Prepare animal travel
with Discover Airlines.

Start with the operating airline

Check who operates every sector, including any Lufthansa-marketed flight. Use this guide for Discover-operated travel; obtain separate acceptance from connecting operators. A ticket or codeshare flight number does not reserve animal space. Record the route, aircraft, dates, species, breed, age, animal weight, loaded-carrier weight and external dimensions before requesting confirmation.

Ask for the accepted arrangement and charges in writing before making non-refundable commitments. Reconfirm after changes to the operator, aircraft or itinerary. Keep airline acceptance, border requirements and veterinary fitness as separate checks.

Registration, deadlines and contacts

The general policy gives deadlines of 72 hours through online/travel-agency channels, 24 hours through the Service Center, and 48 hours for assistance dogs. Apply early; a deadline does not guarantee availability.

Cabin requests can use My bookings, the Service Center or the online form; the electronic form is mandatory for dogs entering the United States.

The cabin form requires separate registration for each animal and returns an email acceptance decision. Successful bookings are paid at airport check-in.

Service Center: Germany +49 (0)69 86 798 200, 08:00–22:00 CET; USA +1 (833)737 1414, 08:00–22:00 EST, as published. Have the booking code or ticket number ready.

The hold page itself says 72 hours, while the hold checklist also permits the 24-hour telephone channel. If already within 72 hours, ask the Service Center whether it can confirm your specific flight; do not assume a late request is accepted.

Cabin bag, weight and welfare

Ordinary cabin pets are dogs and cats.

The cabin checklist limits the animal and soft bag together to 8 kg, with dimensions 55 × 40 × 23 cm. The animal must be able to sit, stand, turn and lie naturally. Use a ventilated, leak-proof, escape-proof bag; keep it closed in the footspace throughout the flight. Meeting the weight limit alone is insufficient.

Bring the completed cabin PDF to check-in. Discover exempts assistance dogs on direct U.S. flights from this particular form.

The general minimum is 12 weeks, increasing to 15 weeks to/from/via Germany; dogs entering the USA need six months. Pregnant animals are excluded. Government requirements can be stricter.

The cabin table instead says six months to/from the USA without distinguishing species. Clarify the age rule for cats and U.S. departures.

Passenger limits are not aircraft quotas

The published passenger maximum is two animals: two of the same species together in one cabin bag; one cabin plus one hold animal; or two hold animals in one shared or two separate crates. Shared crates require same-species animals: two familiar, comparably sized adults, each at most 14 kg, or two weaned littermates no older than six months, each at most 14 kg. The cabin’s combined 8 kg ceiling still applies.

The hold registration form additionally mentions a mother with one puppy/kitten, while the general page describes weaned littermates. Confirm that particular arrangement rather than assuming an exception to age or welfare requirements.

No numeric aircraft-wide cabin or hold quota was found in the reviewed public policies. Ask for remaining spaces on the actual aircraft, whether dogs and cats can share that flight, and each shared-carrier arrangement. The two-animal passenger allowance does not establish a two-animal flight limit or permit a cat and dog in one carrier.

Cabin restrictions depend on direction

Ordinary cabin pets are excluded both ways for Reykjavik, Savonlinna, Shannon and Malé; also on flights to Mauritius, Mahé and the United Kingdom. Ordinary dogs entering the USA are limited to Philadelphia; cats may enter on all Discover U.S. flights. Entry to Alta, Bodø and Evenes is limited to animals from the EU/EEA.

The cabin registration form states a military/government-fare exception for dogs entering other U.S. airports, subject to all remaining requirements. Obtain confirmation that your actual fare qualifies.

Service dogs have a separate process. Do not extend an ordinary-pet embargo, a fare exception or a U.S.-bound rule automatically to service dogs, the return direction or another carrier. Ask about every sector.

Checked hold: direct A320 flights only

Checked-hold pets travel as excess baggage, limited to Discover-operated direct A320 short/medium-haul flights to/from Frankfurt or Munich, without connections. All long-haul flights are excluded. The main page also excludes Bristol, Chania, Djerba, Glasgow, Hurghada, Inverness, Ivalo, Kalamata, Kefalonia, Keflavík, Madeira, Monastir, Samos, Savonlinna, Shannon, Skiathos and Zakynthos. Alta, Bodø and Evenes retain the EU/EEA-origin restriction.

The hold registration page additionally prohibits departures from Belgrade while allowing flights to Belgrade. Its exclusion list differs from the main page. Resolve the exact airport and direction with Discover before booking.

That form lists carrier options of 60 × 45 × 40 cm / 4 kg and 125 × 75 × 85 cm / 22 kg under carrier dimensions/weight. It does not clearly define these as loaded-weight limits. Ask for the accepted external dimensions, empty-crate weight and maximum animal-plus-crate weight; do not treat 22 kg as a verified combined allowance.

Prepare the hold crate and airport handover

The hold rules require an IATA-compliant crate with metal-screwed halves, four-sided ventilation and a waterproof floor. Remove or disable wheels. Read the full construction rules before buying.

The checklist requires natural standing/movement space, absorbent bedding, and fixed food/water bowls fillable from outside. Remove leads, harnesses, muzzles and other strangulation hazards from the animal before handover. Bring booking confirmation and veterinary/official documents to staffed check-in at least two hours before departure; for Frankfurt, arrive at least three hours ahead.

Extreme destination weather can cause short-notice or seasonal hold refusal. Discuss fitness, feeding and any medication with your veterinarian.

