Best Pet-Friendly European Airlines 2025

Travelling with a pet? Learn about Europe’s best pet-friendly airlines for 2025. We explore the top 5 European carriers for a trip with your cat or dog.

Amy Lancelotte

By:  Amy Lancelotte

Last Updated:  February 24, 2026

European airlines that allow pets (in cabin) are luckily not that uncommon. But what if your cat or, more likely, your dog is too large to ride with you? Do European airlines allow pets as cargo? Yes. We have crafted a list of the top 5 pet-friendly airlines in Europe for when leaving your furry friend at home just isn’t an option.

• We reviewed the 15 largest EU/EEA-based airlines’ pet policies:
  Aegean Airlines, Finnair, Iberia, Lufthansa, KLM, SAS, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Air France, TAP Air Portugal, Volotea, Vueling, Ryanair, Wizz Air, LOT Polish Airlines, and Air Europa.
• We found that only 2 airlines don’t allow pets in the cabin.
• Three airlines don’t allow pets as cargo/checked baggage.
• Five carriers expressly permit pets in their airport lounges.

To rank among the most pet-friendly airlines Europe offers, each one needs to answer yes to 3 simple questions:

1. Are pets allowed in the cabin?
2. Can pets be flown as baggage or in the cargo hold on your flight?
3. Can your pet accompany you into the airline’s lounges?

We asked these questions for our larger research on the best European airlines, and here are the top European carriers for pet-friendly flights (in alphabetical order):

Aegean Airlines 

The Greek national airline, Aegean, ticks all the boxes for flying with a cat or dog in Europe. The airline permits one small cat or dog in the cabin per person up to 8kg, which includes the animal and the carrier.

If your pet exceeds this limit, you have 2 options: the baggage compartment or cargo. The weight limit for the baggage compartment is 25kg, and the cargo hold is reserved for pets weighing more than 25kg. These limits also include the weight of the carrier or cage.

As for the cost, in the cabin, Aegean charges €35 for domestic flights and €65 for international ones. Checking your pet into the baggage or cargo hold ranges from €50 to €190, depending on your destination and whether or not your flight is direct.

If you plan to take advantage of the Aegean Airlines airport lounges during your trip, you won’t have to sacrifice comfort because of your travel companion. Just don’t forget your pet passport and ensure all the necessary vaccinations are up to date.

When you travel with a pet, and your flight is delayed, the stress is compoundedAlleviate some of the burden by starting a claim for compensation from the airline today.Check Your Flight

Finnair

Finnair rounds out our top 5 pet-friendly airlines in Europe as it meets all the criteria. Pets in the cabin and lounges? Check. Pets in the baggage compartment or cargo hold? Also, check. Plus, certain lounges allow you to relax with your pet.

Cats and dogs are permitted both in the cabin and as cargo from all countries. Finnair also allows pet hedgehogs, tortoises, and rabbits to be transported from any EU country. Lastly, as long as they are placed in the cargo hold, ferrets can travel from any EU or non-EU country.

Soft-sided carriers can be 55 x 40 x 23 cm, whereas hard carriers are limited to 35 x 30 x 20 cm. To qualify for pet travel with Finnair, you should book your fare a minimum of 7 days before the flight. Passengers must notify the airline that they’re travelling with a pet within 24 hours of making the reservation.  

Any pets that weigh between 8kg and 75kg can be transported in the hold, and those exceeding 75kg will need to fly as cargo. 

The pet fees differ based on the type of travel, destination, and when you book. For 7+ days before departure, it’s €60–€120, and that goes up to €65–€130 for last-minute bookings. Transporting a pet in the hold will set you back €120 for European flights and €600 for intercontinental ones.

KLM

KLM, based in the Netherlands, is another of the European airlines that allow dogs in the cabin (and cats, for that matter). As with all our top 5 pet-friendly European airlines, KLM limits the total weight of your pet and carrying case to 8kg, and it’s strictly one pet per person. As for checking pets into the cargo compartment, you can do that, too. The limit is 75kg.

The cost for the privilege of travelling with your pet on a KLM flight depends on your starting point and destination. Generally, it ranges from €70 to €500 each way. Reservations for pet-accompanied flights must be made at least 48 hours before departure, so make sure you plan ahead.

To travel with your pet in-cabin, the animal’s travel bag can’t be larger than 46 x 28 x 24 cm because, like every pet-friendly European airline, they must fit under the seat in front of you.

Learn about KLM flight delay or cancellation compensation.

