Air France Pet Policy: A US Traveler's Guide for 2026

If you are flying a pet from the US to Paris or beyond, Air France is one of the more pet-friendly transatlantic carriers, but its rules are layered and they shift by route. This guide explains how the airline handles cats and dogs in the cabin, in the hold, and via cargo, what the weight and breed limits look like, and which US documents you need. Treat every fee and weight figure here as an approximate guide. Air France updates these numbers regularly and they differ between a domestic French hop and an intercontinental flight, so confirm the current rules on Air France's official pet page before you book.

The three ways a pet flies Air France

Air France splits pet travel into three lanes based on the combined weight of the animal plus its carrier or crate. Small pets ride in the cabin under the seat in front of you. Medium and larger pets travel in the climate-controlled hold as accompanied baggage. The largest animals, or pets the airline cannot accept as baggage, move through Air France KLM Martinair Cargo as freight. Which lane you fall into is decided almost entirely by weight, with breed and route layered on top.

If you are weighing the cabin against the hold for your own dog, our explainer on pet cargo versus in-cabin travel walks through the trade-offs in more detail.

Air France in-cabin pet rules

For cabin travel, Air France generally allows one cat or small dog per passenger when the animal plus its soft carrier weighs no more than about 8 kg (roughly 17.6 lb), according to the airline's published guidance. The carrier must be a soft, ventilated bag that fits under the seat in front of you. Reported maximum carrier dimensions are around 46 x 28 x 24 cm, though Air France lists the exact figure on its own pet page and it is worth checking against your bag before you travel.

The pet has to stay inside the closed carrier for the whole flight. Note that pets are typically not accepted in the premium cabins (Business and La Premiere) on long-haul intercontinental flights, so a cabin pet usually means an economy or premium economy seat. For the broader mechanics of bringing a dog into the cabin on any carrier, see our guide to flying with a dog in cabin.

Checked or hold travel for larger pets

If your dog plus its crate weighs more than the cabin limit, the pet travels in the hold as accompanied animal baggage (often shown as AVIH in airline systems). Air France's published guidance indicates it accepts pets in the hold up to a combined weight of roughly 75 kg including the crate, which covers most large breeds. The hold is pressurized and temperature-controlled, and the pet must travel in a rigid, IATA-compliant kennel.

Hold travel carries extra restrictions tied to season and aircraft, and it is the lane where breed rules bite hardest (see below). If your pet is over the hold ceiling, or the airline declines to carry it as baggage, the remaining option is freight via Air France KLM Martinair Cargo, which handles booking, crating standards, and customs as a separate cargo transaction rather than a passenger add-on.

Air France pet fees and weight bands at a glance

The table below summarizes how the three lanes line up. The fee ranges are indicative only: Air France prices pets by route band, and the same dog can cost very different amounts on a domestic French flight versus a long-haul to the US. Always price your specific itinerary on airfrance.us.

Breed restrictions: snub-nosed and category dogs

Two separate breed rules matter here, and they trip up a lot of US travelers.

First, brachycephalic (snub-nosed or flat-faced) dogs and cats face hold restrictions because their airways make them vulnerable to heat and breathing stress in cargo holds. Breeds commonly affected include Bulldogs, Pugs, Boxers, Boston Terriers, Pekingese, and Shih Tzus. These dogs may still qualify for the cabin if they meet the weight limit, but Air France generally will not carry them in the hold, and it restricts some of them from freight too. Check the exact breed list on the official pet page, as it changes.

Second, France classifies certain dogs as dangerous under national law. Category 1 dogs (attack-type dogs without pedigree, such as pit-bull-type American Staffordshire Terriers, Mastiffs, and Tosas) are generally barred from Air France flights entirely. Category 2 dogs (their pedigreed equivalents and Rottweiler-type dogs) face tight conditions and are typically accepted only under restricted arrangements, often as cargo with advance approval. If your dog could fall into either category, contact Air France directly and confirm in writing before you commit to a ticket.

Crate standards, pets per passenger, and how to book

Air France follows the live-animal container standards set by IATA. For hold and cargo travel, that means a rigid kennel that is leak-proof and ventilated on multiple sides, with the pet able to stand, turn around, and lie down naturally. A cabin carrier must be soft and fit under the seat. Air France typically limits passengers to one pet in the cabin, and additional pets generally have to travel in the hold or cargo.

Pet spots are limited per flight and cannot usually be added online at checkout. Air France asks travelers to arrange pet travel in advance, commonly by phone, and to do so well before departure (the airline points to a window of at least a couple of days out, but spaces fill, so earlier is safer). Book the pet at the same time as your own ticket so you are not locked into a flight that has no remaining animal capacity.

Documentation for US travelers flying to France

Air France's airline rules sit on top of the EU's import requirements, and those are the documents that get scrutinized on arrival. For a dog or cat leaving the US for France or another EU country, the USDA APHIS pet travel guidance sets out the core chain: an ISO-compliant microchip implanted before the rabies shot, a valid rabies vaccination, and an EU health certificate completed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian.

The order matters. The microchip must come first, then the rabies vaccination, and the EU health certificate is issued close to travel and then endorsed by USDA APHIS before you fly. Timing windows are strict and the certificate is only valid for a limited period after endorsement, so build in a buffer. Our overview of the pet health certificate for travel and our guide to pet transport to France cover the sequence in plain terms.

Service dogs and how Air France compares

Trained service dogs are handled separately from pet travel and typically fly in the cabin free of the standard pet fee, subject to documentation and advance arrangement. Because policies for assistance animals differ by route and have tightened across the industry, confirm the current requirements and paperwork directly with Air France well ahead of travel.

If you are comparing transatlantic carriers, it is worth lining Air France up against its peers. Our guides to Lufthansa pet transport, British Airways pet transport, and the KLM pet policy (KLM is Air France's group partner and shares much of the cargo operation) help you see where the weight bands, cabin allowances, and breed rules diverge.

The bottom line

Air France gives US pet owners a workable path to Europe across cabin, hold, and cargo, with a cabin limit around 8 kg, a hold ceiling near 75 kg including the crate, and a hard line on category dogs and snub-nosed breeds in the hold. The catch is that the numbers move. Use this guide to understand the structure, then verify every fee, weight, and breed detail on airfrance.us and the USDA APHIS site for your exact route before you buy a ticket.