Airline Policies
Every single airline has a different policy on their requirements and restrictions for pets. Please check with the airline you are travelling with for their exact policies. Some airlines do not allow for in-cabin travel, and you will need to fly your pet in-cargo for those situations.
For Asiana Airlines, these are their exact restrictions from their website.
- If the weight of the pet (including the cage) is 7 kg or less
- If the sum of three sides of the pet carrier is 115 cm or less and the maximum height of the cage is 21 cm or less. (Soft cases must be 26 cm or less and must be stowed under the seat.)
- Each passenger can bring 1 pet in 1 cage into the cabin (or 2 puppies or 2 kittens under the age of 6 months – If a mother bird and her baby are a pair, they may also be brought together)
- Pets must be kept in their cage for safety, and they are strictly prohibited from being taken out of their cage.
- For Business Class(Including Business Suite class) seats, pet carriers cannot be placed under the seat in accordance with the seat structure and safety regulations and must be placed in another area with guidance from a flight attendant during taxi, take-off, and landing.
To be honest, I find this to be very very misleading. People who see 7kg will assume that any small-sized dogs are allowed to travel in-cabin with you. However, they require you to be able to stow the carrier under the seat in front of you, and this means that if you have a taller pet, you will not be allowed to bring in-cabin. So if you have a bigger/taller pet, you have no choice but to fly in-cargo too. Please click here on information about flying in-cargo.
What to Take Note of
- Avoid feeding your pet too much food/water before or during the flight so that they will not need to go to the toilet during the flight. Give them an adequate amount, then feed more after arrival.
- Please train your pet before travelling to stay in their carrier quietly. You get annoyed when travelling with a constantly crying baby, other people will also get annoyed if your pet was barking/meowing in the whole flight.
- Bring a little bit of your pet’s favourite treats or toys to feed them during the flight in case they get anxious to distract them. Be sensible and avoid anything that is gonna make noise (aka squeaky toy, crinkle toy, etc).
Common FAQs
These questions came from when I posted the trip on my IG Story. If you have any further questions, leave it below and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
Q: Which airline did you use? What are the additional charges?
A: I flew via Asiana Airlines this time. On top of the standard air ticket for me, I paid an additional 160 USD (about 214 SGD) for Mitsuko’s cabin fare from Shanghai to Jakarta.
Q: Which airline can fly with the dogs on your lap?
A: To my knowledge, Asiana Airlines and Korean Airlines are the only Asian airlines that allows this. But I may be wrong so check with the airline you are flying with.
Q: What preparations (e.g. paperwork) needs to be down for them to fly in-cabin with us?
A: That’s different for every country. You’ll need to comply with local regulations of both the exporting and importing country. For example, to import a pet into Singapore, we need the basic shots, serology testing, health declarations, and all the importing documents. Click here for detailed information. As for to fly in-cabin, you just need to comply with local export regulations and let the airlines know.
Q: Do dogs need passport? If so, how to apply?
A: Nope, no passport per say. You just need to prepare all the health documents such as rabies booklet, and the export/import paperwork depending on countries.
Q: Is your dog scared of flying?
A: I would say that she was a little nervous in the beginning, but got used to it after a while and just slept through the flight.
Q: Can big dogs enter the cabin?
A: No. The airline requires bags to be less than 21cm tall and fit under the seat in front of you. Please check the airline’s website to double confirm. You’ll need to fly your pet via cargo.
