The Thai Airways pet policy 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 Thai Airways 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 cargo hold with Thai Airways, 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 Thai Airways cargo hold varies, depending on the route and the size of your pet. Thai Airways 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 Thai Airways pet policy, including Assistance and Service Dogs, and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs). You can also check out Thai Airways pet travel reviews to hear about people’s experiences before you book. And remember to leave a Thai Airways pet travel review if you’ve flown your cat or dog in the hold! Read on for the full Thai Airways pet travel policy for 2023.
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Table of contents
- Does Thai Airways Allow Pets in the Cabin?
- Does Thai Airways Fly Dogs & Cats as Checked Baggage in the Hold?
- Does Thai Airways Fly Pets in the Hold as Cargo?
- Thai Airways Dog Breed Restrictions
- Thai Airways Snub Nosed Cat & Dog Breed Policy
- Thai Airways Policy for Assistance & Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)
- Thai Airways Excluded Pet Flight Routes
- 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 Thai Airways Allow Pets in the Cabin?
Thai Airways doesn’t allow pets to fly in the cabin, only registered Assistance & Service Dogs are permitted to fly in the passenger cabin on your Thai Airways flight. All other pets must travel in the hold of the plane, as either checked baggage or cargo.
Most pet friendly airlines based in Asia don’t allow pets to fly in the cabin, but you can check out other global pet friendly airlines.
Does Thai Airways Fly Dogs & Cats as Checked Baggage in the Hold?
Your pet cat or dog can travel in the hold as checked baggage with Thai Airways. No other pet species is permitted to fly under the Thai Airways Conditions of Carriage.
Note that due to space limitations on the Thai Airways A200 aircraft, pets can’t fly in the hold when this aircraft is used for your flight.
For flights to and from USA the maximum weight is 32kg for your cat or dog in their travel kennel, with maximum dimensions of L 54” x H 27” x W 33” for the pet kennel.
Pets can’t travel in the hold as checked baggage on Thai Airways flights to Australia, Dubai, England, Hong Kong and New Zealand, However, it may be possible for your pet to fly as cargo instead.
Brachycephalic (snub-nosed) breeds of cats and dogs aren’t allowed to travel in the hold of a plane, due to respiratory issues they may encounter in the ventilated environment. This includes Boston Terriers, Boxers, Chow Chows, French Bulldogs, Shih Tzus, Pekinese and Persian cats.
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 Thai Airways, 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 Thai Airways
Prices vary for flying your cat or dog with Thai Airways, and depend on your pet’s size and weight, together with your countries of origin and destination. You can calculate your personal pet charge with Thai Airways.
Does Thai Airways Fly Pets in the Hold as Cargo?
If you’re travelling with a pet other than a cat or dog, or your dog is to large to fly in the hold as checked baggage with Thai Airways, your pet can fly as cargo with ThaiCargo. They will provide you with a quotation upon request. Pets can fly as cargo without their owner, whereas when flying in the hold as checked baggage, cats and dogs have to travel with an adult passenger.
Your pet will also fly with Thai Airways Cargo if you’re travelling to a country that doesn’t allow pets to arrive in the cabin, or if your furry friend is flying on a different flight from you.
Thai Airways Dog Breed Restrictions
The following breeds, classed as potentially dangerous dogs, aren’t allowed to fly with Thai Airways:
- American Bulldog
- American Pit Bull
- American Staffordshire Terrier
- Mastiff (All Breeds)
- Pit Bull
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Thai Airways 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 may not be transported in the hold. This means that these pets can only fly in the Thai Airways cabin, they aren’t allowed to travel as checked baggage in the hold of the plane.
It may also be possible to fly a snub nosed cat or dog as cargo with Thai Airways, but you should discuss this with your veterinarian.
When flying with a snub-nosed pet in the cabin, remember that you need to add 10% to your IATA compliant pet carrier calculation.
Thai Airways Policy for Assistance & Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)
Fully trained and registered Assistance & Service Dogs (SVANs) are allowed to fly in the cabin free of charge with Thai Airways.
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.
Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSVDs) are therefore permitted to fly to and from the USA with Thai Airways. However, as Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) aren’t trained to perform a specific task for their owner, ESAs can’t fly under the Thai Airways Assistance & Service Dog policy. If you’re flying an ESA with Thai Airways, they must travel under the standard Thai Airways pet travel policy.
Thai Airways Excluded Pet Flight Routes
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.
At present, the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) has extended the ban on dogs travelling to the USA from more than 100 high risk rabies countries. If your dog has visited any of these countries in the last six months, the same rules apply.
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 or Asia at the moment. So, there’s no data available for incidents when flying pets in the hold with Thai Airways.
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 pose a serious pet threat in Southern Europe.
You might also want to check out 10 Pet Friendly Airlines in the EU, 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 Thai Airways 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 pet travel review for Air France if you fly your pet cat or dog, in the cabin or hold!
Related Pages
