Dogs coming to France in the cabin...worried....

[KMM]

Hello,

My dog is coming with me to France.

I am (probably worrying to much about this but...) flying Air France LAX to CDG.

Air France states they allow dogs in the cabin if they weigh under ............now I have to try and remember what their site says...I believe it is 6 kilos....might be 5.. My dog is a bit over that...

She's a Westie and on the small side...she weighs 15 pounds.

Question: Has anyone actually been asked by to remove their dog from the carrier to be weighed. Mine fits nicely (can stand up ...turn around etc) in a large Sherpa carrier...

A health certificate is necessary for travel to France....it would list her weight... has anyone had any experience with a small dog heaver than the stated weight flying in the cabin.

Has anyone had experience with their dog in the cargo section of an Air France flight.

Just worried...........

Thanks so very much,

K

[rynd2it]

Originally Posted by KMM

Hello,

My dog is coming with me to France.

I am (probably worrying to much about this but...) flying Air France LAX to CDG.

Air France states they allow dogs in the cabin if they weigh under ............now I have to try and remember what their site says...I believe it is 6 kilos....might be 5.. My dog is a bit over that...

She's a Westie and on the small side...she weighs 15 pounds.

Question: Has anyone actually been asked by to remove their dog from the carrier to be weighed. Mine fits nicely (can stand up ...turn around etc) in a large Sherpa carrier...

A health certificate is necessary for travel to France....it would list her weight... has anyone had any experience with a small dog heaver than the stated weight flying in the cabin.

Has anyone had experience with their dog in the cargo section of an Air France flight.

Just worried...........

Thanks so very much,

K

Hi Karin,

This probably isn't that relevant but we brought our cat with us to the US years ago and they (American Airlines) insisted she went into the hold in the cat carrier. It was a 12 hour flight (LHR - LAX) and we handed the cat over two hours before flight time - removed from the carrier for X-Ray - and picked her up 2 hours after landing and clearing immigration etc. She was fine - no problem at all, no mess in the carrier - nothing.

We (read SWMBO) were worried the whole time of course, but completely unnecessarily.

Hope it helps

David

[camp0332]

Hi Karin,

I am about to be in a similar situation. I will be moving to France soon and I need to bring my dog with me. He looks very small, but he actually weights about 22 lbs (most people think he's only 8 lbs though when they see him). I refuse to put him in the cargo hold though.

Most airlines seem to have much lower limits on how much your dog can weigh on international flights (around what you said Air France's limit is). I did some research and found the following carriers that have higher weight limits (in case you haven't booked your flight yet):

Delta (no stated limit, though I'm going to call and check)
United (no stated limit)
Air Canada (22lbs)
Lufthansa (18lbs)
Swiss Air (18lbs)

It seemed like some types of planes could not fit dogs under the seats in First/Business Class, so you should be careful of that. Additionally, you need to call and book the room for your dog on the flight well in advance, as they have a limit on the number of pets allowed on each flight.

I'd love to hear from anyone else though to know if they weigh your pet or not at the airport. I'm having a lot of anxiety about this too.

There's also a cruise line that allows dogs on Transatlantic trips (Cunard)...

I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes!

[KMM]

Originally Posted by rynd2it

Hi Karin,

This probably isn't that relevant but we brought our cat with us to the US years ago and they (American Airlines) insisted she went into the hold in the cat carrier. It was a 12 hour flight (LHR - LAX) and we handed the cat over two hours before flight time - removed from the carrier for X-Ray - and picked her up 2 hours after landing and clearing immigration etc. She was fine - no problem at all, no mess in the carrier - nothing.

We (read SWMBO) were worried the whole time of course, but completely unnecessarily.

Hope it helps

David

Hi David,

Thank you....... so worried about this.
Thanks for letting me know...(yes this is relevant...)

Best,

Karin

[KMM]

Originally Posted by camp0332

Hi Karin,

I am about to be in a similar situation. I will be moving to France soon and I need to bring my dog with me. He looks very small, but he actually weights about 22 lbs (most people think he's only 8 lbs though when they see him). I refuse to put him in the cargo hold though.

Most airlines seem to have much lower limits on how much your dog can weigh on international flights (around what you said Air France's limit is). I did some research and found the following carriers that have higher weight limits (in case you haven't booked your flight yet):

Delta (no stated limit, though I'm going to call and check)
United (no stated limit)
Air Canada (22lbs)
Lufthansa (18lbs)
Swiss Air (18lbs)

It seemed like some types of planes could not fit dogs under the seats in First/Business Class, so you should be careful of that. Additionally, you need to call and book the room for your dog on the flight well in advance, as they have a limit on the number of pets allowed on each flight.

