Flying with a pet
on Qantas.

1. Book the pet service separately

Ordinary pets travel through Qantas Freight, rather than as a cabin addition to your passenger ticket. Domestic bookings can be made online, up to 100 days before departure, with drop-off and collection at freight terminals. A crate is not included.

Check pet availability before purchasing your own ticket. Qantas does not guarantee that you and your pet will travel on the same service. Its FAQ excludes Jetstar pet bookings and says only selected Qantas domestic flights are available.

Sources: Qantas Freight: domestic pets · Qantas Freight: pet FAQs.

2. Use a specialist for international travel

Pets travelling to or from Australia must be booked through a pet travel specialist. The booking must account for the export country, transit points and destination requirements.

Qantas’ international page directs incoming pets to Melbourne, except those travelling from New Zealand or Norfolk Island. This is not a complete statement of every Australian import pathway. Read our Australia guide and the applicable government conditions.

Qantas still publishes an Incheon embargo effective 4 September 2024, with no end date and a statement that the page will be updated when it is lifted. Its JFK and Dallas Fort Worth notices instead name 15 May–15 September 2025. Obtain current flight-specific confirmation; those historical U.S. dates do not establish a 2026 embargo or reopening.

Sources: Qantas Freight: international pets.

3. Check age, health and breed

Qantas states a minimum age of 12 weeks; pets older than 12 years need a veterinary fitness certificate. Breed and crate restrictions also apply.

Its brachycephalic policy requires a Qantas Freight-approved pet travel specialist. That published freight pathway is not cabin travel and does not establish that any particular animal can fly. Pets Delivery Expert’s brachycephalic transport planning is cabin-only; do not treat this airline information as an offer of brachycephalic cargo transport.

Sources: Qantas Freight: pet FAQs · Qantas Freight: brachycephalic breeds.

4. Match the crate to the animal and aircraft

Measure your pet standing naturally and provide internal and external crate dimensions, photographs and loaded weight. The crate must provide enough room to stand, sit and turn. Buying a listed crate size does not establish that it fits every aircraft.

Qantas publishes different crate limits for smaller aircraft and requires compatibility checking above 50 kg combined pet-and-crate weight. Ask for acceptance of the assembled crate before paying for transport.

Sources: Qantas Freight: crates · Qantas Freight: pet FAQs.

5. Plan connections and weather contingencies

Domestic transfers require 120 minutes at Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, or 90 minutes at other ports. Domestic-to-international and international-to-international transfers require specialist arrangements.

Qantas’ weather policy can prevent uplift for temperatures above 35°C or below 5°C, or severe wind or rain. It also uses wording requiring temperatures above 5°C at departure and arrival: confirm borderline conditions rather than treating a thermometer reading as acceptance. Weather-related rebooking is offered without an additional charge, subject to a suitable alternative.

Sources: Qantas Freight: pet FAQs · Qantas Freight: extreme weather.

6. Get a complete freight quote and terminal plan

Charges depend on weight and crate size. Request the currency, complete route, agent services, crate, handling and any quarantine or receiving charges separately. There is no universal pet fee that can be applied to every journey.

The domestic page permits online changes or cancellation without penalty up to 24 hours before departure. Ask about later changes and the separate passenger-ticket conditions. Obtain terminal addresses, lodgement windows, collection authority and disruption arrangements for your actual booking.

Sources: Qantas Freight: pet FAQs · Qantas Freight: domestic pets.

7. Genuine service dogs follow another process

Qantas welcomes qualifying service dogs in the cabin under its criteria. Its standard pathway includes recognised training or accreditation, a current public-access test, behaviour and health conditions, and size limits. An exemption-assessment route exists when the standard criteria are not met.

Submit the application at least 14 days before travel, notify Qantas with each booking, and complete the international declaration for each international journey. International service dogs in training are not accepted. Partner-operated flights require that operator’s approval.

Government import and transit conditions remain separate. An ordinary pet or emotional-support label does not establish service-dog eligibility.

Sources: Qantas: service dogs.

Prepare a route review

Send the cities, dates, operating flights, pet’s breed, age, weight, measurements and crate details. Include residence history and any airline response already received. A useful plan identifies who books, who handles each transfer and what remains unconfirmed. Request a route review.

Questions before you book

Related reading: Airline pet travel guides · Australia entry planning · New Zealand entry planning · Carrier fit and preparation.

Official sources and scope

• Qantas Freight: domestic pets
• Qantas Freight: international pets
• Qantas Freight: pet FAQs
• Qantas Freight: crates
• Qantas Freight: brachycephalic breeds
• Qantas Freight: extreme weather
• Qantas: service dogs

Official airline pages checked October 12, 2026. This is not a booking confirmation, veterinary checklist or live freight quote. Source ambiguities are identified below. No live booking or government approval was obtained. These airline guides do not claim a fresh full MPI import-standard verification; the MPI source attempt returned an access denial.