Breed restrictions contain an unresolved conflict

Discover’s breed page excludes listed snub-nosed breeds and crosses from the hold but permits conditional cabin carriage. Its cabin registration form instead prohibits snub-nosed cats and dogs in the cabin. Obtain written clarification for the exact breed/cross before relying on either statement.

The breed page also gives special secured-crate requirements for designated fighting-dog breeds, a 3–6-month young-dog exception, and overlapping exclusions for some breeds. American Bully is described as generally prohibited. Check the full breed list; a general young-dog or crate exception does not resolve every breed-specific ban. Government breed restrictions need a separate check.

Confirm the complete price

Cabin fees depend on route.

Hold fees depend on route and crate size, apply per direction and are paid at airport check-in/service desk. Return travel is charged again. The hold page’s stopover-fee wording does not override its no-connections restriction.

Request the currency, taxes, each accepted sector, payment method and change/refund conditions in one quotation. No price in a policy page proves that your animal can travel on the selected itinerary.

Service dogs: registration and training evidence

Recognised assistance dogs travel free. Contact the Medical Operation Center: specialservices.discover-airlines@lufthansa-group.com; +49 (0)69 696 55077. Send breed, weight, age, trained tasks and forms at least 48 hours ahead.

For connections/non-U.S. flights, Discover requests a specialist trainer/facility certificate identifying trainer/address, task, training content and duration, or an ADI/ADEu/IGDF-accredited school’s certificate. It rejects independent training and online training portals. Bring two completed, signed cabin forms. Acceptance follows medical review.

This is route-specific evidence, not a universal certification system. A vest, bought certificate or obedience training alone should not be treated as proof of disability-task training. Discuss the entire connecting itinerary before committing to it.

Floor space, control and muzzle

The cabin checklist places a service dog on the floor in the passenger’s footspace, leashed and off passenger seats, preferably wearing a harness. Obedient public behavior is required; safety-related noncompliance can lead to refusal.

Discover supplies an animal belt attached to the seatbelt. Bring a muzzle except to/from the U.S./Canada, where it is recommended; head collars do not qualify. A safety risk can trigger muzzling or refusal.

On U.S.-covered flights, keep aisles and emergency access clear. DOT permits refusal for a direct threat, significant disruption, unsafe accommodation, health-rule violations or missing required forms. Ask about safe seating and relief arrangements well ahead.

Nonstop U.S. flights and DOT forms

Discover permits two service dogs per passenger on nonstop U.S. flights and requests DOT forms dated on/after ticket purchase. Confirm the count elsewhere. It excludes emotional-support animals from its service-animal category.

Under U.S. rules, individually trained disability-task dogs include psychiatric service dogs; emotional support, companionship, other species and dogs still in training do not qualify. DOT allows the Air Transportation Form and, for flights of eight hours or more, Relief Attestation. Other service-animal documentation cannot be required except government animal-transport requirements.

Use the current DOT form and instructions and relief form. DOT accepts owner-training: supply the handler’s details if they trained the dog; no training certificate is required. For bookings made more than 48 hours ahead, advance forms may be required. Bookings within 48 hours must allow gate submission; missed advance submission requires reasonable accommodation efforts.

Discover’s page lists both DOT forms without stating the eight-hour relief threshold. Clarify this against DOT’s rule rather than assume every segment needs a relief form.

The airline’s non-U.S. connection requirements should not be applied automatically to the nonstop U.S. sector. Obtain a sector-by-sector decision; U.S. recognition does not settle another country’s rules.

Canada has a separate accessibility framework

The Canadian Transportation Agency guide recognizes disability-task training by a specialist organization or individual, with trainer-issued documentation. It describes advance notice of 48–96 hours and reasonable efforts for late requests. Confirm Discover’s Canada-specific assessment, sufficient floor space and any charge for an extra seat on international travel.

Canadian guidance separately addresses conditional emotional-support-dog accommodation, including medical/veterinary documentation, 96-hour notice and an under-seat carrier. An airline’s ESA exclusion is not a complete statement of that framework. See the official conditions and our Canada reference; acceptance remains case-specific.

Discover says documents are resubmitted for each booking. Clarify certificate dating.

For carriers covered by the Canadian rules, the CTA guide says they must offer to retain supplied documentation electronically for at least three years. Clarify how this applies to your booking before resubmitting sensitive documents.

Government entry is a separate decision

For dogs coming only from rabies-free/low-risk countries during the previous six months, CDC requires an apparently healthy dog, at least six months old, a detectable microchip and a Dog Import Form receipt. That CDC pathway permits any U.S. entry point; it does not remove Discover’s own airport restriction.

Other U.S. requirements depend on vaccination location and countries visited during the preceding six months. Use the CDC decision path and check USDA and destination rules too. Service-dog status does not replace border compliance.

Check departure, transit, destination and return requirements with the relevant authorities, including permits, veterinary documents and any breed rules. Use our country guides to organize the questions. Keep original documents and confirmations accessible at departure.

Related planning

Related reading: Service-dog planning · Connections · Carrier preparation.

Official sources and scope

• Discover general animal policy
• Discover cabin policy and route restrictions
• Discover cabin registration and exceptions
• Discover cabin checklist, May 2026
• Discover checked-hold conditions
• Discover hold registration, crate fields and exceptions
• Discover hold checklist
• Discover breed restrictions
• Discover assistance-dog policy
• Discover Service Center
• U.S. DOT service-animal guidance
• Current DOT air-transport form and instructions
• Current DOT relief attestation
• Canadian Transportation Agency service-dog guidance
• CDC dog-entry decision path
• CDC low-risk-country dog requirements

Official sources checked October 18, 2026. Read the current documents in full and obtain written clarification of conflicting or incomplete conditions for your exact itinerary.