Whether you're relocating or would like to take your dog with you on vacation, we often get asked by dog owners how they can fly with their dog in cabin instead of having to put their dog in cargo.
Although flying your dog in cargo is very safe, we understand that many dog owners get very worried about their beloved pet and would prefer to have them with them in cabin.
Unfortunately, although it's already getting easier to fly with your dog in cabin in and out of the UAE, it's not yet available yet for everyone due to size restrictions or because it's not possible with certain airlines to certain destinations.
We are currently working on extending our Pet Businesses directory page with a dedicated page about pet friendly airlines. Until this category is live, we will give you as much information here in this blog.
Flying with your dog outside of the UAE
Flying with your dog outside of the UAE in cabin is possible with several airlines as you will find in the below overview. This is also possible from both Dubai as well as Abu Dhabi.
Flying with your do to the UAE
This is where things get a bit more complicated as you are currently only able to fly with your dog in cabin to Abu Dhabi. Or if you fly with a private charter company, then it's also possible to Dubai.
Are there any size restrictions?
Yes there are size restrictions when you would like to fly with your dog in cabin. Most often you're only able to fly with your dog including carrier with a combined weight of 8kg. This means that your dog can only be until around 6.5kg as you don't want to get a carrier that is too small so your dog has no space to move around during the flight.
So what are currently the options?
You can find an overview per airline below:
Air Canada
This airline is one of the airlines where slightly larger dogs are welcome in cabin. With an overall weight of 12kg and a carrier with a 55cm length, 40cm width and 23cm height, you can fly with your dog for around $100 to Canada, making it an easy way to reach the USA without having to fly your dog in cargo.
If you like to find more information about this dog friendly airline, then click here.
Air France
Air France lets you fly with your dog in cabin in Economy to Europe for around $200. The carrier has a size restriction of 46cm length by 28cm width and 24 cm high. Together with your dog the total weight allowed is up to 8kg. If you like to find more information about this dog friendly airline, then click here.
Emirates
Although we love Emirates as an airline, unfortunately they don't yet fly dogs in cabin in or out of the UAE. They do offer cargo services however.
So officially they do not belong in this blog but as they are one of the bigger airlines in this country, we wanted to mention them just in case if you were wondering.
If you like to find more information about this dog friendly airline, then click here.
Etihad
The first airline to welcome dogs in cabin both for flights going out of the UAE as well as to the UAE. This airline is currently charging around $1500 for flights to Europe. Carriers have a size restriction of 40cm by 40cm by 22cm in height and a total weight restriction including your dog of 8kg. With Etihad you have the availibility to fly both with your dog in cabin in Economy as well as Business class. In Economy you can book an extra seat as well for your dog, in Business class this is mandatory.
If you like to find more information about this dog friendly airline, then click here.
Iberia
This airline flies dogs in cabin to quite a few destinations in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe as well as the USA and Asia. Not only can you fly out of the UAE with your dog in cabin, they also fly to the UAE with dogs in cabin. Depending on the aircraft model, the size of the carrier varies but with your dog needs to have an overall weight of 8kg. Depending on the destination, you're looking at a cost of around $120.
If you like to find more information about this dog friendly airline, then click here.
Jetex
Jetex offers private charter flights where dogs are also welcome to and outside of the UAE. However we're currently still waiting for their reply with more information regarding the exact details.
If you like to find more information about this dog friendly airline, then click here.
K9 Jets
K9 Jets is a dedicated private charter airline for dog owners and their dog. Currently their flights are only between London and Dubai with prices starting from $3,700. But with this comes the good news that there are no size restrictions whatsoever and you and your dog are assured of a very comfortable trip.
If you like to find more information about this dog friendly airline, then click here.
KLM
As KLM is part of Air France, the same terms & conditions apply. The only good news we can add to this is that you can also fly with your dog in Business class with KLM which is not possible with Air France.
If you like to find more information about this dog friendly airline, then click here.
Lufthansa
Lufthansa is a great airline if you're looking for flights with your dog going out of the UAE to Europe. One of the benefits with this airline is that the size of the carrier is a little bit bigger than most airlines, as they are allowed up to 55cm in length by 40 cm in width and 23cm in height. Although the overall weight including carrier is restricted to up to 8kg, at least your dog has a little bit more space to move around. The charges are also very reasonable as you are able to fly your dog in cabin for around $100 only.
If you like to find more information about this dog friendly airline, then click here.
Middle East Airlines
Middle East Airlines flies your dog in cabin both going out of the UAE as well as flying into the UAE. For around $75 you can take your beloved pooch to Middle Eastern countries as well as Europe. The maximum carrier size is 40cm in length by 24cm in width and 24 cm in height with an overall weight up to 10kg, which is a little bith more than most of the airlines.
If you like to find more information about this dog friendly airline, then click here.
Royal Jordanian
This amazing airline known for its great service, welcomes dogs on flights going out of the UAE as well as flying to the UAE. With an overall weight of 8kg and a carrier up to 40cm in length by 50cm in width and 26cm in height, you can fly your dog in cabin to Middle Eastern countries as well as Europe for around $150. This is only possible in Economy and unfortunately not in Business class.
If you like to find more information about this dog friendly airline, then click here.
Turkish Airlines
We have personally worked with Turkish Airlines at last year's Woofstock and adore this airline very much. With Turkish Airlines you can fly with your dog in cabin going out of the UAE as well as going to the UAE. The overall weight including carrier is up to 8kg and the size restriction is 40cm in length by 30cm in width by 23cm in height. Flying with your dog in cabin to for example Istanbul will cost you around $870.
If you like to find more information about this dog friendly airline, then click here.
Conclusion Although limited, there are some options for dog owners to avoid having to fly their dog in cargo. We hope that over time we can bring many more airlines to this list as well as more flexible size restrictions to make many more dog owners happy.
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