Lufthansa Pet Policy

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When transporting a pet by a commercial airline, it is extremely important to understand their pet policy. These policies vary between airlines. Some allow small pets to fly in the cabin and others don’t. It is important to know the answers to all your questions before making your decision to fly your pet on any commercial airline. Can my pet fly in the cabin on Lufthansa? How much does it cost to fly a dog or cat on Lufthansa? What documents will I need? What are the carrier or crate requirements for Lufthansa? All your answers related to Lufthansa pet policy are answered below.

Note: It is important to mention that the pet policy of the airline that operates your pet’s route will preside over the policy of the airline that owns the route. This is important to note because if the operating airline changes during your trip, then you will likely need to claim and recheck your pet on the next airline. This will cause you to clear customs and enter the layover country. You will need time and extra documentation to accommodate this process during the layover unless flying domestically.

Classes of service offered to pets by commercial airlines

In-Cabin: Pets traveling in the cabin must fly with an adult passenger and travel in an airline compliant
carrier stowed under the seat.
Checked Baggage: Pets traveling with a passenger that are not permitted in the cabin due to size or breed can be transported as checked baggage in the cargo hold.
Air Cargo: Unaccompanied, very large pets or pets flying to countries that require that pets enter under air cargo will travel as manifest cargo in the hold.

Can my pet fly with me in the cabin? Yes (Certain Flights)
Can my pet fly with me as checked baggage? Yes
Can my pet fly as manifest cargo? Yes

Where is Lufthansa based?

Lufthansa [IATA:LH] is based out of Frankfurt Airport in Germany. Most layovers within Lufthansa’s network will occur in this airport.

What countries does Lufthansa fly to?

Lufthansa offers service to pets to the following countries: Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, V=Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Breece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sebia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States*.

*Regulations for dogs flying to the United States have changed. Find new regulations to import a dog to the United States here. New bookings for dogs to the USA will only be accepted for the airports in Washington DC, New York-JFK, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Lufthansa Pet Policy – In Cabin

If your dog or cat meets the requirements listed in Lufthansa’s pet policy to fly in the cabin, it will need an airline-compliant pet carrier unless you are flying with a service dog who is trained to assist you in a task required to address a physical or medical disability.

Pets allowed flown by Lufthansa in the cabin

Small dogs and cats are accepted to fly in the cabin on Lufthansa. Pets must be clean, healthy, harmless and mannerly.

Reservations

You must make a booking on Lufthansa for your dog or cat to fly in the cabin at least 72 hours prior to departure. If this is not possible, then contact the Lufthansa Service Center more than 24 hours prior to departure.

Age/Weight requirements

The minimum age for transport in the cabin is 12 weeks (15 weeks for German destinations); however, the minimum age will depend on the destination country’s requirements. For example, the United States requires a minimum age of 6 months for dogs entering from any country.

The maximum weight of your pet including its carrier is 17 lbs. (8 kg).

Pet carrier requirements

Your pet’s carrier must:

Have adequate ventilation on at least three sides (domestic) or four sides (international)
Be large enough for your pet to stand up and turn around comfortably
Be able to accommodate your entire pet. No part of your pet can extend out of the carrier
Be able to fit under the seat in front of you
Have a waterproof bottom and absorbent pet pad
Have secure fasteners (heavy duty zippers are recommended)

The maximum total pet carrier dimension that Lufthansa will accept in the cabin is 47 in (118 cm) with recommended measurements of 22″L x 16″W x 9″H (55 x 40 x 23 cm). One carrier per passenger is permitted. One pet per carrier is permitted with the following exceptions. There must be room in the carrier for the pets and the weight limit must not be exceeded.

Up to 2 pets of the same species, less than 6 months of age and compatible
Up to 2 adult pets of comparable size and compatible
Mother with 1 dependent puppy or kitten aged between 0-6 weeks

Exit row or bulkhead seats cannot be reserved when flying with a pet. Pets must remain in carriers for the duration of the flight.

Forms required

Lufthansa will require two copies of the Transporting an Animal in the Passenger Cabin Form submitted at check in. All pets flying internationally must have required documentation according to pet import regulations of the destination country.

The passenger assumes full responsibility and expense for complying with applicable laws, customs and/or other governmental regulations, requirements, or restrictions of the country, state or territory to and from which your pet is being transported. Upon arrival, health certificates, import permits, and other papers may be required by local authorities depending upon the route on which your pet is traveling.

Route restrictions

Pets will not be permitted to fly in the cabin on flights to the United Kingdom or United Arab Emirates.

Check in

Your pet should be presented at the departure airport ticket counter in its carrier between 2 and 3 hours prior to departure. You will pay the fee for your pet’s transport at the time of check in.

Pet fee

The cost to fly your pet in the cabin on Lufthansa is calculated by the route. See Lufthansa’s nifty price calculator here.

Service dog pet policy

All service dogs may fly in the cabin at no charge. They must be trained by a person or organization that specializes in service dog training to provide specific tasks for a person with a disability. Notice must be provided to the airline at least 48 hours prior to departure.

