I couldn’t find much consolidated info about this on FT, so I thought I’d start a post for anyone who may need it in the future. Some forum members know that a few months ago our dog passed away. Life works in strange ways, and since then we’ve adopted a street rescue from Dubai who has settled into our lives wonderfully. She’s young, has already flown in the hold once before, and did surprisingly well. She even went on a recent holiday with us involving 10hr+ driving days, so we’ve decided to try bring her with us on a longer upcoming trip to family abroad, rather than leaving her behind with my in-laws, who would need to make a trek to be here anyway.

This is our first time arranging transport as accompanied baggage, so I’ve spent some time piecing together the requirements. It’s not entirely straightforward. Beyond the destination paperwork (especially for non-EU non-listed countries, and reimport), there are airline-specific policies, aircraft restrictions, and connection rules to navigate. As always, the Ulti team has been fantastic in helping put this together.

KLM

Aircraft restrictions: pets are not accepted in the hold on B787-9/10 or A321neo. Flights operated by German Airways or Eastern Airways also do not carry pets in the hold. All other types, including Cityhopper (Embraer) aircraft, do accept pets in hold.

Crate dimensions: The maximum permitted on KLM is 122 cm x 81 cm x 89 cm. On KLM CityHopper the maximum permitted is 102 cm x 69 cm x 76 cm. It must also conform to IATA norms.

Transit at AMS: KLM’s animal hotel service (previously €150 per transit) is currently suspended. Transit time must be < 3 hrs for pets in hold. Any longer means that you must book as multi-city, claim pet, and re-check. Short-checking on a connecting itinerary is not possible.

You also need to fill this form for your trip with KL.

Air France

Aircraft restrictions: no published restrictions, but advance request is needed to confirm AF will accept a pet in hold on your specific aircraft type. If operated by other airlines, e.g. wet leases, then the pet won't be able to travel either.

Crate dimensions: The kennel must comply with IATA restrictions. Additionally, it must have 5cm of extra height than your pet. There are also specific locking, bolting and hinge requirements that are enforced by Air France.

Transit at CDG: Unlike at AMS, pets do not transfer between flights automatically. All pets need to be claimed, and re-checked for the next flight. This means, if it applies, you need to have visas to enter France while transiting with the pet. For some people this could create the complexity of needing to have the pet clear for travel to the EU in addition to your destination. The transit needs to be at least 4.5hrs long to accept your pet for travel in hold.

You also need to fill this form for each flight you will take with AF.

General Info

It is possible to combine AF and KL flights together to transport the pet. Our outbound will be on AF, and return on KL. Getting the right combination of flights that work, due to aircraft restrictions and transit time issues, can be quite a challenge. This is where the Ulti team was quite helpful.

It is also possible to place a transport request for the pet and get it confirmed, before paying for the pet's transport fee. In fact, they can put in a request to have this paid on the day of travel at the airport. This is especially useful because, as in our case, paperwork isn't quite straightforward and some flexibility helps. The fee for pet transport varies. You will need to call/contact AF/KL to figure this out. Personally, I found it reasonable.

You need to make sure that all paperwork you need for your transit and destination is in place for the pet. This can be more than just the vaccination record; in our case, our dog will travel to India, so it needs to be:

• EU pet passport with all up-to-date vaccinations and boosters.
• Rabies titer test results, endorsed into the EU pet passport.
• Vet certificate issued within 10 days of flight + certified by national authority. This applies in both directions.
• Import clearance from two Indian Govt. agencies, but this will differ based on your destination.

I’ll update this post as we go and add more first-hand details. Hopefully this helps anyone planning similar travel in the future.