Air India Pet Policy: Cabin, Hold and the Booking Restrictions

Flat-faced breeds

Brachycephalic breeds — snub-nosed or flat-faced dogs and cats — are not carried in the cargo compartment, because of the well-documented breathing risk. The airline's own guidance goes further than most and suggests consulting a vet before flying one of these breeds even in the cabin.

That is sound advice rather than a formality. For a flat-faced animal the questions worth asking your vet are whether it should fly at all, whether the route length is reasonable, and whether there is a time of year that would be safer.

Ages and in-flight conditions

• At least 8 weeks to travel in the cabin.
• At least 3 months to travel in the hold as checked baggage.
• Pregnant animals are not accepted.
• Dogs must be muzzled and on a leash in flight, which is unusual and worth preparing the animal for well in advance — a dog that has never worn a muzzle will not accept one for the first time at an airport.

Booking it, and the deadline that is not settled

The airline's own pages give different booking windows — one says to book at least 72 hours before departure for a cabin pet, another indicates up to 48 hours. Third-party pages give shorter figures still.

Work to the longest published figure and book earlier than that. The constraint is capacity as much as notice: only a small number of animals travel in the cabin per flight, and once booked, charges are generally not refundable.

• Book by phone or through your agent, since approval is required rather than automatic.
• Have the animal's weight with its container before you call.
• Confirm every leg is operated by the airline itself.
• Confirm the itinerary is not multi-city.
• Get the confirmation in writing.

Travelling to the UK and beyond

For travel to the United Kingdom, a consent form signed by both parents is required for any passenger under 18 travelling without a parent or guardian — which matters when the trip involves both a young traveller and an animal.

For the animal itself, the destination's import rules are the longer half of the problem:

• An ISO-compliant microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccination.
• A current rabies vaccination with its waiting period observed.
• A rabies titer test for many destinations, with its own laboratory lead time.
• A health certificate inside a short window, often needing government endorsement.
• An import permit for some countries, and booked quarantine for a few.
• Cargo-only destinations, including the UK and Ireland, where animals must arrive as freight rather than in the cabin or as accompanied baggage.

Any dog entering the United States needs a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, must be at least six months old, must have an ISO microchip and must appear healthy on arrival. Dogs that have been in a high-risk rabies country in the previous six months face additional requirements. The receipt is shown before boarding.

A realistic timeline

• Six months out: confirm the destination's rules and whether your breed should fly at all. 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: design the itinerary without multi-city sectors and book it. Buy the carrier or crate.
• Two months out: acclimatise the animal to the container, and to a muzzle and leash if it will travel in the cabin.
• One month out: apply for import permits; confirm the pet is on every leg in writing.
• Two weeks out: health certificate appointment inside the window, with endorsement arranged.
• The final week: documents assembled, crate labelled, CDC form completed for a dog entering the United States.
• The day before: trim nails, freeze the water dish for a hold crate, confirm the booking.

How the airport day actually goes

Before you leave. Walk the animal properly and give it the chance to relieve itself. Water up to the point you set off, then stop. Keep documents in one folder.

At check-in. Arrive well ahead. On these routes document checks are thorough and a pet booking adds paperwork to an already slow process.

At security. A cabin animal comes out while the carrier is scanned, and you carry it through. Fit the harness at home, and if a muzzle is required have the animal already comfortable in it.

On board. The carrier goes under the seat in front and stays closed. Most animals settle once the engines start.

On arrival. Plan the first hour: water, a relief area, somewhere quiet. For a hold animal, collection is at oversized baggage and customs or veterinary clearance may apply.

What can go wrong, and how to reduce the chance

• A multi-city itinerary. Cannot be booked with a pet — design around it from the start.
• A codeshare leg. The assistance does not apply, and one leg can sink the whole trip.
• A flat-faced breed booked into the hold. Not carried.
• A dog that has never worn a muzzle. Required in flight, and the airport is the wrong place to introduce it.
• Working to the shortest published booking window. Use the longest and book earlier.
• A cargo-only destination discovered after booking.
• A dog under six months, or no CDC receipt, flying into the US.

Getting a dog used to a muzzle and leash

The in-flight muzzle requirement is unusual among airlines, and it is the one preparation step that cannot be done at the airport. A dog meeting a muzzle for the first time in a crowded terminal will fight it, and that is a bad start to a long flight.

• Start at least a month ahead, and ideally longer for an anxious dog.
• Choose a basket-style muzzle that allows panting and drinking, rather than a close-fitting one. A dog that cannot pant cannot regulate its temperature.
• Introduce it in stages: let the dog sniff it, feed treats through it, then fasten it for seconds at a time, building up slowly.
• Never use it as a punishment or put it on only before something the dog dislikes — it has to be neutral or positive.
• Practise wearing it in public, on walks, before the travel day.
• Check the fit against the airline's requirement, and carry a spare in case a strap fails.

Questions to settle before you book

1. Is the itinerary multi-city? If so it cannot carry a pet, and the trip needs redesigning.
2. Is every leg operated by the airline itself, rather than a codeshare partner?
3. What does the animal weigh with its container? That decides cabin, hold or cargo.
4. Is your dog flat-faced? If so, the hold is closed and a vet conversation comes first.
5. Is your dog comfortable in a muzzle and on a leash?
6. Does the destination require cargo rather than cabin or hold?

How Fond Travels can help

• We design the itinerary around the multi-city restriction, which is the booking rule nobody warns you about.
• We confirm every leg is operated by the airline itself, since codeshare flights are excluded.
• We work out which of the three routes applies to your animal's weight, so you are not reading cabin rules for a hold booking.
• We raise the flat-faced breed question early, including whether the animal should be flying at all.
• We work backwards from the destination's import rules, which on these routes are the long pole.
• 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.