Traveling With Pets: The Best Airlines For A Stress-Free Flight
People who want to travel with their pet should keep these dog-friendly airlines in mind when planning for their next vacation. The airlines listed below have been recommended by other websites and described as handling pets with a little extra care during flights.
Compare The Market analyzed 52 international airlines and labeled 10 as the best pet-friendly. The list includes Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, TUI, Thomas Cook, Turkish Airlines, Aegean Airlines, Aeroflot, Air Europa, and Veuling. Of the 10, the cheapest pet-friendly airlines were Air France, TUI, Thomas Cook, and Vueling with rates ranging from $35 to $234 USD, depending on the flight. All of the airlines in Compare The Market‘s top 10 pet-friendly list transport cats and dogs under 6-8 kg. Service dogs fly free of charge on British Airways and Thomas Cook, reported Business Insider.
Some other airlines pet parents should consider are American Airlines, JetBlue, Air Canada, Delta, Swiss International Airlines, and Frontier Airlines. As per Tour Radar, Air Canada and Delta are two of the most welcoming to furry passengers in international flights bound for cities all over the world.
Air Canada allows pet travelers to major cities in the world from Beijing in Asia to Paris in Europe. The Canadian airline allows smaller dogs to accompany their owner in the cabin as long as they arrive 30 minutes before departure and are in a carrier. Larger dogs have to stay in the cargo, but pet parents are assured that their fur baby is tucked away safe and is comfortable. Air Canada charges $50 to $118 USD for traveling pets. It accepts cats, dogs, and service dogs.
Meanwhile, Delta boasts of transporting pets to more than 60 countries worldwide. Similar to Air Canada, Delta allows small dogs to be with their owner in the cabin. Bigger dogs have to ride in the cargo. The airline charges a bit more than Air Canada to transport pets from $75 to $200 USD. Delta allows cats, dogs, and service animals on international flights. It even allows household birds, but only on domestic flights.
When it comes to non-canine or non-feline pets, Swiss International Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Japan Airlines, and Aeroflot welcome a wide array of pets aboard their flights. Frontier Airlines, Aeroflot, and Japan Airlines are the three pet-friendly airlines that seem to have a broad definition of “pet.” Frontier Airlines allows rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and birds onboard domestic flights in addition to dogs, cats, and service animals. To travel with a pet, Frontier Airlines charges only $75 USD.
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Aeroflot, a Russian Airline, has a long list of pets allowed onboard including fennec foxes, pygmy hedgehogs, marmosets, and polecats. The pets are allowed to travel in the cabin depending on the size of its carrier. Aeroflot charges from $87 USD and up to transport pets.
Similar to Aeroflot, Japan Airlines also allows a wide variety of pets onboard its flights. The list includes hamsters, ferrets, marmots, squirrels, and chinchillas. The Asian airline does not allow any pets in the cabin, but makes up for it by keeping pets in air-conditioned rooms. Japan Airlines goes the extra mile and has an agent personally deliver a pet to his/her owner after the flight. Pet owners are required to arrive at their plane one hour early to fill out paperwork with Japan Airlines.
It may come as a surprise to pet owners, but there are a lot more airlines than the ones listed above that welcome pets. Jen Redmond, a board member of the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association, revealed to Skift that airlines have become more conscious about pets and their needs while traveling through the years. As such, traveling with pets is starting to change and improve.
