Flying With a Dog on Air France: Cabin, Hold, the Snub-Nose Ban and the Business Class Rule

On Air France a small pug can fly from Paris to New York at your feet, but not if you have booked Business. Pets are barred from long-haul Business and sent to the hold, where snub-nosed dogs are barred too. This guide comes from Air France's own page on travelling with pets and its two forms, read in October 2026.

The Cabin: 8 kg, Dog and Bag Together

A dog may fly in the cabin if dog and carrier together weigh no more than 8 kg, about 17.6 lb. The bag must be soft sided, closed, waterproof and ventilated, no larger than 46 by 28 by 24 cm, and fit under the seat in front, with room for the dog to stand and turn round; it stays zipped for the whole flight. Each passenger may bring one animal in the cabin, one animal to a bag, and the carrier counts as an extra piece of baggage with its own fee.

The dog must be at least 15 weeks old and up to date on its vaccines, or 8 weeks old on flights within mainland France and to Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion. Add it to your booking no later than 48 hours before departure, then fill in and sign the Air France KLM cabin checklist and hand it over at the check-in counter, where you should arrive three hours before an intercontinental flight and two hours before a flight within France or Europe.

The Business Class Rule

Air France keeps pets out of the Business cabin on intercontinental flights and says, for the dog's own safety, that it must travel in the hold. For a pug, a French bulldog or any other breed on the snub-nosed list that is a dead end, because those dogs are not allowed in the hold either, so a flat-faced dog crossing an ocean has to fly with you in another cabin.

The Hold for Larger Dogs

Dogs between 8 and 75 kg, about 165 lb, including the kennel, must fly in the hold. Each passenger may check in up to three animals, a number the aircraft type can lower. Add the dog when you book, and no later than 24 hours before departure; after that the airport may still accept it, at a surcharge of 50% on flights within mainland France and the Caribbean and 25% on international flights.

The kennel rules sit in the liability waiver and its appendix, which you print, sign and show at check-in. The kennel must be rigid plastic or fibreglass with its two halves bolted together, a door that locks at top and bottom, and wheels removed or taped. A bowl fixed to the door must be fillable from outside, since water bottles are banned, and the dog gets no water until arrival, so let it drink well before check-in. The roof must clear the standing dog's head or ears by more than 5 cm. Use a blanket, never straw, leave out the lead and muzzle, and do not sedate: a tranquillised dog is refused. A kennel marked IATA approved must still meet each point; Air France sells compliant ones through Air France Shopping, and our guide to flying a dog in the hold covers the rest.

Changing Planes in Paris

With a dog in the hold you cannot check in online if your journey has a connection. At Charles de Gaulle and Orly you collect the dog, check it in again at the counter and pass back through security. Air France asks for at least 4 hours 30 minutes between flights at Charles de Gaulle, 3 hours at Orly and 2 hours elsewhere.

Snub-Nosed Breeds

Air France does not carry snub-nosed dogs in the hold, and its list of breeds runs well beyond the obvious. Beside pugs, bulldogs of every kind, boxers and the Shih Tzu, it names the Great Dane, the Cane Corso, every mastiff, the Shar Pei and the Staffordshire bull terrier. They may fly in the cabin within 8 kg, after a word with your vet, Air France suggests. Boxers, Pekingese and Shih Tzus too heavy for the cabin can still go by cargo through a specialist shipper, but since 15 July 2019 pugs, bulldogs and Boston terriers have not been accepted as cargo either. Our guide to travelling with a flat-faced dog compares the other airlines.

Dogs Air France Will Not Carry

Air France follows the French law that sorts certain dogs into two categories. Category 1 dogs, unpedigreed dogs resembling the Staffordshire terrier, the American Staffordshire terrier, the Boerboel or the Tosa, cannot fly in the cabin, the hold or as cargo. Category 2 dogs, meaning pedigree Staffordshire terriers, American Staffordshire terriers and Tosas, and Rottweiler-type dogs with or without a pedigree, fly only on Air France cargo flights in an approved kennel, ideally through a shipper approved by Air France KLM Cargo. A dog that merely looks like one needs a vet's certificate saying it is not, or it will be refused. Our guide to banned and restricted breeds by country explains the laws.

What It Costs

The fee is a flat amount per carrier or kennel, one way, paid online or at the airport, and a connecting journey is priced on departure country and final destination. It is charged in euros from Europe, Canadian dollars from Canada and US dollars from everywhere else.

Within mainland France the cabin costs EUR 70 and the hold EUR 100. Within Europe, between Europe and North Africa, within the Caribbean and between mainland France and Cayenne, Fort-de-France, Pointe-à-Pitre or Réunion, the cabin is EUR 125 and the hold EUR 200. Between the United States or Canada and Europe, Cayenne, Fort-de-France, Pointe-à-Pitre, Réunion, Nouméa or Tel Aviv, the cabin is 200 and the hold 600, while between the United States or Canada and the rest of the world it is 250 and 750. Every other route costs EUR 200 in the cabin and EUR 400 in the hold. So a small dog flying New York to Paris in the cabin costs USD 200 one way, and a Labrador in the hold costs USD 600.

The UK and the United States

Air France carries pets to the United Kingdom, Dubai and Abu Dhabi only as cargo, as British law requires of any pet arriving by plane other than an assistance dog or one on a private charter. Our guide to taking a dog from the US to the UK sets out the alternatives. For the United States Air France asks you to make the booking request 48 hours ahead and points you to the CDC dog import rules: a dog that has spent the previous six months in a high risk rabies country is no longer allowed in without special authorisation from the US health authorities, and any rerouting or boarding costs that follow fall on you. Within the European Union a dog needs a microchip and a European pet passport, as our guide to pet passports and health certificates explains.

Refusals and the Lounge

If your dog is refused at check-in for breaking these rules, or turned away on arrival for missing paperwork, Air France pays none of the costs and the waiver adds that your own seat may be refused unless you arrange the dog's care yourself. Once through, dogs are welcome in Air France lounges, kept in their carrier. Our guides to training your dog to travel and taking a dog from the US to Europe cover the rest.

A Closing Thought

Air France flies dogs up to 75 kg on an ordinary ticket and prints every fee on its own page, so it is easy to plan around. Weigh the dog in a soft bag, check the breed list before anything else, keep out of long-haul Business if the dog is flying with you, and leave four and a half hours to change planes at Charles de Gaulle.