Lufthansa

The national carriers seem to have the most generous pet policies, and Lufthansa, Germany’s leading airline, is no different. They also allow pets in the cabin, hold, and lounges. In the cabin, Lufthansa permits small dogs and cats up to 8kg (including the carrier), which is customary. 

It’s recommended that you make your pet reservation a minimum of 72 hours in advance, and the maximum carrier dimensions are 55 x 40 x 23 cm, slightly different from KLM. There’s one travel carrier per person in the cabin, but if your dogs or cats are small enough, two can fly simultaneously in a single carrier.

If your cat or dog is larger than the 8kg limit, your only choice is to check them into the air-conditioned (and climate-controlled) cargo compartment. The maximum number of pets that can accompany you in the hold on any given flight is 2.

In the cabin, pet fares with Lufthansa range from €50 to €110 (one-way) based on distance, and for the cargo hold, it’s €80 to €380, depending on both distance and the size of the animal.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines

SAS, the go-to airline of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, also has a flexible pet policy. Your travel kennel cannot exceed 40 x 25 x 23 cm in the cabin, and the usual 8kg weight limit applies. Up to 2 animals (as long as they’re the same species) can be taken aboard in a single carrier as long as they aren’t too heavy. With any pet in the cabin, reservations have to be made at least 24 hours before departure.

When you travel with larger dogs on this European airline, they have to go in the cargo hold, which is standard. However, the carrier and pet's combined weight can be as high as 150kg. Requirements depend on the size of your aircraft, so it’s always a good idea to check you meet the minimums. Otherwise, you may be refused, which would be hugely disappointing – for you and your furry travel partner.

The cost to fly with a cat or dog on SAS varies based on your route. For example, the one-way fee for domestic in-cabin travel is €55, and it goes up to €90 for use of the cargo hold. In cabin for Canada and the US is €99 each way, and the highest fees are for using the cargo hold on flights involving China – €725 (one way).

Have you had a flight cancelled recently?Regardless of whether or not you were travelling with a pet, compensation up to €600 could be an option.Check your eligibility now!

Other Factors to Consider

Some airlines have additional exceptions to pet policies that include things like:

• Certain breeds, such as snub-nosed dogs like bulldogs and pugs.
• Destinations. Some airlines only allow pets to travel separately from you as freight to countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, and Hong Kong.
• Limited numbers. Aside from the typical one pet (or sometimes one carrier) per person, a flight may limit the total number of pets in the cabin or cargo hold.
• Documentation requirements will differ whether you’re travelling between EU countries or to other international destinations. Double-check that you meet all the destination country’s requirements before booking.
• Connections. It’s not uncommon for airlines to prohibit pets if you have a long connection layover, whereas some (like Finnair) require a minimum of 3 hours connection time to transfer the pet safely.
• Age of the animal. Usually, any pet younger than 12 weeks is not permitted aboard.
• Your flight class. Some airlines don’t allow pets in Premium or Business Class seats, so watch out for that!
• Codeshares. Pets are often not allowed if you’re on a flight that’s a codeshare (shared with another airline). The same goes for connections made with different airlines.

European Airlines to Avoid When Travelling with Pets

Two airlines don’t allow pets at all: Ryanair and Wizz Air. Whether you want to travel with a pet in the cabin or in the baggage hold, you’re out of luck. These low-cost carriers aren’t big on extras, so it’s probably not all that surprising.

Summary of the Top 5 Pet-Friendly European Airlines

How AirAdvisor Can Help

Travelling with a pet inevitably creates additional stress on any journey, and if that stress increases because you encounter a flight disruption, we can help. We’ve claimed millions of euros in compensation for European travellers for flights delayed 3 hours or more. Plus, there are compensation regulations for cancelled flights and denied boarding, too. Contact us to start a stress-free claim as soon as you return home.

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Flying with Pets Doesn’t Have to Be a Headache

The EU has quite a few options for pet travel, which isn’t the case in other areas like the United Kingdom. Count yourself lucky that you have more than 10 choices when you need to bring your pet with you in the cabin or in the cargo hold. Wizz Air and Ryanair are the only airlines you need to avoid entirely. Otherwise, you and your pet will have an unforgettable European (or international) trip!

Author:

Amy Lancelotte

Job/Position: Senior Writer & Content Strategist

Amy Lancelotte is a Senior Content Writer and editorial contributor at AirAdvisor with over seven years of experience producing research-based articles for international audiences. Her work focuses on travel, aviation, and air passenger rights, with an emphasis on factual accuracy, verified data, and clear, reader-first explanations.

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