Flying with a pet
on Air France.

1. Match the booking to the operating airline

Air France’s passenger pet arrangements cover dogs and cats accompanying a responsible traveler. Acceptance must be explicit, and pets are charged separately from the normal baggage allowance. An Air France flight number can involve a different operating airline: obtain pet acceptance for each leg rather than extending one carrier’s approval across the itinerary.

Identify whether you need cabin travel, accompanied hold travel or a separately arranged cargo shipment before buying the passenger ticket.

Sources: Air France: general conditions of carriage · Air France: baggage on connecting flights.

2. Cabin travel requires a soft bag and comfortable fit

The cabin checklist sets a maximum 8 kg including the pet and 46 × 28 × 24 cm, length × width × height. Air France accepts soft-sided bags only. The bag must be waterproof, ventilated and closed; the animal needs room to stand, turn and lie down. Keep it contained from boarding until leaving the aircraft, and bring the signed checklist.

Air France’s published Canada/U.S. tariff allows one cabin pet per passenger and excludes ordinary pets from intercontinental Business. Air France’s upgrade terms also exclude an upgrade to long-haul Business with a cabin pet. Confirm the precise seat and cabin before changing your ticket; KLM’s Premium Comfort rule is not an Air France rule.

Sources: Air France: cabin-pet checklist (PDF) · Air France: published tariff, Rules 21 and 115 (PDF) · Air France: last-minute upgrade conditions.

3. Accompanied hold travel and crate checks

The live pet page places dogs and cats over 8 kg and up to 75 kg, including the container, in the hold, subject to acceptance. The tariff permits up to three hold animals per traveler, with aircraft limits and conditional shared-crate arrangements.

Air France’s linked hold form requires a hard-plastic or fiberglass crate, bolted halves, secured doors and an externally accessible open-topped bowl. Bottles and dispensers are excluded. It specifies headroom more than 5 cm above the standing head or ears. The pet must turn and lie comfortably. Check the complete form before buying; an “IATA-approved” sales label does not establish compliance.

The linked hold form says pets are not provided water during the journey until arrival at the destination, so it asks owners to ensure the animal has had enough to drink before check-in. Confirm the watering and collection plan for the full itinerary, particularly connections, with Air France and your veterinarian.

Sources: Air France: traveling with pets · Air France: published tariff, Rules 21 and 115 (PDF) · Air France: hold conditions and liability waiver (PDF).

4. Reserve early and resolve the notice requirements

The live page says to add a hold pet no later than 24 hours before departure; the published tariff states 48-hour advance arrangements. The U.S.-dog notice on the live page separately asks for 48 hours. Book early and have Air France confirm the applicable process for your journey.

Late airport acceptance is discretionary and can cost more. Do not treat it as a fallback reservation. Record the pet’s confirmation alongside the passenger booking and ask for a fresh check after an aircraft, cabin or routing change.

Sources: Air France: traveling with pets · Air France: published tariff, Rules 21 and 115 (PDF) · Air France: general conditions of carriage.

5. Plan for collecting and rechecking in Paris

The current hold waiver identifies Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly as airports where the traveler must collect the pet and check it in again. This can require entry into the transit country, including the traveler’s own immigration formalities.

Ask for a flight-specific connection plan covering collection, entry clearance, terminal or airport changes and the next pet check-in deadline. Do not borrow a minimum transfer time from a general baggage page or from KLM. A passenger ticket showing a valid connection does not establish that the animal can make it.

Sources: Air France: hold conditions and liability waiver (PDF) · Air France: baggage on connecting flights.

6. Age and breed checks come before buying

The published tariff gives a 15-week minimum for ordinary cabin and hold pets. Destination rules may require a later travel date.

Air France’s hold form excludes brachycephalic dogs and cats and French Category 1 and 2 dogs from ordinary hold acceptance. The tariff separately prohibits Category 1 transport and directs Category 2 enquiries to freight. These categories require an individual classification check; a casual breed-name match is insufficient.

Discuss fitness to fly with the veterinarian and obtain the airline’s breed assessment. A bigger crate or a cargo enquiry does not remove an exclusion.

Sources: Air France: published tariff, Rules 21 and 115 (PDF) · Air France: hold conditions and liability waiver (PDF).

