Yes! It is possible to travel with your dog abroad, on a plane, in cabin!
It wasn't easy, but we figured it out and now we're here to tell you how!
In this special blog post we're going to tell you what the procedure is to travel abroad (vaccinations, pet passports etc), what airlines we flew with (in cabin!) AND we're going to reveal the perfect bag for flying with your pet in cabin.
The Research
Jasmine was the brains behind the operation, Roxy the muscle. And together we found out exactly what needed to happen so that we could travel from Dublin, Ireland to Nice, France without having to travel in the scary cargo section.
No More Quarantine
Traveling with your pet has become easier. Quarantine laws were set up to protect the UK and Ireland from rabies. But back in 2011, these were relaxed which means that once we follow the laws and procedures, we no longer need to be quarantined for 6 months. Hurray!
So let's get straight into the details to tell you how two small Irish dogs got to live their dream life in the South Of France.
Before You Travel
It all starts about a month before you want to travel. We recommend you start the research process as soon as you can though. When you have decided on where you are travelling to check with the laws of that country. Contacting the embassy is a good start. Your VET will also have information for you.
We were travelling to France so that required a rabies vaccination. This will be the case for most destinations.
Let's break it down for you.
Step One: Get microchipped (your VET will do this for you)
Step Two: Get your pet passport (your VET can arrange this for you)
Step Three: Get your rabies vaccination a minimum of 21 days before you leave Ireland (your VET will administer this for you)
Step Four: Check for any other requirements the country you are travelling to has (we needed worming tablets for France)
Step Five: Book your pre flight check up and worming with your VET so you can be certified to travel! This appointment must take place within the 48 hour window before you travel.
Step Six: PACK!
The Department of Agriculture will have all the up to date information for your pet travels here.
The Dog Friendly Airlines
Now that all the boring stuff is out of the way, let's talk flying! We did A LOT of research to find the most pet friendly airlines we could. We were looking for an airline that would get us to the south of France and allow us to fly in cabin. We found two; Lufthansa and KLM.
Whether dogs can fly in cabin or not is up to individual airline policy. They can choose to allow it or not.
Lufthansa
We have flown three times with Lufthansa and loved it! They were very helpful and welcoming.
When you are booking your dog in cabin you need to call them. This is normal procedure for any airline. You need to call so that they can verify that there is room on the flight for your dog. They only allow two pets to fly in cabin per flight so you need to check that there is space.
We called them, told them the days we wanted to fly and they found us space!
Then all your need to do is answer a few questions on the phone (like the breed of dog, weight of dog, size of carrier bag etc) and pay the €50 for your pet to be in the cabin.
Here's what you need to know to fly with Lufthansa
1. Go to their website here and find the flights you want
2. Call them on +1 866 953 22 94
3. The combined weight of your dog and travel bag can't exceed 8 kilos, but you may travel with two dogs in the one bag, provided they fit comfortably in the bag and don't exceed 8 kilos (like us).
4. The dimensions of your bag should fit be 55 x 40 x 23 cm.
For more information, here's a screenshot from their site:
Flying from Ireland to France with Lufthansa was perfect. But the only problem is that they don't fly you back into Ireland! Lufthansa don't seem to be aware that they are allowed to fly into Ireland with pets in the cabin. Lufthansa told us 'the Irish government does not allow pets to arrive in Ireland in cabin'.
We checked with Department of Agriculture and they emailed us to say;
"It is up to the airline to decide whether to carry the animal in the cabin or as excess baggage – the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine does not decide on this. Cats, dogs or ferrets coming from other EU countries/ territories listed above may enter Ireland through any port/airport of entry and may be transported by any airline or ferry company willing to transport such animals."
We hope Lufthansa can update their information soon to make our trip smoother, as they are the only airline we have found that allow two dogs in one carrier.
KLM
So since we couldn't fly back with Lufthansa we needed to find another airline that would fly us home! Hello KLM!
KLM are also a fantastic dog friendly option. But each airline has it's own individual policies and unfortunately KLM don't allow two dogs to be in the same bag in cabin! So that's why we flew out with Lufthansa (who do allow two dogs in one bag) and back with KLM. If you are just flying with one dog, or you are two humans and two dogs, KLM should be fine as a return option.
But we needed to ask a second human to fly with us to get us home. One human per dog is allowed.
The procedure is pretty much the same with KLM as it is with Lufthansa.
1. Go to their website here and find the flights you want
2. Call them on +353 1 5251804
3. The combined weight of your dog and travel bag can't exceed 8 kilos, and you may not travel with two dogs in the one bag :(
4. The dimensions of your bag should fit be 46 x 28 x 24 cm.
Both airlines charge €50 to fly your pet in cabin. Not bad!
For more information, here's a screenshot from their site:
It's All About The Bag
If you've been following us for a while, you'll know that we are big fans of dog bags. We could hang out in ours for hours! Having a good, reliable dog bag that meets the airline requirements is a must.
We love Trixie bags. We find them stylish, practical and perfect for travel. We use them on flights and just in our every day life too.
This is the bag we use to travel
We've had this bag for about three years now and we love it!
Water proof, cosy, easy to carry, lightweight and we feel really safe in it. We feel protected but we can still see out. We often prefer being in the bag then walking!
Mom brings this bag everywhere and carries us around as a back pack. There's a side pocket for our water too.
On the flight the bag lies flat on the strap side down and slides under the seat so we can get a good cosy sleep.
We've tried a few bags over the years but this has been the winner, paws down.
If you want to buy one for your furry travel buddy
you can click on the affiliate link below (the picture).
This is us in flight mode. See? Perfect fit!
The Journey
Turns out we're pretty good travellers. The flight to Nice from Dublin wasn't direct. We flew from Dublin to Frankfurt and then Frankfurt to Nice! So all in all we were about 6 hours in transit!
We had a toilet break just before going through the security gate in Dublin.
Then when we go to Frankfurt we were able to have a quick toilet break after going through security too. We made sure to give ourselves enough time between flights to do that.
During the flights, we just went to sleep. This is why the bag is so important. We felt like we were just in our bed and we didn't get stressed at all.
TIP: When you get your travel bag, spend some time letting your pet get used to and comfortable in it before the journey. We were so used to being in the bag before we flew that it was really easy and we felt so safe and comfortable.
Recap!
There you have it! That's our journey! Here's a recap of the steps we took:
- Start with the dog bag (above) so your dog can have time to get used to it.
- Reach out to your VET and get microchipped, get a passport, and enquire about the requirements of the country you are travelling to.
- Book your VET appointments!
- Book your flights. We can personally recommend
- Lufthansa and KLM
- Go Have Fun!
Got a question? Reach out to us on Instagram!
You can also see what we are getting up to in France in our Instagram stories!
Lots of love, from la France,
Roxy & Jasmine
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