The Air New Zealand pet policy for 2023 includes options for flying with dogs or cats in the hold as checked baggage or cargo, but not in the cabin. Details of the Air New Zealand pet travel policy for international flights with your cat or dog are included. For pets in the cargo hold, any dog or cat must be at least 12 weeks old. When flying with your pet in the hold with Air New Zealand, your cat or dog must be able to move around within their carrier, and they have to travel with an adult passenger. The price for flying your pet in an Air New Zealand cargo hold varies, depending on the route and the size of your pet. Air New Zealand pet travel rules do not permit pets on certain flights, or to specific international destinations. Certain dog breeds are not permitted to travel in the hold. Read on for full details of the Air New Zealand pet policy, including Assistance and Service Dogs free of charge in the cabin, and the Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) policy. You can also check out Air New Zealand pet travel reviews to hear about people’s experiences before you book. And remember to leave an Air New Zealand pet travel review if you’ve flown your cat or dog in the hold! Read on for the full Air New Zealand pet travel policy for 2023.
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Table of contents
- Does Air New Zealand Allow Pets in the Cabin?
- Does Air New Zealand Allow Dogs and Cats in the Hold as Checked Baggage?
- Air New Zealand Pets Flying as Cargo
- Air New Zealand Snub Nosed Cat & Dog Breed Policy
- Air New Zealand Dog Breed Restrictions
- Air New Zealand Policy for Assistance & Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)
- Pet Travel Documentation & Vaccines
- Excluded Pet Routes with Air New Zealand
- Are Pets Safe on Planes?
- Related Pages
| Dogs & Cats in the Cabin of the Plane | ❌ |
| Dogs & Cats flying as Checked In Baggage | ✅ |
| Pets flying in Cargo Hold | ✅ |
| Assistance Dogs in Cabin | ✅ |
| Psychiatric Service Dogs in Cabin | ✅ |
| Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) in Cabin | ❌ |
Does Air New Zealand Allow Pets in the Cabin?
Air New Zealand doesn’t allow pet cats and dogs to fly in the cabin, only registered Assistance & Service Dogs are permitted to fly in the passenger cabin with you. All other pets must travel in the hold of the plane.
Does Air New Zealand Allow Dogs and Cats in the Hold as Checked Baggage?
Your pet cat, dog or small caged bird, can fly in the Air New Zealand hold as checked baggage, while you travel in the passenger cabin on domestic flights within New Zealand only. On International flights with Air New Zealand, your pet must travel as manifest cargo.
In accordance with these regulations, a maximum of two adult cats or dogs of comparable size, weighing up to 14kg may travel in the same pet kennel. Cats or dogs over 14kg must travel individually.
Up to three kittens or puppies under six months old, and from the same litter, may travel together in the same pet carrier.
Due to space limitations on Air New Zealand Link services (flight numbers in the 5000 and 8000 series), only one travel kennel can be accepted per customer. If you have more than one kennel, then your pet must be pre-booked to travel as cargo.
IATA Requirements for Pets Flying in Hold
For the safety of your pet during air transport, the airline travel kennel must meet the legal requirements of the Live Animal Regulations (LAR) set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Therefore, in addition to ensuring that your cat or dog in their travel crate adheres to the maximum weight and dimensions set by Air New Zealand, the minimum inner kennel dimensions defined by the IATA LAR must also be met.
You can calculate the minimum inner space permitted by the IATA LAR, in addition to learning about the required construction, design etc for the pet in hold travel crate.
Should you need a new travel kennel, check out 4 Popular IATA Compliant Pet in Hold Crates.
Cost of Flying a Pet as Checked Baggage with Air New Zealand
When travelling with cats, dogs or small birds on domestic flights within New Zealand, each pet, within their travel crate, is counted as a one piece of checked baggage by Air New Zealand.
Subsequently, any excess weight charges are applied as they would for additional items of checked baggage in the Air New Zealand hold. In addition to any applicable excess baggage or prepaid extra baggage charges, a pet carriage fee is payable at the airport on the day you travel.
This pet carriage fee reflects:
- The special treatment required of the pets to ensure their safety
- The additional space they take up in the hold of the aircraft, which impacts on the airline’s ability to carry other additional baggage or cargo
Pets & travel kennel weighing up to 25kg: NZD $75
Pets & travel kennel weighing 25kg and over: NZD $100
These fees apply if your pet is travelling with you as checked baggage on an Air New Zealand domestic flight, and are based on the combined weight of your pet and their kennel.
If you’re travelling on an international flight with your cat or dog, Air New Zealand requires that you arrange the transport as cargo.
Air New Zealand Pets Flying as Cargo
On international flights to and from New Zealand, pets are not permitted as checked baggage and must travel as cargo. Your cat or dog must be booked with an approved pet transporter or an International Air Transport Association (IATA) agent. It isn’t possible to book your pet to fly in the hold as cargo directly with Air New Zealand.
The cost of flying a pet with Air New Zealand as cargo depends on your pet’s species, weight and your selected route. Check out more information about independent pet cargo couriers.
