Most airlines that allow a dog to fly in cabin have a weight limit of 8kg. There are some that allow a dog in cabin up to 10kg. As a Westie I’m definitely on the larger end of being a small dog. I can weigh between 6-7kg. Which kind of sucks when it comes to flying in cabin as that 8kg usually includes the weight of the carrier too. Given most carriers weigh at least 1kg, that pretty much means I am right on the cusp of the weight limit. Unless I get approval as an assistance dog. However, most airlines no longer allow emotional support animals.
But quite frankly, it’s a bit cumbersome to get approval for each flight in advance. So if I could fly in cabin as a standard dog that would be much more preferable.
After doing a lot of research on pet friendly airlines, my mammy was begining to lose hope I’d ever be able to fly as a standard pet in cabin. Until she finally had a breakthrough. She finally found an airline that had a larger weight limit of 10kg! Unfortunately some of those that she originally found (Vueling & Air Baltic) have since reduced their limits down to the usual 8kg ๐
*Whilst I try to keep this page updated as much as I can, airlines can change their policies at any time. Therefore, before booking any flight, please be sure to check with the relevant airline for their up to date policy.
Volotea Dog in Cabin 10kg
Volotea is a Spanish low cost airline based out of Barcelona. They have a huge network all over Europe.
Volotea pet policy allows dogs and cats only up to 10kg including the carrier. The container can be a maximum size of 50cm x 40cm x 20cm. Only 1 pet per person is allowed and max 2 pets per flight. Of course they must have valid documents. The fine print can be found here. The cost is โฌ39.
It states that you can add the pet to your booking online but I couldn’t find this option. Even after I made the booking I couldn’t see it. It turns out, that simlar to Vueling, you can only add a pet as luggage if you choose the basic fare. Not if you choose one of the combos which are more cost effective. I ended up having to call the call centre to be added. It was very difficult to get in touch with customer service. So I strongly recommend to do the basic fare and add yourself when making the booking.
ITA
ITA is an Italian airline that has quite a lot of domestic and international routes flying from Europe to the US and even direct to Tokyo. They allow dogs and cats to travel in cabin if they are in a soft sided or semi rigid carrier although a soft sided carrier is recommended. The pet must stay in the carrier during embarking, disembarkation and during the entire flight. The maximum weight of the pet must be 8kg but they allow an additional 2kg for the carrier and dog food. Giving a total allowance of 10kg which is great!
The size for the bag should be 24cm in height, 40cm length and 20cm width. But they also say they are lenient by 2-4cm on height when using a soft sided carrier. Of course the animal must be able to sit down, lie down, stand up and turn comfortably in the bag too. They also allow up to 5 pets in the same bag as long as they are within the weight limit!
On domestic flights the charge is โฌ60, within Europe & North Africa it’s โฌ90 and the rest of the world is โฌ210. It’s only โฌ10 more to go in the hold. So it’s a bit more expensive than other airlines, but for us, with a direct route to Europe from Japan, it would still be an amazing option.
From the rules alone, they do seem like a pretty good option.
Air Europa
Air Europa are another good choice if travelling with a slightly heavier dog. Their policy allows you to travel with a dog up to 8kg but adds an extra 2kg for the carrier. Meaning your dog and carrier can weigh up to 10kg. The size of the bag is also quite generous at 55 x 35 x 25 cm. Starting June 10, 2024, the maximum dimensions of the pet carrier will be 40 x 30 x 30 cm and it must be flexible. The only downside is that on long haul flights you can’t fly in the business class cabin. Although you can short & medium haul. The price ranges from โฌ25 (domestically within Spain and the islands). โฌ50 within Europe and Africa and โฌ150 for long haul flights. They do accept snub nosed dogs, but only in the cabin.
Air Malta
Air Malta allow pets in cabin up to 10kg and can be booked online as part of your flight ticket. They also allow you to travel with up to 2 pets in the same carrier which is good news. Size restrictions are a bit small at L40cm W34cm and height is only 18cm. This is quite small compared to most other airlines, especially those with higher weight limits. Those travelling with pets will always be placed at a window seat and can’t do online check in. The cost is โฌ70 per flight segment and you are allowed to take one pet stroller free of charge. Pets are allowed in the business class cabin. However, if there is only row 1 available, you will be downgraded to an economy ticket. A maximum of 5 pets per flight are allowed.
Others
Some American airlines don’t have any weight restriction at all. As long as the pet fits within the carrier size limits. I’ve never flown on an American airline before but they don’t have the greatest reputation. However, it’s good to know it seems a lot easier to travel with a pet in cabin in the US. Let me know in the comments below if you know of any other airlines I may have missed off.
A few Korean Airlines such as T’Way, Jeju Air and Air Seoul allow up to 9kg including the carrier, so there are definitely airlines out there that are beginning to listen!
It’s amazing to find airlines are now allowing you to fly with a dog in cabin up to 10kg. Hopefully more airlines will make their policy for dog in cabin up to 10kg in the future.
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Thank you ๐
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Thank you ๐
Great post. I also wanted to let you know that we fly with our Pug (really hard to put him on a diet and get to 8KG). I wanted to add a few airlines which offer PETC of up to 10KG: Aeromexico, Iberojet, Avianca, Copa Airlines. I wish most airlines would allow us just to bring our babies no matter what their weight isโ I would even pay for an extra seat to be honest!
Thank you for letting me know! I will add them to my list ๐ Yes it’s really tough when they are on the weight limit, and it makes it super stressful so knowing there are some that allow the bigger ones to fly is so good. We would also buy an extra seat if needed, you can do this on Ethidad I believe but it does work out super expensive! We just flew with T’Way (a South Korean airline) and they allowed us to pay for the set in between us for the extra space, but only on the day of check in once they confirmed there would be spare seats. But it did help a lot!
Hello! Thanks for this article, it is amazingly helpful. Just so you know, Vueling has changed its policy for in cabin pet : it now 8 kg carrier includedโฆ so sad!
Oh man! That really sucks ๐ I wonder why they decided to change it?! They must get quite a bit of additional revenue from the pet fees and people buying extra seats!
Air Malta as well
Vueling cut their allowance down to 8kg recently, so sad
Oh no, this sucks ๐
It’s a pity they don’t let dogs up to 12 kg on Airbaltic, it was a company I preferred for that reason…. There is racism against people who have dogs and it is something that should not exist when renting or in public transport because it infringes on freedom ๐ for now I will change to go by train and ferry because once they lost my dog and it took 48 hours to find him and he was shivering and had not eaten… it is an injustice!
Thank you for letting me know that Air Baltic have changed their policy and reduced down to 8kg. This is a real shame, but it seems that most airlines are doing this now. Vueling also recently reduced their allowance from 10kg to 8kg also.