Flying with a pet
on Asiana Airlines.

1. Apply the policy to the right operator and date

Asiana’s notice published September 14, 2026 states that its flights departing on or after December 17, 2026 will use Korean Air flight numbers and be operated by Korean Air. The announcement schedules booking transfers during November and early December, with codeshare transfers December 7–9; those transfer dates may change.

The notice assigns Asiana Conditions of Carriage to flights through December 16 and Korean Air conditions from December 17, while preserving certain more-favorable Asiana clauses. It does not explain whether a particular pet approval, carrier exception or designated seat transfers. Our practical recommendation is to retain the original confirmation and obtain a fresh operator-specific answer after the new flight appears. This is a planning precaution, not an announced blanket cancellation of pet reservations.

Sources: Asiana: September 14 operating-carrier transition notice.

2. Get pet confirmation before relying on the itinerary

Contact Asiana Reservations early: 24 hours domestically or 48 hours internationally, counted on business days; weekends and holidays excluded. Advance confirmation is required. Ask about checked-pet eligibility before booking.

Give the reservation team the complete route, proposed dates, species, breed, age, animal weight, loaded-carrier weight and labeled length/width/height. Ask them to identify the operating carrier on every leg, including any flight sold with an Asiana number but operated by another airline. Record the answer separately for each animal rather than accepting a general statement that the route permits pets.

For a Monday departure or a holiday period, ask the office for the actual request deadline and time zone. Do not count backward using ordinary weekend clock hours. Retain the confirmation reference and the contact channel that can correct the pet request if your passenger booking changes.

Sources: Asiana: pet policy, booking, carriers and fees.

3. Compare the pet and carrier with cabin limits

Cabin: 7 kg combined; 45 cm long × 32 cm wide × 21 cm high. Soft fabric carriers can be 26 cm high if compressible to 21 cm. Dogs, cats and pet birds must be at least 16 weeks old.

Measure the carrier with the normal travel bedding inside and the animal in a comfortable posture. Ask for review of photographs if there is any doubt about frame rigidity, projecting handles or the animal’s fit. Buy a carrier that works for the entire itinerary rather than only the first flight. Cabin seat assignment needs particular attention in Business: obtain the airline’s placement instructions for the actual aircraft rather than expecting a standard under-seat position.

Sources: Asiana: pet policy, booking, carriers and fees.

4. Resolve hold loading, breed restrictions and group capacity

Hold: 45 kg combined, length + width + height ≤285 cm, height ≤84 cm. Some locations impose 32 kg. International A321 flights exclude checked pets; Air Busan codeshares do not provide Asiana pet checking. Short-nosed animals cannot travel checked. Sedated, pregnant and listed dangerous animals are excluded.

Each adult’s published allowance is one cabin pet and two checked pets, with limited carrier-sharing exceptions. We did not verify a single numerical flightwide quota. Have the airline confirm the breed against its full list and review each proposed shared carrier; never turn a sharing exception into permission for dogs and cats to share.

For multiple animals, decide whether the group must travel together before buying separate passenger tickets. Ask what happens if only some animals are accepted or an aircraft changes. Our brachycephalic-dog service considers cabin arrangements, not hold carriage.

Sources: Asiana: pet policy, booking, carriers and fees.

5. Read the fare table without assuming the whole-trip total

The current table lists domestic KRW 30,000 up to 32 kg; KRW 60,000 above 32 through 45 kg. Its US/Europe/Oceania row shows KRW 290,000 / USD 290 and KRW 590,000 / USD 590 for those respective bands. Overseas taxes may be additional.

These are published table examples checked October 14, not a live quotation or assurance of space. Ask how each direction, connection, currency and ticketing date affects your charge. The English regional table uses “Round-Trip” in some route labels; do not treat that wording as proof that one payment covers both journeys. Agree the amount and collection point with Reservations.

Keep passenger-ticket changes and pet-service changes as separate questions. We did not establish a universal pet-fee refund promise. Obtain the applicable answer before canceling, replacing the passenger ticket or accepting a reroute.

Sources: Asiana: pet policy, booking, carriers and fees · Asiana: Korean-language policy and fee table.

6. Organize documents, airport checks and onward travel

We recommend preparing a route worksheet that separates airline acceptance, departure export certification, transit approval and destination entry permission. Identify who issues each document, its validity dates and where the original must be presented. For Korean entry, the official embassy guidance points to APQA and notes additional requirements can depend on origin; do not assume a vaccination booklet alone settles import permission.

For US-bound dogs, use CDC’s current pathway based on vaccination location and the previous six months of travel. This assessment is separate from whether the airline accepts the dog in a particular carrier. A connection or recent stay in another country can matter even when the final flight originates in Korea.

Asiana’s airport procedure includes weighing, eligibility checks and payment. Contact the relevant quarantine office beforehand for current hours, especially with an early or late departure. Keep time for inspection, the check-in counter and the agreed handover. If your pet is checked, record the collection location and any onward connection procedure before leaving the counter.

Sources: Asiana: pet policy, booking, carriers and fees · Korean Embassy: bringing dogs and cats to Korea · CDC: choose the correct dog-entry pathway.

7. Keep cargo and service-dog requests on their own track

Asiana Cargo’s live-animal guidance distinguishes baggage eligibility from cargo preparation and identifies documents such as permits, a live-animal checklist and shipper certification. It is not evidence that a passenger pet request reserves freight. Ask the cargo office to confirm the current operator, accepted animal, booking party, route, lead time and terminal arrangements before paying for a shipment. We did not verify a universal public self-booking pathway or cargo notice period.

For a trained assistance dog, ask Reservations for the applicable service-dog procedure. On US-covered flights, DOT recognizes disability-task-trained dogs and permits its transport form plus a relief attestation for flights lasting eight hours or more. Emotional-support status alone does not qualify. Review the airline’s route-specific instructions and government entry conditions together; avoid treating a general service-dog age statement as permission to import a younger dog.

Sources: Asiana Cargo: live-animal preparation · Asiana: pet policy, booking, carriers and fees · US DOT: trained service dogs and permitted forms.

8. Know who handles a changed booking

Asiana’s separate September 16 notice gives December 16, 2026 KST as its Reservation Center’s last service date and December 17 KST as the start of Korean Air support. For transferred bookings, the September 14 notice directs changes and refunds to Asiana or the ticketing agency through December 16, then Korean Air or the agency from December 17.

Save the old and new booking references, pet confirmation, payment receipt and carrier details together. If the operator or flight number changes, ask the responsible office to verify the animal’s arrangement before travel. Send Pets Delivery Expert your route, dates, breed, age, weight and current booking information to request a complete transport proposal.

Sources: Asiana: September 16 support-transition notice · Asiana: September 14 operating-carrier transition notice.

Questions before you book

Related reading: Compare airline policies · Plan connections and handovers · Measure and prepare a carrier.

Official sources and scope

• Asiana: pet policy, booking, carriers and fees
• Asiana: Korean-language policy and fee table
• Asiana: September 14 operating-carrier transition notice
• Asiana: September 16 support-transition notice
• Asiana Cargo: live-animal preparation
• Korean Embassy: bringing dogs and cats to Korea
• CDC: choose the correct dog-entry pathway
• US DOT: trained service dogs and permitted forms

Official sources checked October 14, 2026. This independent guide separates published rules from route-planning recommendations. No live pet-space search, booking or individual animal acceptance was obtained.