Air France Pet Policy: Cabin Limits, Hold Rules and Breed Bans

Hold travel

• Animals over the cabin limit travel in the hold, up to around 75 kg including the crate.
• An IATA-compliant crate is required — rigid, ventilated and lockable, big enough for the animal to stand, turn and lie down naturally.
• Hold travel is not available on some long-haul routes or on some connecting itineraries, which is worth confirming for your exact routing.
• Above 75 kg, unaccompanied animals, and some destinations go through cargo instead — the United Kingdom and South Africa are commonly cited as requiring it.

Booking it

• Add the pet to the booking in advance — commonly at least 24 hours before departure for the hold, and 48 hours recommended for the cabin. Earlier is better, since capacity per flight is limited.
• Confirm the cabin class on every leg at the same time.
• Weigh the animal in its carrier before you call, so the conversation starts in the right place.
• Check your breed's status explicitly rather than assuming.
• Get the confirmation in writing, and re-confirm if you change flights.

What the destination requires

• An ISO-compliant microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccination. Wrong order means the vaccination is redone and the timeline restarts.
• A current rabies vaccination with its waiting period observed.
• An EU pet passport or a health certificate, depending on where you are travelling from.
• A rabies titer test for some destinations, with laboratory lead time plus a further wait after the result.
• Tapeworm treatment inside a defined window for some destinations, including entry to the UK and Ireland for dogs.

Any dog entering the United States needs a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, must be at least six months old, must carry an ISO microchip and must appear healthy on arrival. The receipt is shown to the airline before boarding, so a missing one stops you at the departure gate in Europe rather than at US immigration.

A realistic timeline

• Six months out: confirm your breed is permitted and the destination's import rules. Microchip if needed, before the rabies vaccination.
• Five months out: rabies vaccination, then the waiting period.
• Four months out: titer test if required — the longest single item.
• Three months out: book the flights, checking the cabin class on each leg. Buy the carrier or crate.
• Two months out: acclimatise the animal to the carrier at home, left open with meals served inside.
• One month out: confirm the pet is on the booking for every leg, in writing.
• Two weeks out: health certificate appointment inside the destination's window, with endorsement if required.
• The final week: tapeworm treatment if required, documents assembled, CDC form for a dog entering the United States.
• The day before: trim nails, freeze the water dish for a hold crate, confirm the flight.

How the airport day actually goes

Before you leave. Give the animal a proper walk and the chance to relieve itself. Water up to the point you set off, then stop. Keep every document in one folder rather than spread across a phone and a bag.

At check-in. Arrive earlier than you would alone. A hold animal involves a crate inspection and paperwork; a cabin animal is quicker but still slower than travelling without one.

At security. The carrier is scanned and you carry the animal through. Fit the harness and lead at home rather than in the queue, because a frightened animal in an unfamiliar hall will try to get away from you.

On board. The carrier goes under the seat in front and stays closed. Most animals settle once the engines start, and a darker enclosed carrier helps more than an open one.

On arrival. Plan the first hour: water, a relief area, and somewhere quiet before any onward journey. For a hold animal, collection is at oversized baggage rather than the belt, and customs or veterinary checks may apply.

What can go wrong, and how to reduce the chance

• Booking long-haul Business with a cabin pet. Not possible — there is no under-seat space.
• Upgrading after booking, which can separate you from the animal.
• A banned breed. No route exists, so find out first.
• A snub-nosed breed booked into the hold. It will not be accepted.
• Combined weight over 8 kg. Weigh the carrier with the animal in it.
• A destination requiring cargo, discovered after booking.
• Microchip after rabies vaccination, which restarts everything.

Flights within France and to the overseas territories

The domestic picture is more generous than the international one, and it is worth separating the two because summaries routinely blur them.

• The minimum age is lower — around 8 weeks for flights within metropolitan France and to French overseas territories, against around 15 weeks internationally.
• The paperwork is lighter. Within the EU the pet passport covers most of what a health certificate does on an international journey.
• The overseas territories are not all the same. Some apply their own import conditions despite being French territory, so check the specific destination rather than assuming domestic rules travel with the flag.
• Cabin rules are unchanged — the same 8 kg combined limit and the same soft-sided carrier requirement apply.
• The breed bans still apply, because they are a matter of French law rather than route.

Questions to settle before you book

1. Is your dog's breed permitted? Settle this first — a Category 1 classification has no route around it.
2. What cabin is each leg in? Long-haul Business cannot take a pet.
3. What does the animal weigh in its soft-sided carrier?
4. Is the animal old enough for the route — around 15 weeks internationally, 8 domestically?
5. Does your destination require cargo rather than cabin or hold?
6. Has the longest piece of paperwork been started?

How Fond Travels can help

• We check your breed first, because a banned classification is not a routing problem and nothing else matters until it is settled.
• We check the cabin class on every leg, which is where otherwise careful bookings fail on this airline.
• We tell you when hold travel is unavailable on your routing, and what the cargo alternative involves.
• We work backwards from the destination's rules — microchip order, rabies timing, titer tests, tapeworm windows.
• We flag the US entry rules for dogs early, including the CDC form that stops people at the gate.
• We are reachable on the day, which matters when a flight is delayed and your animal is in a crate.

To plan a trip with a pet, call +1 (323) 800 6001. A travel expert answers any hour.