Condor, the German leisure airline with direct flights between Germany and North America, carries dogs and cats in the cabin and in the hold. A small pet can fly in the cabin if the pet and carrier together weigh 8 kg (17.6 lb) or less. On a flight between Germany and the US, the cabin fee is USD 115 per leg and the hold fee is USD 185 or USD 310 per leg depending on the width of the crate. Two rules catch people out: hold pets can only be booked on direct flights, and Condor will not carry pets at all, in the cabin or the hold, on its routes to China, Jamaica, Mauritius, South Africa or the United Arab Emirates.
This guide follows Condor's own travelling with pets page as read in October 2026. Prices and rules change, so confirm the details with Condor before you book, and check the entry rules for every country on your route.
Condor pet rules at a glance
The table brings together the numbers most people look for first. Fees are in US dollars as Condor shows them on its US site, per person and per flight leg.
| Rule | Cabin | Hold |
|---|---|---|
| Animals covered | Dogs and cats (other small pets by request) | Dogs and cats |
| Weight limit | 8 kg (17.6 lb) pet plus carrier | Set by crate size; give Condor the total weight |
| Carrier or crate size | 55 x 40 x 23 cm (21.6 x 15.7 x 9 in) | 80 x 55 x 100 cm, or 125 x 75 x 100 cm |
| Fee, Germany or Europe | USD 75 | USD 95 (55 cm crate), USD 185 (75 cm crate) |
| Fee, USA or Canada | USD 115 | USD 185 (55 cm crate), USD 310 (75 cm crate) |
| Booking deadline | Up to 24 hours before departure | Up to 48 hours before departure, direct flights only |
| Unregistered at the airport | From USD 145 per leg | From USD 170 or USD 260 per leg |
| No pets at all | China, Jamaica, Mauritius, South Africa, UAE (Egypt: cabin only) | |
Which animals Condor carries
Condor's pet page is written for dogs and cats, which it says covers the large majority of requests. If you want to fly with another small pet, such as a rabbit or a bird, Condor asks you to contact its customer service before booking so it can look at the request. Do not assume an answer either way: the decision depends on the animal, the aircraft and the destination country's import rules.
Condor limits the number of dogs and cats on each flight, in the cabin and in the hold. It does not publish the exact number, so the practical rule is to book the pet as soon as you book your own seat, especially on popular summer routes where several families may be moving with animals at once.
Flying with a pet in the Condor cabin
In the cabin, your dog or cat stays in a closed carrier under the seat in front of you for the whole flight. The carrier has to be breathable, waterproof and lockable, meet the IATA live animal rules, and leave room for the pet to stand, lie down and turn around naturally. Condor allows one animal per carrier, and the carrier with the animal inside can weigh no more than 8 kg.
The maximum carrier size is 55 x 40 x 23 cm, the same as Condor's carry-on bag dimensions. A useful detail: the pet carrier is in addition to the carry-on allowance of your fare, so you can still bring your normal cabin bag. Book the cabin pet up to 24 hours before departure. If you want practical tips for getting a small dog ready for this, see our guide to flying with a dog in the cabin.
Some seats are off limits for passengers with a pet. Condor does not allow animals in Business Class on its A330neo aircraft, in emergency exit rows or in seats behind cabin partitions. If you are planning to fly Business on a long-haul A330neo, a cabin pet will not be possible, so either book Premium Economy or Economy or plan for the hold.
Condor cabin fees by route
Condor prices pets by route, per person and per leg. The cabin fees on its US site are:
- Flights within Germany: USD 75.
- Short-haul Europe (to and from Germany, France, Italy, Croatia, Austria, Faro in Portugal, Switzerland, mainland Spain and the Czech Republic): USD 75.
- Short and medium-haul (Egypt, Armenia, Greece, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Turkey and Cyprus): USD 90.
- Medium and long-haul (including the USA, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Thailand, Kenya, Tanzania, the Maldives, the Seychelles and several Caribbean islands): USD 115.
To work out a trip, add up the fee for each leg. Condor's own example is Palma de Mallorca to New York through Frankfurt: you pay the Palma to Frankfurt fee, then the Frankfurt to New York fee, and the same again for the return. If one leg is operated by a partner airline, that airline's fee and rules apply to that leg instead.
Flying with a pet in the Condor hold
Larger dogs travel in the hold in a rigid crate. When you book, Condor asks for the weight of the animal including the crate, the exact crate dimensions and, for dogs, the breed. Condor works with two crate widths, 55 cm and 75 cm, and the fee depends on which one you use.
- Crate up to 55 cm wide (maximum 80 x 55 x 100 cm): USD 95 within Germany and Europe, USD 125 on medium-haul routes, USD 185 on long-haul routes including the USA and Canada.
- Crate up to 75 cm wide (maximum 125 x 75 x 100 cm): USD 185 within Germany and Europe, USD 240 on medium-haul routes, USD 310 on long-haul routes including the USA and Canada.