I'd love to hear from anyone else though to know if they weigh your pet or not at the airport. I'm having a lot of anxiety about this too.

There's also a cruise line that allows dogs on Transatlantic trips (Cunard)...

I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes!

Hi Camp,

Thank you!!!

I understand (exactly) how you feel.

I looked at American carriers about a year ago and at that time none would transport a pet in the cabin at any weight internationally...Will look again.

Swiss Air and Lufthansa are good possibilities. Thank you.

I have flown within the US numerous times with my dog in the cabin. Was always able to get her carrier under the seat (economy) in front of mine. The 777's offered the best underseat space...the Airbus was terrible...would not do this again.

Thank you for writing...

Wishing you the best of luck flying with your 'little" guy .

Karin

[Californiagirl]

Originally Posted by KMM

Hello,

My dog is coming with me to France.

I am (probably worrying to much about this but...) flying Air France LAX to CDG.

Air France states they allow dogs in the cabin if they weigh under ............now I have to try and remember what their site says...I believe it is 6 kilos....might be 5.. My dog is a bit over that...

She's a Westie and on the small side...she weighs 15 pounds.

Question: Has anyone actually been asked by to remove their dog from the carrier to be weighed. Mine fits nicely (can stand up ...turn around etc) in a large Sherpa carrier...

A health certificate is necessary for travel to France....it would list her weight... has anyone had any experience with a small dog heaver than the stated weight flying in the cabin.

Has anyone had experience with their dog in the cargo section of an Air France flight.

Just worried...........

Thanks so very much,

K

Hi KMM,

I've posted about this before, but I've flown with my 65lb child in the cargo both on Air France (LAX to CDG) and Northwest (Francfort to Atlanta). Both were good, but Air France is about 3x more expensive than Northwest and they weren't as accommodating. Other than that, the trip was easy for my dog but quite stressful for me.

You will need an international health certificate that has been stamped by the USDA. The cost of the int'l health certificate varies with the vet, but the USDA stamp takes about 30 minutes and costs roughly $25. Also, make sure you take copies of the rabies certificate and any other vaccinations you have. It's likely they won't ask for them, but be prepared. Also, if there is any question about the validity of your visa you will be stopped and questioned in Paris.

Hope that helps. I know it's stressful but flying with your pets in cargo isn't as bad as it seems.

Caligirl

[KMM]

Originally Posted by Californiagirl

Hi KMM,

I've posted about this before, but I've flown with my 65lb child in the cargo both on Air France (LAX to CDG) and Northwest (Francfort to Atlanta). Both were good, but Air France is about 3x more expensive than Northwest and they weren't as accommodating. Other than that, the trip was easy for my dog but quite stressful for me.

You will need an international health certificate that has been stamped by the USDA. The cost of the int'l health certificate varies with the vet, but the USDA stamp takes about 30 minutes and costs roughly $25. Also, make sure you take copies of the rabies certificate and any other vaccinations you have. It's likely they won't ask for them, but be prepared. Also, if there is any question about the validity of your visa you will be stopped and questioned in Paris.

Hope that helps. I know it's stressful but flying with your pets in cargo isn't as bad as it seems.

Caligirl

Hi Caligirl,

Thank you for this... It helps quite a lot when I hear positive stories.

I'm not sure how long (time wise) the health certificate is good once stamped USDA & signed by vet... I'm thinking 30 days but this may not be correct...will find out.

Will also make multiple copies of everything health related. I don't need a visa so one less worry...

Thank your for writing... YES it helps.

Best,

Karin

[Coton90]

Originally Posted by KMM

Hi Caligirl,

Thank you for this... It helps quite a lot when I hear positive stories.

I'm not sure how long (time wise) the health certificate is good once stamped USDA & signed by vet... I'm thinking 30 days but this may not be correct...will find out.

Will also make multiple copies of everything health related. I don't need a visa so one less worry...

Thank your for writing... YES it helps.

Best,

Karin

Hello Karin,

We brought our dog to France via Germany. This is the link that provided the information we needed. German Missions in the United States - Pets: Cats, Dogs, Ferrets

I'm pretty sure France plays by the same rules. Please note, there are two certificates required, a vet certificate and a health certificate. The vet certificate can be downloaded on the French Embassy website.

Please also note that there is a requirement to have a microchip in-plant. Up until 2011, a tattoo is permitted in lieu of a microchip.

Our dog flew in the cabin with us but both dog and container were under Lufthansa's 18 lb limit. No one asked to weigh the dog and no one even bothered to look at the paperwork once we arrived at Frankfurt. Good Luck.