Cats, dogs and small birds can travel as checked baggage on Air New Zealand domestic flights, but all other animals must travel as cargo on a domestic route. In this case, on domestic routes, your pet will travel with Air New Zealand Cargo.
Air New Zealand Snub Nosed Cat & Dog Breed Policy
Snub nosed (brachycephalic) animals, such as French Bulldogs, Pugs and Persian Cats, can have trouble breathing during the flight, due to high temperatures and stress. To ensure their well-being, most snub-nosed (brachycephalic) animals should not be transported in the hold.
However, Air New Zealand does accept snub nosed cats and dogs to fly as cargo, but the flight must not exceed 5 hours. This affects the following breeds:
| Dogs | Cats |
|---|---|
| Affenpinscher (all breeds) Boston Terrier Boxer (all breeds) Brussels Griffon Bulldog (all breeds) Cane Corso Chow Chow Dogue de Bordeaux English Toy Spaniel Japanese Chin Lhasa Apso Mastiff (all breeds) Pit Bull Presa Canario Pug (all breeds) Pekingese | Persian |
When flying with a snub nosed pet, remember that you need to add 10% to your IATA compliant pet carrier calculation.
Air New Zealand Dog Breed Restrictions
The following dog breeds aren’t permitted to travel with Air New Zealand:
- Greyhounds for travel on services to and from Europe or Asia.
If a Greyhound is a domesticated family pet (not for racing or breeding purposes), a request can be made to the Cargo Management team for consideration. Evidence must be provided confirming that your dog has been a domesticated family pet for at least 12 months. The request will be assessed, and approval will only be granted once the Cargo Management team are satisfied the Greyhound is not being transported for commercial gain.
Air New Zealand Policy for Assistance & Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)
Fully trained and registered Assistance & Service Dogs are allowed to fly in the cabin free of charge with Air New Zealand. An Assistance or Service Dog is one that has been professionally trained to carry out a specific task to aid their owner’s health and wellbeing.
For your Assistance or Service Dog to fly in the cabin with Air New Zealand, they must be accredited by one of the following organisations:
- Assistance Dogs International (ADI)
- International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF)
At airport check in, you’ll be asked for the original documentation for your Assistance or Service Dog, and they must also wear their identifying harness and vest. During the flight, your dog will sit between your feet.
Psychiatric Service Dogs are therefore permitted to fly to and from the USA with Air New Zealand. However, as Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) aren’t trained to perform a specific task for their owner, ESAs can’t fly under the Air New Zealand Assistance & Service Dog policy. If you’re flying an ESA with Air New Zealand, they must travel under the standard Air New Zealand pet travel policy.
Pet Travel Documentation & Vaccines
Air New Zealand is an international pet friendly airline, so for flights to the EU, your cat or dog has to meet the EU Pet Travel Scheme criteria. This means that you’ll need to arrange either a Pet Passport or Animal Health Certificate, and ensure that your cat or dog is microchipped and vaccinated against Rabies.
You can also check out the laws for taking a cat or dog to New Zealand, as well as other worldwide destinations in 2023.
Excluded Pet Routes with Air New Zealand
Due to government pet travel rules, you can’t fly your cat or dog in the cabin to certain countries. These rules are in place in some pet friendly destinations that are currently rabies free, in order to protect their borders. For example, when flying to the UK (Scotland, England, Wales & Northern Ireland), all pets arriving on a plane must travel as cargo in the hold.
However, as already stated, Air New Zealand only transports pets as cargo on international flights regardless of the destination!
Are Pets Safe on Planes?
If you’re worried about your furry travel companion’s wellbeing when flying, check out our comprehensive post regarding pet safety on planes. While in the USA, a monthly report is provided for airline pet incident rates, there isn’t an equivalent in Europe at the moment. So, there’s no data available for incidents when flying pets in the hold with Air New Zealand. Note that even the airline pet incident reports submitted in the USA are only for cats and dogs flying in the hold, and don’t include any in cabin events.
No doubt, at some point your trip will involve a car ride, so have a look at our 12 Essential Pet Car Safety Tips too. Should your cat or dog suffer from motion sickness, we’ve also compared some of the treatments, strategies and medications for pet travel nausea.
It’s important to be aware that you can’t sedate or tranquilize your cat or dog for their flight.
In addition, to protect your pet’s health and wellbeing in a new country, be sure to keep your cat or dog safe from vector-borne diseases. In particular, Heartworm from mosquitoes and Leishmaniasis from sandflies in Southern European destinations pose a serious threat.
You might also want to check out 10 Pet Friendly Airlines in the EU and Pets in Cabin from the UK and 7 Transatlantic Pet Friendly Airlines.
And don’t forget the all important Essential Pet Travel Accessories!
Prior to booking, always view the Air New Zealand pet travel policy on their website for any recent changes. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, some airlines are frequently amending their rules for pets on planes.
Have a safe and wonderful trip, and remember to leave a review for your Air New Zealand if you fly your pet cat or dog, in the cabin or hold!
