easyJet doesn't take pets. Its special assistance page puts it in one line: "Emotional support dogs and pets of any kind are forbidden for carriage on our aircraft." That rules out the cabin, the hold and any cargo option. The only animals easyJet carries are approved assistance dogs, and even those need paperwork sent in at least 48 hours before the flight.
If you have a cat or a small dog and an easyJet booking, you need a new plan. This guide covers what easyJet allows for assistance dogs, the six countries where even assistance dogs can't fly, and the airlines, trains and ferries in Europe that will take your pet instead. The rules come from easyJet's own help pages and its terms and conditions, checked in November 2026.
easyJet is especially popular with British travellers, and that makes the pet question harder than it first looks. UK rules don't let ordinary pets fly into Great Britain in an aircraft cabin on any airline. So for many easyJet customers the real answer is a car, a train or a ferry, not a different budget airline.
easyJet and the main alternatives
| Option | What it takes | Main limits | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| easyJet | Approved assistance dogs only | Not to or from Egypt, Israel, Kosovo, Montenegro, Morocco or Turkey; documents 48 hours ahead | Assistance dogs fly free |
| Transavia | Cats and dogs in the cabin | 8 kg with carrier, 40 x 30 x 24 cm, at least 15 weeks old | EUR 50 to 180 per pet each way |
| Vueling | Cats and dogs in the cabin | 10 kg with soft carrier, 45 x 39 x 21 cm, 5 per flight | From EUR 50 online |
| Full-service airlines | Cabin and hold on many routes | Cabin usually 8 kg; flights into Great Britain cargo only | Varies by airline |
| LeShuttle by car | Dogs, cats and ferrets in your vehicle | Up to 5 animals per vehicle, Pet Reception 90 minutes before | About GBP 22 to 24 per pet each way |
Other airlines change their pet fees and limits often, and their own pages sometimes disagree. Check the live booking flow before you pay.
The easyJet rule in plain terms
easyJet bans pets of every kind. A cat in a soft carrier, a chihuahua, a rabbit, a hamster in a travel box: none of them can fly. There is no fee you can pay to change that and no part of the aircraft set aside for animals. The airline's restricted items page says the same thing in different words, that animals are not allowed on its flights apart from recognised registered guide and assistance dogs.
Emotional support dogs are named directly in the ban. Some US travellers are surprised by this, but it now matches most of the industry. Even US airlines stopped treating emotional support animals as service animals in 2021. If you are not sure where your dog fits, our guide to service dogs, emotional support animals and therapy dogs sets out the differences.
Which assistance dogs easyJet accepts
easyJet accepts dogs trained by an organisation accredited by Assistance Dogs International or the International Guide Dog Federation on all its permitted routes. Dogs trained by other organisations may be accepted case by case, but only for travel within or between the EU and Switzerland. Outside that zone, an ADI or IGDF link is what gets the dog on board.
For US owners, that is the part that needs thought. In the US you can train your own service dog and fly with it on a domestic airline using the DOT forms. A self-trained dog may well be refused on easyJet, and outside the EU and Switzerland it almost certainly will be, because there is no accredited organisation behind it.
The six countries where assistance dogs can't fly
easyJet doesn't accept assistance dogs on flights to or from Egypt, Israel, Kosovo, Montenegro, Morocco or Turkey. The airline says this is because of local customs regulations. If any leg of your trip touches one of those countries, the dog can't travel on that easyJet flight, however good its paperwork is.
That list includes some of easyJet's most popular sun routes, such as Turkey and Morocco. A handler planning a beach holiday there needs to book a different airline for that leg, or choose another destination.
Paperwork and the 48 hour deadline
easyJet asks for details of the dog's health and training certification as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours before departure. You request the assistance during booking, through Manage Bookings, or by calling the special assistance team, and easyJet then approves the dog for travel. Without that approval, don't count on boarding.
The documents easyJet asks for are a health certificate, vaccination records and proof of training. You are responsible for making sure the dog has had the vaccinations your destination requires within the right time window. On flights into the EU that usually means a valid rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport or official animal health certificate. Our pet passport guide explains which document applies to you.
On the day of the flight
The dog must wear a standard identifying jacket or harness. easyJet recommends getting to Bag Drop or the special assistance area at least two hours before departure, so staff have time to check the documents. The dog, its containers and its food travel free, on top of your normal baggage allowance.