Service dogs must be suitably marked, harnessed, leashed and be attached to your seat belt with a pet harness. Muzzles are not required but recommended to have on hand. They must fit in the space provided at their passenger’s feet without intruding on cabin operations or other passengers. They will not be seated in exit rows. They must be clean, mannerly and not show any signs of aggression toward other passengers or the flight crew.

If flights do not involve the United States, a service dog is defined as a dog who assists a passenger with disabilities such as guide dog, hearing dog, diabetic alert dog, seizure alert dog. Only one service dog is allowed per passenger. Certification of training must be provided. A Transport of an Assistance Dog in the Cabin form must be completed and presented at check in, 2 hours prior to departure.

Passengers can register their assistance dogs in a number of ways:

Online registration of the assistance dog
An email to the Lufthansa Medical Operation Centre
An email to the Lufthansa Medical Operation Centre in the USA
Service Center
Through your travel agency

If flights involve the United States, passengers with disabilities including visual, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disabilities including a psychotherapeutic assistance dog. A maximum of 2 service dogs may accompany the passenger.

Department of Transportation forms must be completed and submitted to Lufthansa on or after the ticket purchase but at least 48 hours prior to departure to specialservice@dlh.de and the Lufthansa Medical Operation Center, otherwise they must be submitted at the ticket counter at check in.

All required documentation required for the destination country must be provided at check in.

All service dogs are subject to the same requirements as regular dogs when traveling internationally.

Emotional support animals, animals in training or therapy animals are not recognized by Lufthansa.

Lufthansa Pet Policy – Checked Baggage

If the size of your pet is too large to fit in an airline-compliant pet carrier, or it is a pet other than a cat or dog, it will be transported as checked baggage on Lufthansa if it is flying with an adult passenger. This section of the cargo department has the same temperature and pressure as the passenger cabin.

Live animals are checked in by reservation employees and are checked in at the airport terminal. The airline will move your pet between aircraft in their fleet during layovers if the layover is not over about three hours in length.

Pets flown by Lufthansa as checked baggage

Domesticated dogs, cats hares and rabbits. One animal is allowed per pet crate. Limit of two pets per passenger including those flying in-cabin. The number of pets per plane will depend on cargo demands.

Reservations

You must make a booking on Lufthansa for your dog or cat to fly as checked baggage at least 72 hours prior to departure. If this is not possible, then contact the Lufthansa Service Center more than 24 hours prior to departure.

Age requirements

Pet crate requirements

All crates must conform to regulations imposed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). For more information, see PET CRATE REQUIREMENTS.

Route or aircraft restrictions

Pets will not be permitted to fly as checked baggage on flights to the United Kingdom, Hong Kong or United Arab Emirates. Live animals cannot transit Munich in the cargo hold with the exception of assistance animals.

Forms Required

Lufthansa will require 2 copies of the Transporting an Animal in the Cargo Hold Form submitted at check in. All pets flying internationally must have required documentation according to pet import regulations of the destination country.

Check in

Your pet should be presented at the departure airport ticket counter in its crate between 2 and 3 hours prior to departure. You will pay your pet’s fee at the time of check in. You can complete your check in within 23 hours of departure; however, you must bring your pet to the ticket counter to check in.

Pet fee

The cost to fly your pet as checked baggage on Lufthansa is calculated by the route. See Lufthansa’s nifty price calculator here. For pets flying as checked baggage, a surcharge of EUR 150 / CHF 170 / USD 170 / CAD 220 is charged for transfers via Brussels, Geneva, Frankfurt, Vienna and Zurich.

Lufthansa Pet Policy – Air Cargo

All live animals flying as air cargo travel under an airline manifest or air waybill and are tracked throughout the entire flight. The airlines are responsible for caring for your pet during layovers as well. Unlike checked baggage, pets are generally checked in and claimed at the airline’s cargo facility. This facility is located on airport grounds; however, not the terminal. Many airlines require that an agent books the transport. If you need a licensed agent to arrange your pet’s transport, send us an email at info@pettraveltransport.com.

Pets flown by Lufthansa as air cargo

Lufthansa Cargo services larger animals, animals other than those carried in the cabin or checked baggage. pets, horses and exotic animals to ornamental fish, insects and livestock can be transported as air cargo. Animals can enjoy comfort stops at the Frankfurt Animal Lounge. Pet owners receive pictures of their pet at arrival and medications can be administered under Lufthansa’s Pet Premium program.

Reservations

All bookings must be made through registered agents. You can contact Lufthansa Service Center for more information.

Pet crate requirements

If you need to transport your pet in a crate that is more than 125 × 75 × 85 cm (49 x 29 x 33 inches), your pet will need to fly as air cargo. All crates must conform to regulations imposed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). For more information, see PET CRATE REQUIREMENTS.

Forms Required

A health certificate issued within 10 days of travel, proof of rabies vaccination (dogs, cats and ferrets) and all forms required for your destination country. For those pets protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), those permits must also be available.

The passenger or their agent assumes full responsibility and expense for complying with applicable laws, customs and/or other governmental regulations, requirements, or restrictions of the country, state or territory to and from which your pet is being transported. Upon arrival, health certificates, import permits, and other papers may be required by local authorities depending upon the route on which your pet is traveling.

