Flying with a pet
on THAI Airways.

1. Decide which service you are actually requesting

THAI’s ordinary-pet cabin policy does not offer a cabin option. Its accompanied checked-hold service, AVIH, covers dogs and cats traveling on the passenger’s flight. International animals must be older than four months; they must be healthy and not pregnant. Other species require cargo assessment.

Start by writing down whether you will accompany the animal and whether every flight is operated by THAI. A THAI flight number on a ticket is not enough to settle a partner’s animal policy. For an itinerary mixing operators, request a pet-specific decision on each sector. Do not rely on the through-baggage allowance or a human connection being bookable as evidence that the animal can follow the same route.

Sources: THAI: cabin and assistance-dog information · THAI: checked-pet service, exclusions and dated tariff · THAI: special-baggage page and different pet tariff.

2. Complete the request at least three working days ahead

Contact the local THAI office for AVIH acceptance. The dedicated page requires the request to be complete at least three working days before departure. Its two-hour check-in instruction is a separate airport step.

Prepare a clear request with your reservation reference if already ticketed, all flight numbers and dates, species, full breed, age, pet-only weight, loaded weight, and external carrier length, width and height. Ask which supporting documents the office needs to complete the request and which confirmation will show that the animal is accepted.

Ask the office to calculate the deadline around weekends, local holidays and its working hours. Starting a conversation three working days ahead may leave no time to resolve an unsuitable crate or missing document. Retain the acceptance and the quoted charge separately: a price or payment instruction does not answer whether every flight has an approved animal place.

Sources: THAI: checked-pet service, exclusions and dated tariff.

3. Remove incompatible flights before buying the journey

A320 flights do not accept AVIH. The published exclusions are arrivals into Auckland, Denpasar, Dubai and Hong Kong, plus both directions for Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. London journeys above 32 kg per piece are referred to cargo.

For example, assess a short connecting flight as carefully as the long-haul sector. Ask the office to record the aircraft type expected on each leg and how it will notify you of a change. If an excluded airport is your final destination, obtain a separate cargo plan rather than assuming transit through Bangkok removes the restriction.

Keep the destination’s animal-import route and the airline’s carriage product distinct. A restriction on accompanied checked pets does not itself confirm that cargo will be accepted, that an import permit is available, or that the same flight can carry the shipment.

Sources: THAI: checked-pet service, exclusions and dated tariff.

4. Have the crate and breed assessed together

The AVIH page’s upper published weight bracket is 70 kg including the container. It lists 34 excluded dog breeds, including snub-nosed and other breeds. Normally one dog or cat occupies each crate; limited sharing exceptions require specific review.

A universal numeric crate-size ceiling or flightwide pet quota was not established from the reviewed passenger page. Send dimensions with the height unmistakably labeled, a photograph of the assembled crate, and the animal’s standing measurements. Ask the office to approve the actual model against the aircraft loading opening. The animal needs a usable standing, turning and lying area; a weight limit alone does not establish fit.

For several animals, ask about available places for the whole group and each proposed shared container. Do not infer cat-and-dog sharing permission. Check the complete official breed list, including any uncertainty about a crossbreed. Our brachycephalic-dog transport service assesses cabin solutions; we do not offer these dogs hold transport.

Sources: THAI: checked-pet service, exclusions and dated tariff.

5. Obtain a quote for the applicable tariff regime

The dedicated AVIH tariff, labeled effective March 2, 2026, lists THB 1,500 domestically; internationally USD 320 up to 32 kg and USD 540 in the 32–70 kg bracket. It also displays THB 11,120/18,765 international amounts and origin/currency instructions. The page says AVIH is non-refundable.

THAI’s special-baggage material also exposes another pet table: USD 300/450/600/750 for bands through 10/20/30/40 kg, alongside later sections labeled for tickets issued from November 25, 2025 and travel from March 2, 2026. We have not established that other table’s applicability to a new booking. Do not combine the displayed tables into one definitive price. Ask the office which tariff applies to your ticket, itinerary, departure point and loaded weight, and obtain the final currency and total in writing.

For a connection, ask whether the quotation covers one through-checked journey or separate charged portions. Ask about any applicable tax and what happens to a paid pet service after a voluntary change or airline disruption. The non-refundable wording is not a verified explanation of every disruption scenario. Compare these airline charges separately from veterinary preparation, permits, cargo handling or a managed transport proposal.

Sources: THAI: checked-pet service, exclusions and dated tariff · THAI: special-baggage page and different pet tariff.

6. Arrange manifest cargo with a cargo sales office

THAI Cargo’s live-animal product directs customers to the cargo sales office in the relevant country. Acceptance depends on the animal, aircraft, temperatures across the route and handling arrangements. Its published process requires confirmation for the booked flight and all possible connecting flights through to the destination, including another airline where relevant.

Cargo documents generally include health paperwork and a Shipper’s Certification for Live Animals. The crate must be leak-proof and escape-proof, with live-animal marking and handling instructions. Food shipped with the animal forms part of chargeable weight. Request the applicable current forms from the cargo office rather than substituting a passenger pet approval.

THAI also advertises a Bangkok walk-in service for general cargo and personal effects. That is not proof that a live animal can be booked casually at the counter. Ask the cargo team whether your shipment needs an agent, how far ahead it must be confirmed, where to tender it, and how the consignee collects it. No universal pet-cargo booking cutoff was verified.

Sources: THAI Cargo: live animals and connecting-flight confirmation · THAI Cargo: limited Bangkok walk-in service.

7. Plan the Thailand handover as well as the flight

Thai Customs distinguishes passenger-accompanied arrival from cargo clearance. For an accompanied arrival, its procedure sends passengers with the animal and health documents to Animal Quarantine, then to the Goods to Declare channel with the permit. Cargo import uses a separate declaration process, air waybill and animal approval/import documentation; the prior approval must be arranged before import.

Confirm the exact quarantine location, permit sequence and current opening hours with the responsible authority for your airport. If entering Thailand between flights, establish who performs import clearance and who brings the animal back for onward travel. If remaining in transit, obtain a transit-specific answer rather than using an arrival checklist by default.

Before the travel day, agree the collection location and contact person, prepare the document originals, and make a contingency plan for a delayed arrival. Enough passenger connection time does not automatically establish enough time for animal inspection, terminal transfer or cargo release.

Sources: Thai Customs: passenger and cargo pet-clearance procedures.

8. Resolve assistance-dog wording and finish the airport plan

THAI’s cabin page directs assistance-dog requests to a local office at least 48 hours ahead. It also retains emotional-support and US-route wording that should not be used as current clearance. US DOT’s present guidance recognizes disability-task-trained dogs; emotional-support animals are not service animals under that definition. Ask THAI to identify the applicable route-specific procedure and forms.

For an ordinary pet, keep the approval, complete-route quotation, documents and crate specifications together. Confirm check-in and handover instructions with the departure office, then recheck animal acceptance after any aircraft or operator change. Send Pets Delivery Expert your origin, destination, preferred dates, species, breed, age, weight and carrier details to request an individual transport proposal.

Sources: THAI: cabin and assistance-dog information · US DOT: trained service dogs and permitted forms.

Questions before you book

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

Official sources and scope

• THAI: checked-pet service, exclusions and dated tariff
• THAI: cabin and assistance-dog information
• THAI: special-baggage page and different pet tariff
• THAI Cargo: live animals and connecting-flight confirmation
• THAI Cargo: limited Bangkok walk-in service
• Thai Customs: passenger and cargo pet-clearance procedures
• 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.