Sarah and I love travelling, but the guilt of leaving Latte in Singapore while we enjoyed ourselves abroad was hard to bear. We were, unfortunately, unable to bring Latte overseas with us before she passed. Nonetheless, our chat with Happy The Travel Dog made us realise that this dream is very possible.
Post Covid, we are seeing more and more pet parents in Singapore bring their pets abroad for a holiday. However, not everyone feels that it's safe or humane letting their dog fly alone in the cargo hold. What's more, Singapore Airlines has stopped allowing dogs to fly in Business Class under the pretext of being Emotional Support Animals.
If you are planning to travel with your dog in the cabin, these are dog-friendly airlines that currently allow it.
Editor's note: There are other airlines in Europe or the US that allow pets in cabins. We have focused on airlines that depart from Changi Airport, Singapore.
Jump to any of these dog-friendly airlines for cabin travel:
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Lufthansa
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SWISS Air
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Delta Air Lines
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Air France
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Turkish Airlines
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Finnair
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KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
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United Airlines
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Korean Air
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Asiana Airlines
Lufthansa
You probably heard of Lufthansa and maybe even flown with them to Europe before. Did you see anyone with a dog or a cat onboard?
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Number of pets allowed: 2
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Weight limit: 8 kg, inclusive of the carrier
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Carrier type and size: Soft case carrier not exceeding 118cm - 55 x 40 x 23cm (L x W x H)
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Price for transporting your dog from Singapore: Starts from 110 €
More details on bringing your pet in the cabin with Lufthansa here.
SWISS Air
Switzerland is one of the few countries in the world where we can bring our dogs to, without having to quarantine them when we return to Singapore. Anecdotal evidence suggests that SWISS Air is a popular airline among Singaporeans who have travelled with their dogs.
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Number of pets allowed: 2
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Weight limit: 8 kg, inclusive of the carrier
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Carrier type and size: Soft case carrier not exceeding 118cm - 55 x 40 x 23cm (L x W x H)
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Price for transporting your dog from Singapore may depend on your destination
More details on SWISS Air’s pet transportation policy here.
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines lets you bring onboard your dog, cat or even pet bird! Their policy isn’t as specific as the European carriers that we’ve looked at and will require you to contact their reservations office to find out more about weight and size restrictions for pet travel.
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Number of pets allowed: 1, except in cases of puppies where 2 can fit into the same carrier
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Weight limit: Not mentioned
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Carrier type and size: Dependent on the aircraft and will require you to contact Delta Reservations. However, they do recommend a soft-side kennel with maximum dimensions of 18” x 11” x 11”.
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Price for transporting your dog from Singapore: USD 200 one-way
Find out more about transporting your dog with Delta here.
Air France
France is known to be incredibly dog-friendly. You’ll often find dogs with their humans in restaurants and cafes, in the Metro, at parks, and even at historic sites and some tourist attractions! So it’s no wonder that Air France welcomes you to bring your dog along on your vacation.
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Number of pets allowed: 1
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Weight limit: 8 kg, inclusive of the carrier
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Flying in the cabin of Business Class on intercontinental flights is not allowed
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Carrier type and size: Soft case carrier recommended, not exceeding 46 x 28 x 24 cm (L x W x H)
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Price for transporting your dog from Singapore: USD 200 one-way
Keen to take Air France with your dog? Find out more here.
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines is well-known for its food and hospitality. We took a domestic flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia and were pleasantly surprised by the service, even on a 1-hour long flight. In the Istanbul International Airport, we spotted a pet toilet - a spacious room with several pee trays and water bowls. It's obvious that they take care of pets just as well as they do with people!
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Number of pets allowed: 1 cage / carrier per passenger
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Weight limit: 8 kg, inclusive of the carrier
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Carrier type and size: Soft case carrier not exceeding 40 cm x 30 cm x 23 cm (L x W x H)
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Price for transporting your dog from Singapore: 185 USD (See price tables here)
Do note that Turkey is NOT a country that you can bring your dog to without having to face quarantine upon returning. Find out more about the requirements for bringing your pet with Turkish Airlines here.
Finnair
We’ve flown Finnair before and loved the experience. Thus, it’s easy to imagine that bringing a dog along with us on Finnair would be equally enjoyable. Finnair allows not just dogs, but also small cats, rabbits, and rodents in the cabin. The dimensions for a pet carrier follow the allowable size of a normal carry-on bag.