Hold pets must be booked at least 48 hours before departure, and only on direct flights, because Condor cannot transfer the crate to a flight operated by another airline. Condor uses the same counting method as the cabin: a connection on two Condor flights is two legs and two fees. A crate that is close to the 55 cm width is worth measuring carefully, since moving up to the 75 cm band adds USD 125 to a transatlantic leg. Our guide to choosing a pet transport crate explains how to size one from your dog's measurements.
The direct-flight rule for hold pets
Condor's hold reservations are only for direct flights because the crate cannot be handed to another airline. In practice this matters most for travelers starting outside Condor's network. If you live in a US city Condor does not serve and plan to connect onto a Condor flight from a domestic US flight, the pet in the hold cannot be checked through. You would need to drive to a Condor gateway, or use a pet shipper who books the animal as cargo. If both flights are Condor flights, register the pet for both.
Connections are also where the cost of a pet trip creeps up. Our guide to connecting flights with a pet covers how long a layover should be and what happens to a pet between flights.
Where Condor will not fly pets
Condor publishes a short list of routes with no pet service:
- No pets in the cabin or the hold to or from China, Jamaica, Mauritius, South Africa or the United Arab Emirates.
- Egypt is a split case: a small pet can fly in the cabin (USD 90), but Condor does not carry animals in the hold to or from Egypt.
If your move involves one of these countries, the realistic option is a specialist shipper using air cargo, often on another airline. The list can change, so check the pet page again close to booking.
Register early: the airport surcharge
Condor does not guarantee carriage of animals that were not registered in advance, and it charges more if you turn up with an unregistered pet. In the cabin the airport fee starts at USD 145 per leg (120 euros, Swiss francs or pounds at European airports). In the hold it starts at USD 170 or USD 260 per leg depending on the crate size (from 140 euros). The airport sets the exact currency and amount. Beyond the cost, an unregistered pet may simply be turned away if the per-flight limit is already full.
The Live Animal Acceptance Checklist
Every passenger flying with a pet, in the cabin or the hold, has to print Condor's Live Animal Acceptance Checklist, fill it in and present it at the check-in counter at the start of the trip. It is a short PDF linked from the pet page. Bring it completed rather than filling it in at the desk, and keep a copy for the return flight. By registering a pet you also agree to Condor's conditions of carriage for animals, which are worth reading once before you travel.
Flying a dog from Germany to the US on Condor
Condor is popular with families moving between Germany and the US because of its many direct routes from Frankfurt. On the US side, every dog must meet the CDC import rules: at least 6 months old, microchipped, healthy on arrival and travelling with a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. Germany is not on the CDC's high-risk list, which keeps the paperwork simpler for a dog that has only been in Germany, but a dog that has spent time in a high-risk country in the last 6 months faces extra steps. The CDC dog import page has the current rules, and our guide to importing a dog into the US walks through each case.
Cats need no CDC form to enter the US, though some US states have their own rules. Check the destination state before you fly.
Flying a pet from the US to Germany on Condor
Going the other way, the EU rules apply. A dog or cat needs an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination given after the microchip, a 21-day wait after a first vaccination and an EU animal health certificate completed by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed by USDA APHIS within the allowed window before travel. The European Commission's pet movement page sets out the EU rules, and the USDA pet travel export page lists the steps for each country. Our guide to pet transport to Germany covers the German specifics.
A sample plan for a medium dog
Say you are flying from a US Condor gateway to Frankfurt with a 20 kg dog in a crate 52 cm wide. A workable plan looks like this:
- Measure the dog and buy an IATA-style crate that fits within 80 x 55 x 100 cm.
- Book your seat on the direct Condor flight, then register the dog for the hold straight away with the total weight, crate size and breed.
- Expect USD 185 for the hold on the transatlantic leg.
- Get the EU health certificate from a USDA-accredited vet and have it endorsed within the allowed time.
- Print and complete the Live Animal Acceptance Checklist.
- Arrive early, since a pet adds time at the check-in desk.
For a 5 kg cat in a soft carrier on the same route, the plan is shorter: book the cabin pet at least 24 hours ahead, avoid Business on the A330neo, and expect USD 115 per leg.
Service dogs on Condor
Condor's pet page links to separate guidance for service and assistance dogs, including what to do if a dog is not accepted as a companion dog. Rules for trained service dogs differ from pet rules, including fees. If your dog is a trained service dog, contact Condor before booking and have its documents ready. Emotional support animals are generally handled as pets on transatlantic flights.
Common mistakes with Condor pet bookings
- Planning a hold pet on a connection with another airline, which Condor does not allow.
- Booking Business on the A330neo and expecting to keep a small dog under the seat.
- Weighing the pet but not the carrier, then failing the 8 kg check.
- Forgetting the printed Live Animal Acceptance Checklist.
- Turning up without registering the pet, which raises the fee and risks a refusal.
- Assuming every Condor route takes pets: China, Jamaica, Mauritius, South Africa and the UAE do not.
Condor compared with other options
For a transatlantic move with a large dog, Condor's hold fees are among the lower ones published by a European carrier, but the direct-flight rule narrows the choice of airports. Lufthansa connects through Frankfurt and Munich and handles transfers within its own network. If you are weighing several airlines for a move from Europe, our guide to pet transport from Europe to the US compares the main routes and costs.