Air France (2024)

The Air France pet policy 2024 includes various options for flying with dogs or cats in the cabin and cargo hold. From 15 March 2022, cats and dogs flying under the Air France pet policy must be at least 15 weeks old. As on all pet friendly flights, your cat or dog must be able to move around within their travel carrier, and they have to fly with an adult passenger if travelling in the cabin, or in the hold as checked baggage. Air France is one of the few pet friendly airlines that accepts cats and dogs in the cabin on flights from the United Kingdom (UK). The cost of flying your pet with Air France varies depending on the destination, and whether your cat or dog will travel in the cabin, or in the hold as checked baggage or cargo. From 1 March 2021, Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are no longer accepted by Air France, but you can travel with a Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD) on flights to and from the USA. Check out Air France pet travel reviews to hear about other pet travellers’ experiences, and remember to leave an Air France pet travel review if your cat or dog flies in the cabin or hold! Read on for details of the full Air France pet policy for 2024.

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Does Air France Allow Dogs and Cats in the Cabin?

Dogs and cats are permitted in the Air France passenger cabin, provided that the combined weight of your pet and their carrier doesn’t exceed 8 kg. However, pets aren’t accepted to fly in Business Class on Air France inter-continental routes.

Your pet must be at least 15 weeks old to fly in the cabin with Air France, or 8 weeks old when travelling in metropolitan France, or between metropolitan France and Guadeloupe, Martinique and Reunion Island.

As with all pet friendly airlines, the travel bag or kennel must meet the specifications outlined by Air France in their pet travel policy for 2024. Air France accepts carriers in the cabin up to maximum dimensions of L 46xW 28xH 24cm, and recommends using a flexible, rather than rigid, pet travel carrier On the flight, the travel bag will be stowed underneath the seat in front of you, and you can’t remove your cat or dog during the flight for safety reasons.

From July 2019, Pugs, Bulldogs and Boston Terriers are also included in the Air France snub nosed cat and dog breeds list. These breeds are permitted to travel in the cabin with their owner, but never in the hold for safety reasons. Air France recommends that you speak to your vet before flying with a snub nosed cat or dog.

IATA Regulations for Cats & Dogs Flying in the Cabin

While you need to ensure that your pet’s travel crate meets the maximum dimensions set by Air France to fly in the cabin, remember that you must also adhere to the Live Animal Regulations (LAR) set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This includes calculating the minimum inner crate dimensions allowed by the IATA LAR for your cat or dog to fly in the cabin. In addition, the airline pet travel carrier must adhere to the criteria set by the IATA LAR, in terms of ventilation, design etc.

If you’re new to pet travel, check out 8 IATA Compliant Airline Pet in Cabin Carriers.

Cost of Flying a Pet in Cabin with Air France

The fee charged for flying your cat or dog in the Air France passenger cabin varies by route, and is per pet, per flight. If your itinerary includes connections, you’ll be charged for each flight segment.

Dogs and Cats in the Air France Hold as Checked Baggage

Should your cat or dog, combined with their airline pet travel crate, weigh more than 8 kg, and up to a maximum of 75 kg they must travel in the Air France hold as checked baggage. Any pets weighing more than 75 kg must travel in the hold as cargo.

With Air France, each passenger can take up to three pets in the hold of the aircraft. However, this may be restricted depending on the aircraft model.

IATA Requirements for Pets Flying in Hold

For the safety of your pet during air transport, the airline travel kennel must meet the legal requirements of the Live Animal Regulations (LAR) set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Therefore, in addition to ensuring that your cat or dog in their travel crate adheres to the maximum weight and dimensions set by Air France, the minimum inner kennel dimensions defined by the IATA LAR must also be met.

You can calculate the minimum inner space permitted by the IATA LAR, in addition to learning about the required construction, design etc for the pet in hold travel crate.

Should you need a new travel kennel, check out 4 Popular IATA Compliant Pet in Hold Crates.

Cost of Flying a Pet in the Hold with Air France

The fee charged by Air France for flying a pet in the hold as checked baggage varies by route. If your itinerary includes connections you’ll be charged for each flight.

Flying Pets in the Hold with Air France Cargo

Air France and KLM Martinair Cargo is responsible for flying cats, dogs and other animals in the hold of the plane as cargo, rather than checked baggage. The cost depends on the route, as well as the size and weight of your pet in their travel kennel.

In some cases, your pet may have to fly with Air France as cargo, rather than checked baggage. For instance, if you’re travelling on a different flight as your pet, or you’re flying to a country that doesn’t permit pets to arrive in the cabin. For example, all animals, including cats and dogs must arrive in the United Kingdom (UK) as cargo, they can’t enter in the passenger cabin or in the hold as checked baggage. When flying to the UK, Air France only transports cats and dogs as cargo, due to legislation set by the Department for Agriculture, Environment, Forestry and Agriculture (DEFRA).

Your dog will also have to travel as cargo if their kennel exceeds the maximum Air France size of 292 cm (lenght + width + height) for cats and dogs flying in the hold as checked baggage. of L 105 cm x W 75 cm x H 79 cm for pets flying in the hold as checked baggage. Pets weighing more than 75 kg must also fly with Air France Cargo.

As is the case for all pet friendly airlines, flying a pet as cargo is more expensive than in the cabin, or in the hold as checked baggage.

Air France Snub Nosed Cat & Dog Breed Policy

Snub-nosed (brachycephalic) animals, such as French Bulldogs, Pugs and Persian Cats, can have trouble breathing during the flight, due to high temperatures and stress. To ensure their well-being, most snub-nosed (brachycephalic) animals may not be transported in the hold. This means that these pets can only fly in the Air France cabin, they aren’t allowed to travel as checked baggage in the hold of the plane.

