> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://rochsociety.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Flying With a Dog on KLM: The 8 kg Cabin, the Hold and the UK Rule - URL: https://rochsociety.com/flying-with-a-dog-on-klm/ - Published: 2026-10-27T16:26:44.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-27T17:02:38.000Z - Description: KLM, the Dutch airline that connects much of the world through Amsterdam, flies dogs up to 8 kg in the cabin and up to 75 kg in the hold, but never below on its 787s, never on a connection of three hours or more, and never into the UK as baggage. - Author: Jennifer Nuttall - Tags: Travel A Labrador booked from Chicago to Nairobi through Amsterdam can be refused as baggage for a reason that has nothing to do with the dog: a connection of three hours or more. KLM, the Dutch national airline, runs one of Europe's great transfer hubs at Schiphol, and that single rule decides whether a large dog flies with you as baggage or goes by cargo. The rest of KLM's rules sit on its page on [booking a pet in the cabin or hold](https://www.klm.com/information/pets/reservation?ref=rochsociety.com), where the cabin limit is 8 kg and a cabin dog can be booked online through My Trip. ## The Cabin: 8 kg, Dog and Bag Together One cat or dog may fly in the cabin with you in Economy, or in Business on a flight within Europe. The dog travels in a closed bag or kennel no larger than 46 by 28 by 24 cm that sits under the seat in front, and the dog and bag together may weigh no more than 8 kg, about 17.6 lb. The dog must be able to stand and turn round inside, and stays in the bag for the whole flight, never on your lap. There is no cabin pet in Premium Comfort or in Business on intercontinental routes. Those seats leave no room for a bag under the seat in front. So a small dog crossing the Atlantic flies with you in Economy, or goes in the hold, which some breeds may not. ![A Yorkshire terrier looking out of a quilted carry sling on a city street](https://rochsociety.com/content/images/2026/10/flying-with-a-dog-on-klm-2.jpg) Photo by [Maxim Tolchinskiy](https://unsplash.com/@shaikhulud?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) ## The Hold for Larger Dogs A dog too big for the cabin can go in the hold, and you may bring up to three animals. Two adults of similar size may share one kennel if each weighs no more than 14 kg, as may up to three littermates under six months old. The dog and kennel together must stay under 75 kg, about 165 lb, and the kennel may measure no more than 122 by 81 by 89 cm, or 102 by 69 by 76 cm on European flights flown by Boeing 737 and Embraer aircraft. KLM's [preparation page](https://www.klm.com/information/pets/preparation?ref=rochsociety.com) sets out the kennel: it needs a rigid plastic or fibreglass shell, any two halves joined by bolts, wheels removed or taped up, and a door that locks at top and bottom. Two bowls, or one with two compartments, must be fixed in place and fillable from outside, and the floor needs a blanket or newspaper, never straw. The dog should stand without its head touching the roof. KLM recommends five days for the dog to get used to the kennel and a walk shortly before you leave, and allows nothing to eat or drink in the two hours before departure. It strongly advises against a tranquilliser, which can leave a dog's temperature falling in flight; our guide to [flying a dog in the hold](https://rochsociety.com/flying-a-dog-in-the-hold/) covers the rest. ## The Aircraft and the Connections That Rule a Dog Out No dog goes in the hold on KLM's Boeing 787-9, Boeing 787-10 or Airbus A321neo, nor on German Airways flights flown for KLM, and on flights marked KLC, the regional Cityhopper arm, none goes in the hold on a flight longer than two hours. Check the aircraft type before you book the dog. The connection rule is the one that catches people out. With a transfer of three hours or more, the dog cannot travel in the hold as your baggage and has to go through KLM's cargo arm. If you connect in Paris at Charles de Gaulle or Orly, the dog does not move on to your next flight by itself: you collect it with your bags and check both in again. Our guide to [flying with a dog on Air France](https://rochsociety.com/flying-with-a-dog-on-air-france/), KLM's sister airline, explains the Paris side. ## Snub-Nosed