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Number of pets allowed: 2
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Weight limit: 8 kg, inclusive of the carrier
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Carrier type and size: Soft case carrier not exceeding 55 cm x 40 cm x 23 cm (L x W x H)
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Price for transporting your dog from Singapore: USD 100 one-way
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Flying Business Class with your pets on long-haul flights is not allowed
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Easily add on transportation for your pet when booking your flights online via the 'Pet in Cabin' option in the Travel Extras step.
Sweden and Norway are Scandinavian countries you can bring your dog to without having to face quarantine upon returning. Find out more about the requirements for bringing your pet with Finnair here and here.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is well-known for pet travel and we have read a few good reviews about people’s experiences in this area. If your pet is travelling as cargo and the transfer at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is more than 2 hours, your dog will be taken to the Animal Hotel for a walk and given something to eat and drink. This service is chargeable at USD 200, but it is still nice that they have such a service. With KLM, it’s also possible to take your dog on most Business Class flights within Europe.
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Number of pets allowed: 1
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Weight limit: 8 kg, inclusive of the carrier
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Carrier type and size: Soft case carrier not exceeding 46 x 28 x 24 cm (L x W x H)
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Price for transporting your dog: EUR 75 to EUR 400 applies, depending on the destination
Sounds good? Find out more here.
United Airlines
United Airlines allows you to bring your dog in the cabin using either a hard or a soft case carrier. However, there’s more leeway with the dimensions for soft case carriers as they may be compressed to fit underneath a seat.
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Number of pets allowed: 1 per adult, with up to 6 pets allowed in Economy, depending on aircraft
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Weight limit: Not specified
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Carrier type and size: Hard case carrier not exceeding 44 x 30 x 19 cm or soft case carrier not exceeding 45 x 27 x 27 cm (L x W x H)
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Price for transporting your dog from Singapore: USD 125 one-way
You can learn more about making a reservation and travelling with pets on United Airlines here.
Korean Air
It almost looked like none of the Asian airlines were pet-friendly, until we heard of Singaporean dog owners using Korean Air to bring their pups to Hawaii and Tokyo. It makes sense though - Koreans love to bring their pets everywhere, and they make the best pet carriers for travelling within the country and abroad.
Another thing we love about the service is the SKYPETS programme, a loyalty programme for SKYPASS members who bring their pet travelling. The programme lets your pet collect stamps each time they fly with you. Use these stamps to redeem for discounted or free flights for your pets.
We would definitely feel comfortable using Korean Air, but the 7kg weight limit (carrier weight included) means that Latte may not be able to meet the criteria.
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Number of pets allowed: Maximum 1 pet or 2 puppies of the same breed and under 6 months of age in the cabin
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Weight limit: 7kg, inclusive of the carrier
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Carrier type and size: Soft case pet carriers not exceeding 45 x 32 x 25 cm (L x W x H)
If transiting in Seoul sounds like a plan, find out more about Korean Air’s pet policy here.
Asiana Airlines
The criteria for pet travel in the Asiana Airline cabin is identical to the Korean Air criteria above. However, unlike most of the airlines mentioned here, Asiana’s policy implies that letting your pets travel in the business class cabin is possible, as long as they are brought elsewhere during taxi, take-off, and landing.
“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.”
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Number of pets allowed: Maximum 1 pet or 2 puppies under 6 months of age in the cabin
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Weight limit: 7kg, inclusive of the carrier
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Carrier type and size: Soft case pet carriers not exceeding 115cm in total. Height of the soft case should be 26cm or less
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Price for transporting your dog from Singapore: USD 170 - 210 one-way
If Asiana Airlines happens to be your choice, find out more about their pet travel policy here.
Some things to take note of:
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Always book directly with the airline instead of an aggregator if you intend to travel with your pets. Pet travel policies may change from time to time.
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Inform the airline's customer service centre as early as possible about your intention to travel with your pet, as there are limits to the number of pets allowed in the cabin. It might be prudent to use airlines (such as Finnair) that allow booking of your pet's 'seat' when you are booking your flight online, or simply call the contact centre to book everything together.
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Prepare a pet-friendly travel kit for your pup, consisting of a suitable carrier, collapsible water bowl, harness and leash, treats, poop bags, pee pads, diapers/belly bands, and a favourite toy or blanket.
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Make sure to check for country-specific requirements and documents prior to booking your flight, including countries that you might be transiting through. Some countries may have strict rules around allowing pets into the country or may result in your pet having to quarantine upon returning to Singapore.
Navigating the regulations and requirements for pet travel can be confusing and stressful, but with advance and careful planning, we can have an enjoyable and stress-free trip with our pups! Where will you be bringing your pup to? Let us know in the comments!