7. Cargo has a separate acceptance process

Air France KLM Martinair Cargo offers Specialized Live PLUS and directs cat-and-dog customers to a freight forwarder. Its shared cargo service does not make Air France and KLM passenger pet policies interchangeable.

Ask the forwarder to confirm the route, species, breed, container, station capability and shipment quote. Treat passenger-baggage refusal as a reason for a new assessment, not evidence that cargo will accept the animal.

Sources: Air France KLM Martinair Cargo: Specialized Live PLUS · Air France KLM Martinair Cargo: live-animal network.

8. Separate airline checks, entry documents and price

Prepare the pet booking and signed airline forms alongside the government’s veterinary, entry and transit documents. Air France’s approval cannot substitute for government clearance. Use our country guides to organize that separate part of the journey.

Request a route-specific pet quote, including each direction, connections and any late-booking charge. Ask what happens to the pet payment if travel is changed or refused; this guide does not infer refund rights from ordinary baggage options.

Sources: Air France: general conditions of carriage · Air France: traveling with pets.

9. Trained service dogs use a separate process

Qualifying guide and service dogs travel in the cabin without a carriage fee. Air France generally recommends requesting assistance at least 48 hours ahead. The dog must be trained, controlled, harnessed and safely accommodated without blocking aisles or exits. A certificate alone does not create service-dog eligibility.

For non-U.S. routes, the dedicated page requests training evidence and identification details. Check each connecting leg. For U.S. routes, use the airline’s dedicated DOT-document process rather than assuming the non-U.S. certificate requirement applies.

UK notice differs across Air France pages: the dedicated service-dog page says 48 hours for travel to the UK; the general pet page says 96 hours for travel from or to the UK. Request review early enough for the longer notice and obtain written confirmation. The dedicated page also has route-specific training requirements. UAE journeys require 96-hour advance contact.

Sources: Air France: guide and service dogs · Air France: traveling with pets.

10. U.S. service-dog forms and import rules

U.S. DOT rules cover dogs individually trained for disability-related work, including psychiatric tasks; emotional support alone is insufficient. DOT permits its transport form and, for flight segments scheduled to take eight hours or more, its relief attestation. Additional documentation is limited to applicable government animal-transport requirements.

Air France’s page lists both DOT forms for U.S. travel. Check the forms appropriate to the flight. For reservations made less than 48 hours before the itinerary’s first originally scheduled departure, the regulation permits required forms to be presented at the departure gate on the travel date. If advance notice is missed, the airline must provide the accommodation when reasonable efforts can do so without delaying the flight. Neither airline paperwork nor assistance status removes animal-entry requirements.

For U.S. entry, consult CDC’s current pathway, including the six-month minimum age, microchip and Dog Import Form receipt, with additional conditions depending on the dog’s recent countries and vaccination history.

Sources: U.S. DOT: service animals · 14 CFR 382.75: service-animal forms and notice · Air France: guide and service dogs · CDC: dog-import requirements and questions.

Prepare a route review

Send departure and arrival cities, travel dates, every operating carrier, breed, age, weight and body measurements, plus the bag or crate dimensions and loaded weight. Include any existing pet approval and explain who will accompany the animal.

Request a route and quote for help preparing the route, container information, documents and agreed handovers. Keep acceptance decisions with the airline and relevant authorities.

Questions before you book

Related reading: Airline pet travel guides · Carrier fit and preparation · Pet shipping cost guide · Country entry guides.

Official sources and scope

• Air France: traveling with pets
• Air France: cabin-pet checklist (PDF)
• Air France: hold conditions and liability waiver (PDF)
• Air France: published tariff, Rules 21 and 115 (PDF)
• Air France: general conditions of carriage
• Air France: baggage on connecting flights
• Air France: guide and service dogs
• Air France: last-minute upgrade conditions
• Air France KLM Martinair Cargo: Specialized Live PLUS
• Air France KLM Martinair Cargo: live-animal network
• U.S. DOT: service animals
• 14 CFR 382.75: service-animal forms and notice
• CDC: dog-import requirements and questions

Official sources checked October 11, 2026. Confirm the operating airline, animal, container and every flight before payment; published limits do not reserve space. Material source differences are identified above.