Breeds KLM does not carry most snub-nosed dogs in the hold, because heat and stress can leave them struggling to breathe. Its list reaches well past the pug: every boxer, bulldog, mastiff and Great Dane, the American Bully, Boston terrier, Cane Corso, Chow-Chow, Lhasa Apso, Pekingese, Shih Tzu, Shar Pei and Staffordshire bull terrier among them. It also names the Tibetan, Japanese, King Charles and, less expected, the English spaniel. These dogs may fly in the cabin within the 8 kg limit, or as cargo, and KLM asks you to call it if you think your dog is snub-nosed but missing from the list. Our guide to [travelling with a flat-faced dog](https://rochsociety.com/travelling-with-a-flat-faced-dog/) compares the other airlines. ## Flying Into the UK KLM flies no pets into the United Kingdom as passenger baggage, in the cabin or the hold, because of an embargo set by the UK government. Flying out of the UK with a dog is not restricted. The rule comes from [British law](https://www.gov.uk/bring-pet-to-great-britain/travel-routes-pets?ref=rochsociety.com), under which a pet arriving by plane must travel as cargo unless it is a guide or assistance dog or flies on a chartered private plane. [Air France KLM Cargo](https://www.afklcargo.com/WW/en/products%5Fand%5Fsolutions/live%5Fanimals?ref=rochsociety.com) books pets through forwarders listed by the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association. Our guide to [taking a dog from the US to the UK](https://rochsociety.com/us-to-uk-with-a-dog/) sets out the routes that let a dog travel with you. ![A blue KLM airliner parked at the gate, seen through a departure lounge window](https://rochsociety.com/content/images/2026/10/flying-with-a-dog-on-klm-3.jpg) Photo by [E Vos](https://unsplash.com/@ecvirl?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) ## Booking the Dog and the Day of the Flight Space for animals is limited and varies by aircraft and route, so add the dog as soon as you have booked your own seat, and no later than 48 hours before departure. A cabin dog can be added through My Trip on KLM's site, and KLM's Customer Contact Center will make a temporary booking with the dog, so you know you can travel together. The dog must be at least 15 weeks old and on the same flight as you. Print KLM's checklist, fill it in and sign it, one copy for a cabin dog and two for a dog in the hold, and take it to the special assistance desk, where the dog and its bag or kennel are weighed and labelled. Arrive at least three hours before departure, or two hours from an airport in Europe. Within the European Union a dog needs a microchip and a European pet passport, as our guide to [pet passports and health certificates](https://rochsociety.com/dog-passports-and-health-certificates/) explains. If a dog is refused for missing paperwork, KLM pays none of the costs. ## Flying to the United States For the United States, KLM asks for the [CDC Dog Import Form](https://www.cdc.gov/importation/dogs/?ref=rochsociety.com), completed before you travel and at least 15 days ahead for a dog between six and twelve months old, with a paper or digital receipt to show at the airport. The dog must be microchipped and at least six months old. Our guide to [taking a dog from the US to Europe](https://rochsociety.com/us-to-europe-with-a-dog/) covers the outward trip. ## What It Costs KLM puts the fee at between EUR 70 and EUR 500 for each one way flight. Its [schedule of fees](https://www.klm.com/information/legal/fees-paid-options?ref=rochsociety.com) prints the North American prices in full. Between the United States and Europe a cabin dog costs USD 225 and a dog in the hold USD 450; between the United States and the rest of the world the figures are USD 300 and USD 600\. From Canada the cabin is CAD 300 and the hold CAD 600 to Europe, and CAD 375 and CAD 750 to the rest of the world. So a small dog flying from New York to Amsterdam under the seat in front of you costs USD 225, and a Labrador in the hold from the United States to anywhere beyond Europe costs USD 600. ## The Big Dog on Your Own Flight KLM will still take a dog and its kennel of up to 75 kg across an ocean as checked baggage, on the same ticket and the same flight as you. Keep off the 787s and the A321neo, keep the change at Schiphol under three hours, and the big dog flies with you rather than as freight.