Air France Pet Travel Policy

With provisions for your pet to fly alongside you in the cabin, Air France is chief among the various pet-friendly airlines operating globally today. Provided you comply with a few rules and regulations, your pet’s journey will be as grand and comfortable as yours.

Pets are allowed to travel on Air France flights in the following ways:

• In the cabin

• In the hold

In the Cabin

With permission ahead of time from customer support, you can transport a dog or a cat weighing no more than 8 kg / 17 lb (including bag) in the cabin of an Air France flight.

There are a few prerequisites for flying with your pet in the cabin.

• Your pet must be at least 15 weeks old

• Your pet must have all the relevant vaccinations

• On flights within metropolitan France (including Corsica), and between metropolitan France and Guadeloupe, Martinique and Reunion Island, the minimum age for your pet is 8 weeks old.
  
  

Snub-nosed dogs and cats, such as Boxers, Pekingese, Shih Tzus and Persian or Burmese cats, are permitted for transport by in the cabin. In high-stress situations, snub-nosed animals are prone to respiratory problems. Kindly seek advice from your vet before travelling via air with your snub-nosed friend in tow.

For safety reasons, Air France does not accept pets in the business cabin on intercontinental flights. For their own safety, your pet must travel in the cargo hold.

Pet Carrier Requirements

Your pet must travel in a special closed travel bag that does not exceed 46 x 28 x 24 cm / 18 x 11 x 9 in. Air France strongly recommends that you carry a soft bag that can glide easily under the seat in front of you. For safety reasons, pet crates are no longer permitted in the cabin, regardless of their dimensions.

The soft bag must fulfil these requirements:

• The bag must be well-ventilated and be big enough for your animal to stand up and turn around.

• The bag must fit in the area underneath the seat in front of you.

• Under no circumstances may your animal leave its travel bag during the flight.

• Only 1 animal is permitted per container.

• Each passenger may travel with only 1 animal.

• Your pet’s travel container is considered an additional baggage item and will incur a fee.

In the Hold

A dog or cat weighing more than 8 kg / 17 lb and up to a maximum weight of 75 kg / 165.3 lb must be transported in the hold. Transporting animals in the hold is limited to 3 animals maximum per passenger. Please note this number may vary or be restricted, depending on the type of aircraft. You should also notify Air France when booking your ticket that you plan to transport your pet in the cargo hold.

Snub-nosed animals (such as pugs, boxers, bulldogs and Shih Tzu dogs, or Persian and Burmese cats) are not permitted for transport in the hold on flights provided by Air France.

There are a few rules you must comply with before flying:

• Your pet must be at least 15 weeks old* and have all required vaccines.

• You must respect the conditions of transport indicated in the Conditions for transporting a dog or cat in the hold: travel container size, materials, locking mechanisms, etc. On Air France flights, only hard plastic or fiberglass travel containers fastened by bolts and approved by the IATA (International Air Transport Association) are accepted. In the event of non-compliance with instructions provided in this document, your pet will be denied boarding.

• You must print and present the form “Conditions for transporting a dog or cat in the hold” at the airport.
  
  

During your flight, the captain will be informed that your pet is in the cargo hold and will take the necessary steps to ensure its comfort during the flight (lighting, heating).

Breed-Specific Legislation

Category 1 dogs, as defined by the French Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, are not permitted for transport in the cabin, or as baggage or cargo. These so-called “attack dogs” do not belong to a particular breed but are similar in morphology to the following: Staffordshire Terrier or American Staffordshire Terriers (pit bulls), Mastiffs and Tosas.

Category 2-defined dogs are permitted for transport on cargo flights provided by Air France. These include the following breeds: pedigree Staffordshire Terriers, pedigree American Staffordshire Terriers, pedigree Tosas and dogs that are similar in morphology to the Rottweiler breed (with or without pedigree). A cage is mandatory. To transport a Category 2 dog, please contact the customer service department for freight.