Check in

Your pet will be checked in at the Lufthansa cargo facility which is located on airport grounds; however, with few exceptions, not at the airport terminal.

Pet fee

Your agent can quote you the cost of transporting your pet as air cargo.

Lufthansa Pet Crate Requirements

All pet crates must conform to regulations set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The container must be large enough for your pet(s) to stand, turn around, and lie down. The crate must be made of fiberglass, metal, rigid plastics, weld metal mesh, solid wood or plywood. There must be ventilation on all 4 sides of the crate with ventilation on the upper half of two-thirds of the crate.

The crate door must have a secure, spring-loaded, all-around locking system with the pins extending beyond the horizontal extrusions above and below the door. The floor must be waterproof. The crate must not have wheels attached when checking your pet. Metal hardware should be used to fasten the top and bottom halves of your pet crate together. Lufthansa requires either metal or plastic threaded nuts and bolts to secure both halves of the crate.

All crates must be labeled with LIVE ANIMAL stickers and a Shipping Declaration that includes feeding and watering instructions. Crates for hares and rabbits must be equipped with metal mesh over the ventilation holes preventing gnawing and not impairing the ventilation.

All pets should be acclimated to their crates prior to travel. This may take weeks or even months to accomplish; however it is the best thing you can do for your pet before flying.

Temperature Restrictions – Checked Baggage and Air Cargo

When temperatures rise above or drop under certain levels, commercial airlines will prohibit the transport of live animals in the cargo hold. These restrictions are implemented for the safety of your pet. It is important to note that the risk from high or low temperatures is not when your pet is airborne. The risks come during preflight holding, loading on the tarmac and taxiing to the take-off runway.

Lufthansa understands the additional risk to live animals transported during the higher temperatures of summer and lower temperatures of winter. If you are traveling from, transiting, or traveling to an area that is known for extremely high or low temperatures, you should confirm that Lufthansa will board your pet in the cargo hold.

Pets will not be accepted as checked baggage or air cargo when actual or forecasted temperatures are above 85°F (29.4°C) or below 45°F (7.2°C) at any airport on the itinerary. Pets may be accepted at temperatures below 45°F with an acclimation certificate, however, no pet will be transported at temperatures lower than 20°F (-6.6°C).

Note that the temperature restrictions for summer travel are lower for brachycephalic (snub-nosed) pets.

Cold-blooded animals are exempt from these restrictions.

Breeds Banned by Lufthansa

The following breeds have been classified as aggressive and must be transported in heavily reinforced crates conforming to IATA Container Requirement 82: American Bully, American bulldogs, Dogo Argentino, Karabash (Kangal) (Anatolian Shepherd dog), Caucasian Ovcharka (Caucasian Shepherd dog) and Rottweiler.

The following breeds are banned for import to Germany. They are permitted on transit or outbound flights: Pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, and Bull terrier.

The following breeds are classified as brachycephalic (snub- or flat-nosed) and must be flown as air cargo:

DOGS: Affenpinscher, American Bully (see also breeds and cross-breeds classified as fighting or dangerous dogs), Bulldog (all reeds except American bulldogs), Pug (all breeds), American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire Terrier, Boston terriers, Boxer, Brussels Griffon, Bull Mastiff, Bull terrier (Miniature Bull Terriers are not classified as snub-nosed or as fighting dogs), Chow Chow, English toy spaniel, Japanese chin, Japanese spaniel, Lhasa apso, Pekingese, Pit , Shar Pei, Shih Tzus, Staffordshire bull terriers and Tibetan Spaniel.

CATS: British short-haired cats, Exotic shorthairs, Himalayan cats, Persian cats, Scottish fold cats

Private Jet Charter

Another option for pet owners who do not want their pet to fly in the cargo hold is a pet-friendly private jet charter. Your pet can fly in your lap, at your feet or beside you comfortably without being confined. We can arrange flights from anywhere in the world to anywhere you need to go on your time schedule, without the crowds or commotion of a commercial airport.

Other Information

The information published here is a guideline for Lufthansa pet policy. For more pet friendly airline policies, click the banner below.

Classes of service offered to pets by commercial airlines

Where is Lufthansa based?

What countries does Lufthansa fly to?

Lufthansa Pet Policy – In Cabin

Pets allowed flown by Lufthansa in the cabin

Reservations

Age/Weight requirements

Pet carrier requirements

Forms required

Route restrictions

Check in

Pet fee

Service dog pet policy

Lufthansa Pet Policy – Checked Baggage

Pets flown by Lufthansa as checked baggage

Reservations

Age requirements

Pet crate requirements

Route or aircraft restrictions

Forms Required

Check in

Pet fee

Lufthansa Pet Policy – Air Cargo

Pets flown by Lufthansa as air cargo

Reservations

Pet crate requirements

Forms Required

Check in

Pet fee

Lufthansa Pet Crate Requirements

Temperature Restrictions – Checked Baggage and Air Cargo

Breeds Banned by Lufthansa

Private Jet Charter

Other Information

Further Reading

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