≤32 kg / 71 lb — Restricted Guide
Finnair Finland ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤75 kg / 165 lb — Restricted Guide
French Bee France ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤75 kg / 165 lb — Restricted Guide
Iberia Spain ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤45 kg / 99 lb — Restricted Guide
Iberia Express Spain ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ — Restricted Guide
ITA Airways Italy ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤75 kg / 165 lb — Restricted Guide
Japan Airlines (JAL) Japan ✗ ✓ ≤32 kg / 71 lb — Restricted Guide
JetBlue United States ✓ ≤9 kg / 20 lb ✗ — — Guide
KLM Netherlands ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤75 kg / 165 lb — Restricted Guide
Korean Air South Korea ✓ ≤7 kg / 15 lb ✓ ≤45 kg / 99 lb — Restricted Guide
LATAM Chile ✓ ≤7 kg / 15 lb ✓ ≤45 kg / 99 lb — Restricted Guide
LOT Polish Airlines Poland ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ — Restricted Guide
Lufthansa Germany ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ — Restricted Guide
Norwegian Norway ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤14 kg / 31 lb — Restricted Guide
Philippine Airlines Philippines ✗ ✓ ≤32 kg / 71 lb — Restricted Guide
Qatar Airways Qatar ✗ ✓ ≤75 kg / 165 lb — Restricted Guide
Royal Air Maroc Morocco ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤70 kg / 154 lb — Restricted Guide
Ryanair Ireland ✗ ✗ — — Guide
SAS Scandinavian Scandinavia ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤50 kg / 110 lb — Restricted Guide
Saudia Saudi Arabia ✗ ✓ — — Guide
Singapore Airlines Singapore ✗ ✓ ≤32 kg / 71 lb — Restricted Guide
SWISS Switzerland ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ — Restricted Guide
TAP Air Portugal Portugal ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ ≤45 kg / 99 lb — Restricted Guide
Thai Airways Thailand ✗ ✓ ≤32 kg / 71 lb — Restricted Guide
Transavia France/Netherlands ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ — Restricted Guide
Tunisair Tunisia ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ — — Guide
Turkish Airlines Turkey ✓ ≤8 kg / 18 lb ✓ — Restricted Guide
United Airlines United States ✓ ≤9 kg / 20 lb ✗ ✓ Restricted Guide
Vietnam Airlines Vietnam ✓ ≤6 kg / 13 lb ✓ ≤32 kg / 71 lb — Restricted Guide
Volotea Spain ✓ ≤10 kg / 22 lb ✗ — — Guide
Vueling Spain ✓ ≤10 kg / 22 lb ✗ — — Guide
WestJet Canada ✓ ✓ ≤45 kg / 99 lb — Restricted Guide
Wizz Air Hungary ✗ ✗ — — Guide

Data verified on the airlines' official websites (June 2026). Conditions change frequently: always confirm with the airline before booking.

🔎 Need a personalized answer?

Our interactive flight comparison tool filters airlines by your departure airport, your destination and your dog’s weight, and flags likely direct flights. 👉 Open the Can My Dog Fly? tool.

The most accommodating airlines

A few airlines stand out for flexible rules and a good balance of price and clarity, especially on European routes:

  • Vueling and Volotea accept dogs up to 10 kg (22 lb) in the cabin (carrier included) — more than the usual 8 kg (18 lb) limit, and precious for small dogs on the heavier side.
  • Air Caraïbes and Corsair post some of the lowest cabin fees on flights departing from France and also accept dogs in the hold.
  • Transavia is one of the rare low-cost carriers to offer a heated hold for larger dogs. See our Transavia fact sheet.

The cheapest airlines

For a small dog in the cabin on a European flight, the lowest fees are found at the Spanish low-cost carriers: Vueling (from ~€30 / ~$35) and Volotea (from €39 / $45). On full-service airlines, expect **€50 to €70 ($58–80)** in the cabin (Iberia, TAP, Air France). In the hold, the bill climbs fast: from €80 ($92) within Europe to more than €400–750 ($460–860) on a long-haul flight.

For a large dog (hold)

If your dog weighs more than ~8 kg (18 lb), they’ll travel in the hold, in an IATA-compliant crate. Airlines accepting the biggest dogs as accompanied baggage include Air France and KLM (up to 75 kg / 165 lb dog + crate), Lufthansa, SWISS and ITA Airways. Watch out: several US carriers (Delta, United, American) have discontinued dogs in the hold as checked baggage and now only accept manifest cargo.

Brachycephalic breeds: extra vigilance required

French and English Bulldogs, Pugs, Boxers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels… Flat-faced breeds handle the thermal and respiratory stress of the hold poorly. 50 airlines out of 62 ban them from the hold or accept them only in the cabin. This is the single biggest cause of last-minute boarding denials: check your airline’s rule without fail, and favor the cabin whenever your dog is small enough.

How to book your dog’s spot

Space for animals on board is limited (often 1 to 6 per aircraft). The golden rule: book as early as possible, and never online only.

  1. Book your ticket, then contact the airline’s customer service to add your dog (by phone in most cases).
  2. Prepare the documents: microchip ID, up-to-date rabies vaccination, EU pet passport or health certificate depending on your route, and sometimes a rabies titer test. See our guide to international travel with a dog.
  3. Choose the right container: an approved soft carrier for the cabin, a rigid IATA crate for the hold.
  4. Confirm 48 hours before departure, especially on long-haul flights.

Frequently asked questions

Which airlines accept dogs in the cabin?
Of the 62 airlines we track, 46 accept a small dog in the cabin, usually up to 8 kg (18 lb) including the carrier (up to 10 kg / 22 lb on Vueling and Volotea). Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Iberia, SWISS, TAP and Transavia are among them.
Which airlines refuse dogs entirely?
Ryanair, Wizz Air and easyJet only accept service dogs. A few long-haul carriers (British Airways, Emirates on the Dubai side) only accept dogs as manifest cargo, not as accompanied baggage.
How much does it cost to fly a dog?
From about €30 ($35) for a small dog in the cabin on a European low-cost flight, to €400–750 ($460–860) for a large dog in the hold on a long-haul route. The price depends on the zone, the weight and the airline.
Can bulldogs and pugs fly?
In the cabin, yes, if they meet the weight limit. In the hold, most airlines (50 of the 62 we track) refuse them because of the respiratory risk. Check the rule before you book.

Sources

Official websites of the 62 airlines (“traveling with pets” sections), accessed June 2026. Each airline fact sheet cites its exact source. Transport conditions change regularly — always verify with the airline before booking.