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International airlines’ carry-on policies regarding your pet’s carrier

I’m reposting this summary of the major international airlines’ policies regarding how your pet’s in-cabin carrier fits into your carry-on allowance because it’s been updated, and I’ve moved the info into a table, which is much easier to navigate than the list I originally provided. As in the U.S. airlines version I posted yesterday, each airline’s name is also a link to that airline’s pet policy page.

This Monday, I wrote a post about the major U.S. airlines’ policies regarding how your pet’s in-cabin carrier is classified, and how there seems to be a shift in progress from regarding it as a replacement for your main carry-on to regarding it as a replacement for either your carry-on or your “small personal item.” Why was that so interesting? If your pet’s carrier counts as your small personal item, then you can also bring a carry-on with you — if it has wheels, you can loop your dog’s carrier over its handle and spare your back, and if it has sufficient capacity, you don’t have to check (and potentially pay for) another piece of luggage.

That post covered the major U.S. airlines, and this post looks at the major international airlines. Here’s the information I’ve collected from their websites:

AirlineCarry-on policyTotal items allowed
Aer LingusN/A (no in-cabin pets)
AeroflotNot stated
AeroMexicoNot stated
Air Canada"Your pet in its carrier will count as one standard item toward your carry-on baggage allowance" [given the pet carrier size allowance, it will be counted as your "standard article"]Pet carrier + personal item
Air France"Your pet´s travel container is considered an additional baggage item and will incur a fee."Unclear
Air New ZealandN/A (no in-cabin pets)
AlitaliaNot stated
American Airlines"A pet kennel counts as either a passenger's one carry-on bag or personal item"Pet carrier + carry-on OR pet carrier + personal item
ANA All Nippon AirwaysN/A (no in-cabin pets)
Asiana AirlinesNot stated
British AirwaysN/A (no in-cabin pets)
Cathay Pacific AirlinesN/A (no in-cabin pets)
ContinentalSame as United
Delta"Your pet counts as one piece of carry-on baggage."Unclear
EmiratesN/A (no in-cabin pets except falcons)
EtihadN/A (no in-cabin pets except falcons)
EVA AirN/A (no in-cabin pets)
IberiaNot stated
IcelandairN/A (no in-cabin pets)
JALN/A (no in-cabin pets)
KLMNot stated
Korean Air
(under "At the Airport," then "Baggage," then "Pets")
Not stated
LANN/A (no in-cabin pets)
LufthansaNot statedPer reader Christina (flying Lufthansa 4/13) rule is pet carrier + personal item
Open SkiesNot stated
QantasN/A (no in-cabin pets)
Qatar AirwaysN/A (no in-cabin pets except falcons)
RyanairN/A (no in-cabin pets)
SAS"Pets and transport boxes are taken as cabin baggage and other carry-on baggage is not permitted."Unclear, but likely pet carrier + personal item
Singapore AirlinesN/A (no in-cabin pets)
SwissNot stated
TAP PortugalNot stated
THAIN/A (no in-cabin pets)
Turkish AirlinesNot stated
United"An in-cabin pet may be carried in addition to a carry-on bag...."Pet carrier + carry-on
U.S. Airways"Pets in cabin count toward your carry-on baggage allowance."Unclear
Virgin AtlanticN/A (no in-cabin pets)

If you are traveling on an airline that hasn’t provided clear information about a pet carrier’s carry-on status, call the airline to ask exactly how it will be counted (as a carry-on? or as a personal item?). Take notes about the conversation, and then call back, and ask another customer service rep the same question. Take more notes. In all likelihood, the two answers will be the same; if not, call again, explain your confusion, and ask politely to speak with a manager. Take more notes. Bring your notes with you on the day of travel (and save them for your return trip!), so you have them to refer to if you encounter resistance from an airline agent.