It may also be possible to fly a snub nosed cat or dog as cargo with Air France, but you should discuss this with your veterinarian.

When flying with a snub-nosed pet in the cabin, remember that you need to add 10% to your IATA compliant pet carrier calculation.

Air France Airlines Banned Dog Breeds

Category 1 dogs, as defined by the FrenchMinistry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, aren’t permitted for transport in the cabin, or in the hold as checked baggage or cargo. These so-called attack dogs don’t belong to a particular breed but are similar in morphology to the following:

• Staffordshire Terrier or American Staffordshire Terriers, Mastiffs & Tosas

Category 2 defined dogs are permitted for transport in the Air France cargo hold. This include the following breeds:

• Pedigree Staffordshire Terriers
• Pedigree AmericanStaffordshireTerriers
• Pedigree Tosas
• Other dogs that are similar in morphology to the Rottweiler breed, either with or without pedigree

To transport a Category2 dog, you must contact the customer service department for freight. To find the contact information of the center nearest you, visit the Air France KLM Cargo website and click on the map. Upon request and subject to availability, Category 2 dogs can travel on the same Air France flight as their owner. Note that a reinforced airline travel crate is mandatory, you can see an example of an approved crate in 4 IATA Compliant Pet in Hold Crates.

Assistance Dogs, Emotional Support Animals & Psychiatric Service Dogs Air France Policy

You can travel with your Assistance or Service Dog free of charge with Air France and it’s recommended that you make the request during booking and no less than 48hours before your departure.

If you fly with an assistance or service dog with Air France, the following conditions apply:

• They must comply with all sanitary/hygiene requirements in the departure, arrival and connection countries.
• They must be identifiable by a dog tag or harness. You must be able to provide proof (along with credible verbal proof) of the dog’s certification and its use.
• They may travel with a muzzle.
• They must remain leashed at all times.
• They can’t obstruct the aisles inside the aircraft.
• They must be well-behaved in all circ*mstances.
• You will be offered a seat with the most space possible, but your dog may not occupy a seat and is forbidden from occupying the space near the emergency exits.

As of 1 March 2021, Air France no longer accepts Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) for travel. Only registered and professionally trained Assistance & Service Dogs are accepted to travel in the cabin free of charge.

Note that Air France classes trained Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSVDs) as Assistance or Service Dogs, not Emotional Support Animals, therefore they can travel under the above Assistance Dog Policy on flights to and from the USA only. To travel with a PSVD, you must complete the USDOT Application Form, attesting to the dog’s training and behaviour, and send it to Air France prior to travel.

Your dog will only be allowed in the cabin after a visual verification at the airport.Throughout your trip, please keep a copy of this application form and all documents requested with you.

Pet Travel Documentation & Vaccines

Air France is a French international pet friendly airline, so for flights within the EU, your cat or dog has to meet the EU Pet Travel Scheme criteria. This means that you’ll need to arrange either a Pet Passport or Animal Health Certificate, and ensure that your cat or dog is microchipped and vaccinated against Rabies.

You can also check out the laws for taking a cat or dog to France, as well as other worldwide destinations in 2024.

Air France Excluded Pet Flight Routes

Air France doesn’t transport pets in the Business Cabin on intercontinental flights.

Due to government pet travel rules, you can’t fly your cat or dog in the cabin to certain countries. These rules are in place in some pet friendly destinations that are currently rabies free, in order to protect their borders. For example, when flying to the UK (Scotland, England, Wales & Northern Ireland), all pets arriving on a plane must travel as cargo in the hold.

However, you can fly your cat or dog in the Air France passenger cabin on flights from the UK.

At present, the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) has extended the ban on dogs travelling to the USA from more than 100 high risk rabies countries. If your dog has visited any of these countries in the last six months, the same rules apply.

Are Pets Safe on Planes?

If you’re worried about your furry travel companion’s wellbeing when flying, check out our comprehensive post regarding pet safety on planes. While in the USA, a monthly report is provided for airline pet incident rates, there isn’t an equivalent in Europe at the moment. So, there’s no data available for incidents when flying pets in the hold with Air France. Note that even the airline pet incident reports submitted in the USA are only for cats and dogs flying in the hold, and don’t include any in cabin events.

No doubt, at some point your trip will involve a car ride, so have a look at our 12 Essential Pet Car Safety Tips too. Should your cat or dog suffer from motion sickness, we’ve also compared some of the treatments, strategies and medications for pet travel nausea.

It’s important to be aware that you can’t sedate or tranquilize your cat or dog for their flight, whether your pet, or pets, are travelling in the Air France cabin or hold.

In addition, to protect your pet’s health and wellbeing in a new country, be sure to keep your cat or dog safe from vector-borne diseases. In particular, Heartworm from mosquitoes and Leishmaniasis from sandflies pose a serious pet threat in Southern Europe.

You might also want to check out 10 Pet Friendly Airlines in the EU, Pets in Cabin from the UK and 7 Transatlantic Pet Friendly Airlines.

And don’t forget the all important Essential Pet Travel Accessories!

Prior to booking, always view the Air France pet travel policy on their website for any recent changes. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, some airlines are frequently amending their rules for pets on planes.

Have a safe and wonderful trip, and remember to leave a pet travel review for Air France if you fly your pet cat or dog, in the cabin or hold!

Related Pages

• Flying with Pets
• Flying from the UK with Pet in Cabin
• Airline Pet Travel Policies
• Flying with Multiple Pets
• Flying a Cat or Dog as Checked Baggage or Cargo
• 3 Ways to Enter France from the UK with a Cat or Dog
• Are you a Pooch Pampering Champ or a Doggone Disgrace?!