Most travel search tells you the price and the flight time. It does not tell you the thing that matters when an animal is coming with you: whether it travels beside you or in the hold, and whether the country you are entering allows that at all. This section answers those two questions first, across flights, trains and ferries.
Cabin, checked baggage or manifest cargo — which of the three a carrier offers depends on the airline, the weight of the animal and the country you are entering. Weight limits, fees and breed restrictions come from our own airline reference.
No weight limits and no breed bans: the animal stays with you. Rules differ by operator — a muzzle, a ticket, a carrier of a given size. Eurostar is the exception and carries recognised assistance dogs only.
Pet-friendly cabins, on-board kennels, or the animal staying in your vehicle for the whole crossing. For arriving into Great Britain with a pet this is usually the only way to travel together.
No commercial airline may carry a pet into Great Britain in the cabin or as checked baggage — that is a government rule, not an airline policy, and only recognised assistance dogs are exempt. Australia and New Zealand add quarantine on arrival. Rules like these decide the answer before any carrier is considered, which is why they are applied first and shown with the source they came from.
A task-trained assistance dog from an accredited programme travels in the cabin free of charge regardless of its size or breed, and is exempt from most entry bans. Emotional support animals are not assistance animals under EU and UK rules — carriers book them as ordinary pets.
It depends on three things at once: the airline, the weight of the animal with its carrier, and the country you are entering. Trains and ferries have no weight limits — the animal stays with you either way.
No. No commercial airline may carry a pet into Great Britain in the cabin or as checked baggage — that is a government rule, not an airline policy. Pets arrive as manifest cargo, or you travel together by ferry or through the Channel Tunnel. Only recognised assistance dogs are exempt.
Yes. A task-trained assistance dog from an accredited programme travels in the cabin free of charge regardless of its size or breed, and is exempt from most entry bans. Only dogs qualify — a cat cannot be registered as an assistance animal.
Not under EU and UK rules. Carriers book emotional support animals as ordinary pets, so the weight limits, fees and breed restrictions all still apply.
Airlines refuse brachycephalic breeds — bulldogs, pugs, boxers, Persian cats — in cargo on breathing-risk grounds. Rail and sea have no breed limits, which for these animals is usually the realistic route.
Country entry requirements in detail: country guides. Carrier policies in detail: airline guides. Traveller ratings of carriers: airline ratings.
