Flying with a pet
on Finnair.

1. Identify the route and accompanying person

Finnair requires cargo to/via Great Britain, Hong Kong, UAE and Australia, and for unaccompanied animals or third-person transport from outside the EU.

Write down every operating flight and who will accompany the animal. Ask specifically about an owner, a courier or a separate shipment. An airline’s acceptance rule and government permission for an authorised person are separate checks; do not substitute one for the other.

Sources: Finnair: pets on flights.

2. Check cabin fit and the booking channel

Cabin dogs/cats: maximum 8 kg with carrier. Soft-carrier limits: Finnair 55 × 40 × 23 cm; Norra 55 × 40 × 20 cm. Long-haul Business excludes ordinary pets.

Add cabin carriage through Travel extras or Manage booking before check-in opens. Short-haul Business, long-haul Premium Economy, Jettime and partner itineraries require customer service.

Measure the pet and the closed carrier before selecting an option. Use the official complete carrier table and our carrier-fit guide; ask for acceptance of the actual animal, carrier and cabin class.

Sources: Finnair: pets on flights.

3. Allow time for accompanied-hold approval

Hold limits including crate: Finnair 75 kg; Norra 50 kg. Book the passenger flight at least seven days ahead, then contact chat within 24 hours. For U.S. hold trips, Finnair aims to confirm at least two weeks before departure. Only Finnair/Norra itineraries qualify.

Give the airline the loaded weight and outside crate dimensions, and resolve its confirmation timetable before committing to the rest of the journey.

If the requested hold transport is unavailable, Finnair’s page offers a passenger-ticket refund.

Sources: Finnair: pets on flights.

4. Plan the Helsinki handover

Helsinki hold transfers require at least three hours, collection and recheck, with documents to enter Finland.

Use the Finnish Food Authority’s entry-condition checker with the actual origin, age, animal count and owner-travel arrangement.

Treat collection, border formalities and the new check-in as separate steps. Plan a practical margin rather than relying on the passenger connection time alone. The final destination needs its own document plan: see our EU entry guide, U.S. dog-entry guide and pet-flight connection checklist.

Sources: Finnair: pets on flights · Finnish Food Authority: entry-condition checker.

5. Budget for the accepted itinerary

Published fees are per carrier on Finnair-operated, AY-numbered flights.

• Cabin, per journey: Europe EUR 60 if bought at least seven days ahead, EUR 65 six days or less; intercontinental EUR 120 or EUR 130 respectively.
• Hold, one-way: Europe EUR 140; intercontinental EUR 650. India departures add local taxes.

Confirm the charged currency, complete itinerary and applicable Norra quote with the airline. Keep freight, arrival handling and agent services separate.

Travel extras are generally non-changeable, non-transferable and non-refundable. Finnair lists exceptions for an unprovided service, refundable ticket type, qualifying cancellation within 24 hours of purchase when departure is at least seven days away, or applicable Cancellation Cover. Check the passenger ticket and pet payment together before changing either.

Sources: Finnair: pets on flights · Finnair: booking and travel-extra conditions.

6. Check separate freight feasibility

Cargo is booked through a forwarding company, with cargo-terminal handovers. Finnair Cargo says foreign-origin animal shipments travel only as far as Helsinki; its COOL terminal cannot keep live animals overnight.

The same cargo page gives two different earliest-booking windows: no earlier than 15 days before departure in its booking section, versus 20 days in a Helsinki–New York example. Ask the forwarder which window applies; neither passage is a minimum-notice deadline.

Freight pricing uses the greater of loaded weight and volumetric weight. Freight is paid at origin; destination terminal charges are separate. Cargo crates need natural standing, turning and lying space. Latticed roofs and folding show crates are excluded; rigid plastic is unsuitable above 40 kg animal weight.

Do not build a through-Helsinki shipment around an unconfirmed onward leg. Obtain the routing, receiver, terminal arrangements and quote in writing. Our brachycephalic dog service is cabin-only; this description of airline freight is not an offer of cargo transport for flat-faced dogs.

Sources: Finnair Cargo: animal transportation.

7. Genuine assistance dogs use a separate process

Qualifying assistance dogs travel in the cabin without a carriage charge. Finnair asks for its special-assistance form at least 48 hours ahead, with status in Manage booking. Its standard certification pathway differs from direct U.S. flights, which use DOT forms. Its published psychiatric-service-dog policy is limited to direct U.S. flights; emotional-support status does not qualify.

For U.S.-covered travel, a relief attestation may be required for a segment scheduled for eight hours or more. When a reservation is made less than 48 hours before the first originally scheduled departure, applicable DOT forms may be provided at the gate rather than under an advance-notice requirement. If permitted notice is missed, the carrier must still accommodate when reasonable efforts allow it without delaying the flight.

Confirm each connecting leg separately. A purchased label does not establish disability-related task training, and government entry requirements remain a separate check.

Sources: Finnair: assistance dogs · 14 CFR 382.75: service-dog forms and notice.

Prepare a transport proposal

Start with the departure and destination cities, dates, and your pet’s breed, age and weight. If available, include operating flights, the accompaniment plan, carrier measurements and existing airline replies. We assess the managed journey and agreed handovers around those details.

Your proposal should identify included services, separate costs, who handles each step and what still needs confirmation. Request a transport proposal.

Questions before you book

Related reading: Airline pet travel guides · Connection planning · Carrier preparation.

Official sources and scope

• Finnair: pets on flights
• Finnair Cargo: animal transportation
• Finnair: booking and travel-extra conditions
• Finnair: assistance dogs
• 14 CFR 382.75: service-dog forms and notice
• Finnish Food Authority: entry-condition checker

Official sources checked October 12, 2026. These are current published conditions, not a newly announced policy change, live availability check or booking confirmation. The cargo booking-window difference is retained for direct confirmation.