Can You Fly with a Dog in the Cabin Out of Australia?

For owners of dogs small enough to fly in the cabin, it’s understandable that it’s far less stressful to fly with your pet in the cabin. Recently, the rules for flying with pet in Australia have changed and there is no longer any prohibition on flying with pets in the cabin on flights departing Australia. Find out what airlines accept dogs in the cabin when flying out of Australia.

Are Dogs Allowed in the Cabin on Flights out of Australia?

In December 2021, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, the regulatory authority for flights in Australia, altered the rules relating to flying with pets. The new rules allow pets to fly in the cabin of planes within Australia, leaving the decision up to individual airlines and their regulations.

Note though that this doesn’t apply for international flights to Australia. This is because this rule is overridden by Australia’s strict biosecurity rules, with the rules for importing pets to Australia stating that “your cat or dog must travel to Australia as manifest cargo”. This rules out pets flying in the cabin into Australia on regular commercial flights.

However, there is no such prohibition on flying with pets in the cabin on flights departing Australia – it’s simply up to the individual airline.

What Airlines Allow Pets in the Cabin on Flights Departing Australia?

Whether or not pets are allowed to fly in the cabin on flights departing Australia comes down to each individual airline and their rules. And while there are many airlines that still don’t allow pets to fly in the cabin on their flights, only as cargo or not at all, there are a handful of airlines that allow pets to fly in the cabin.

Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways is an airline based in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. A few years ago some keen eyes spotted on their website that Australia was only listed as a destination that you couldn’t fly with pets to, not from. However, initially it was suspected that this was a typo, as there were no reports of anyone flying with pets on Etihad and it was difficult to contact the airline for confirmation.

In recent years though I’ve come across multiple reports of pets flying on Etihad flights out of Australia in the cabin (including this one on the Guardian), so yes, they are an option for flying with your pet in the cabin out of Australia. Recently though, this option only applies on flights out of Melbourne, not their flights out of Sydney, due to unknown operational reasons.

Pets flying in the cabin with Etihad can weigh no more than 8kg, including their carrier. However, there is the option to buy the adjacent seat – this allows for a far larger carrier bag with a height up to 50cm, and is the only option in business class. The pet fees though are far higher than any other airline – $1500 USD per flight, not including the fee for an additional seat.

For more information, see the full Etihad pet policy.

Korean Air

The other main airline I’ve heard reports of allowing pets to fly in the cabin on flights out of Australia is Korean Air. While not as convenient for flights to and from Europe, there are still plenty of connecting flights once you arrive in Seoul, without the eyewatering pet fee charged by Etihad.

Pets flying in the cabin on Korean Air have a lower maximum weight, including their carrier, of 7kg. Soft-sided carriers should be a maximum size of 45 x 32 x 25cm, with a reasonable charge of 300,000 KRW ($325 AUD) on long-haul international flights.

Just a note – on the Korean Air website, it seems to say that pets are not accepted in the cabin on flights in Australia. However, I believe this just refers to flights to Australia. There are definitely many reports I’ve heard of people flying with pets on Korean Air leaving the country! Currently the airline flies to both Brisbane and Sydney.

For further details, see the complete Korean Air pet policy.

Other Possible Airlines

There are handful of other airlines that these rules may apply to, although I haven’t heard reliable reports of dog owners flying on these airlines.

For starters, it’s a possibility either currently or in the future on these Asian airlines that allow pets in the cabin on selected flights and operate flights to and from Australia:

• Air India – Specifically rules out flying pets to or from Australia in the cabin
• Asiana Airlines – This Korean airline doesn’t list countries by name where pets are not allowed in the cabin, but I haven’t heard any reports of them flying pets out of Australia
• Royal Jordanian – While Royal Jordanian flies to and from Australia, they only allow pets in the cabin on flights up to five hours, ruling out Australia
• Turkish Airlines – Turkish Airlines recently started flying to and from Australia, but doesn’t mention whether pets are prohibited on these flights. Due to the current fuel stop, pets are likely not allowed onboard

• t’way Air – This Korean airline flies to Sydney, but Sydney is listed as one of the unavailable routes of their website, along with most international destinations
• Vietnam Airlines: On their website, it is listed that pets are not allowed on Australia flights due to government regulations, but it’s not clear whether this is only flights to Australia or both directions

Note that Virgin Australia’s trial to allow pets in the cabin applies only on selected domestic flights, not on international flights. Also, many of the other major airlines flying in and out of Australia don’t allow pets in the cabin at all, including Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Emirates and British Airways. And while most American airlines allow pets in the cabin, they often exclude it on long haul routes, and definitely on routes to and from Australia.

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