Flying with a dog: cabin, checked baggage or cargo?

The three options at a glance

What each option means for your dog

In the cabin

The option owners find most reassuring, but only for very small dogs. As IATA points out, there is very little room under aircraft seats, and a soft carrier squeezed under a seat can compress, cutting ventilation and letting heat build up inside. Your dog stays in the carrier for the whole flight. The weight limit almost always applies to dog plus carrier: a 7 kg dog in a 1.5 kg bag will not pass with an airline whose limit is 8 kg.

In the hold, as checked baggage

Your dog travels in a rigid crate checked in with your luggage, on the same flight as you. Airlines also call this AVIH. The hold used for animals is pressurised and heated, and IATA notes that many pets rest better there than in the cabin because it is darker and quieter. Air France says the captain is told when an animal is on board and adjusts lighting and heating accordingly.

As cargo

Here your dog is a shipment rather than baggage, prepared by an approved shipper or freight forwarder, with its own transport documents. It may fly on your flight or a different one. On arrival it is collected at the cargo terminal once formalities are done, and IATA suggests checking with the airline that the terminal will be open when the flight lands. Cargo is the most controlled option and often the only one for a large dog or for certain destinations. See our pet air cargo page.

What decides how your dog flies

• Weight with the carrier or crate. Weigh the dog inside its bag or crate, not on its own. That total is what moves a dog from cabin to hold, and from hold to cargo.
• The airline and the aircraft. Each airline sets its own limits (weight, bag size, pets per passenger and per flight), and some take no pets in the cabin at all. On a codeshare, check which airline actually operates the aircraft: its rules may differ from those of the airline that sold the ticket.
• The destination. Pets arriving in Great Britain by air must travel as cargo, unless you fly on a chartered private plane or travel with a guide or assistance dog (GOV.UK). Air France applies the same rule to the UK, Dubai and Abu Dhabi "until further notice".
• The breed. Many airlines keep snub-nosed dogs out of the hold, and some out of cargo too (see below).
• Age. IATA rules out animals under 8 weeks; airlines often set a higher minimum (15 weeks on most Air France flights).
• Route and season. Stopovers, connections and heat on the ground matter: the same dog may fly in the hold on a direct flight but need cargo on a route with a change of plane.

A worked example: Air France's rules

To make this concrete, here is what Air France publishes on its pet travel page, which we read on 19 October 2026 (the page was last updated on 9 September 2026). Airline rules change, so read them again when you book.

Above 75 kg with the crate, or for some breeds, Air France points to cargo through an approved Air France KLM Cargo shipper. French category 1 dogs are refused in every mode; category 2 dogs are accepted on Air France cargo flights and, on request and subject to availability, on the same flight as their owner.

Snub-nosed breeds: the restrictions

Pugs, bulldogs, boxers, Shih Tzus and Pekingese have narrowed airways. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) explains that they are more vulnerable to changes in air quality and temperature in the hold, and that they cope poorly with heat. IATA advises against transporting them in the hot season and requires a crate 10% larger for them.

Airlines turn this into their own rules, and the rules differ. On Air France, for example:

• snub-nosed animals are not allowed in the hold on flights operated by Air France;
• they can still fly in the cabin if they weigh under 8 kg with the bag, and the airline recommends asking your vet first;
• boxers, Pekingese and Shih Tzus too heavy for the cabin can travel as cargo;
• since 15 July 2019, pugs, bulldogs and Boston Terriers are no longer accepted as cargo either.

Air France's list covers around twenty dog breeds, including the Cane Corso, Chow Chow, Shar Pei, dogues, mastiffs, Lhasa Apso, King Charles Spaniel and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. A 12 kg French Bulldog therefore has no option at all with Air France: too heavy for the cabin, and refused in the hold and as cargo. Our article on flying with a flat-faced dog or cat compares other airlines' rules.

Heat, stopovers and connections

In flight, the hold is pressurised and temperature-controlled. The risk is mostly on the ground: the AVMA notes that while a plane sits on the tarmac, air and temperature controls are often turned down, so the hold can get warmer or colder. Hence its advice: book a nonstop flight, avoid layovers and busy holidays, fly early morning or late evening in warm months and in the afternoon in cold months.

Connections bring practical constraints. On Air France, a journey with a connection cannot be checked in online: you collect your pet and check it in again at each leg. The airline asks for at least 4 h 30 at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, 3 h at Orly and 2 h elsewhere between flights, and reminds passengers that they must clear immigration in the connecting country and carry the documents it requires. A dog flying as cargo stays with the handling agent during the transfer.

Should you sedate your dog for the flight?

As a rule, no. IATA advises against tranquillising dogs and cats for air travel, in the cabin or the hold: most tranquillisers lower blood pressure, which altitude also does naturally, and IATA describes the combination as potentially fatal in old, chronically sick or stressed animals. The AVMA strongly recommends against tranquillising pets for air travel and notes that airlines generally do not allow it.

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