There is one more step that people forget. easyJet says you must tell the animal reception centre at your arrival airport that you are coming, or you risk the dog being refused entry or put into quarantine. At London Heathrow that is the City of London's animal reception centre, and other UK and EU airports have their own arrangements. Call ahead and keep the confirmation with your documents.
Flying into the UK with a pet: the rule behind the rule
Even if easyJet took pets, it couldn't fly them into Great Britain in the cabin. The UK government's pet travel guidance says pets must travel as cargo on a plane, unless you are on a chartered private plane or travelling with a guide or assistance dog. Airlines also have to be approved to carry pets into England, Scotland and Wales, and the government keeps a list of approved air, sea and rail carriers and routes.
That is why most UK owners going to France, Spain or Italy with a dog drive. Our guide to pet transport to the UK covers the cargo option in more detail if you do need to fly a pet in.
Budget airlines that do carry pets
On routes that don't involve Great Britain, two budget carriers are worth a look. Transavia, part of the Air France-KLM group, takes cats and dogs in the cabin. Its cabin pet rules set a maximum of 8 kg including a soft carrier no bigger than 40 x 30 x 24 cm, a minimum age of 15 weeks, and a fee of EUR 50 per pet per one way flight on HV flights or EUR 60 to EUR 180 on TO flights. Snub-nosed breeds can fly in the cabin only.
Vueling, based in Barcelona, allows dogs and cats in the cabin in a soft carrier up to 45 x 39 x 21 cm, with pet and carrier together at no more than 10 kg. Its pet help page limits each passenger to one pet and each flight to five. Pets can't go in the hold.
For bigger dogs, a full-service airline is the only real choice in the air. KLM, Lufthansa, TAP Air Portugal and Aegean all take pets in the hold on many European routes, each with its own crate rules and fees.
Crossing the Channel with a pet
LeShuttle, the car train through the Channel Tunnel, is the most common route. Dogs, cats and ferrets stay in your car for the 35 minute crossing. The LeShuttle pet page says you check in at the Pet Reception, open 24 hours, and arrive at least 90 minutes before departure. Up to five animals can travel in one vehicle. LeShuttle's own pages quote slightly different fees, around GBP 22 to 24 per pet each way.
Several ferry operators also carry pets across the Channel and the Irish Sea, in vehicles, kennels or pet-friendly cabins. The rules vary by ship, so check the operator before you book. On every route into Great Britain, dogs need a tapeworm treatment from a vet within the set window before arrival, as well as a microchip and rabies vaccination.
Why easyJet and other low cost carriers refuse pets
It isn't about dislike of animals. Low cost airlines make money by keeping planes in the air, and that means short turnarounds at the gate, often half an hour or less. Live animals in the hold need careful loading, temperature checks and their own paperwork at both ends. Cabin pets bring allergy complaints, seat swaps and extra checks at the gate. Each of those adds minutes, and a few minutes on every flight adds up across a fleet. Banning pets outright keeps the operation simple, which is part of how the fares stay low.
The flip side is that the ban is very unlikely to change soon. If you travel often with a pet in Europe, it is worth building your plans around the airlines and routes that already carry them, rather than waiting for easyJet to add a pet product.
What counts as proof of training
easyJet asks for proof of training along with the health documents. For a dog from an ADI or IGDF member organisation, that is usually an ID card or letter from the organisation confirming the dog and handler as a working team. Bring the original and a copy, and make sure the dog's name and microchip number match the health paperwork. If your dog was trained by an organisation outside those networks and you are flying within the EU and Switzerland, send easyJet as much detail as you can about the trainer, the training and the tasks the dog performs, and wait for written approval before you travel.
Questions to ask before you book with an assistance dog
A short call or message to the special assistance team can save a wasted trip. Ask whether the specific flight number can take an assistance dog on the date you want. Ask whether your dog's training organisation is accepted for that route. Ask which documents they want sent in advance and in what format. And ask whether the arrival airport has any extra step for assistance dogs, such as a booking with the animal reception centre. Write down the date and the name of the person you spoke to, and keep any email confirmation with your boarding pass.
When leaving the pet at home is the better call
For a week in the sun, the kindest option for many cats and older dogs is not travelling at all. A pet sitter who comes to your home keeps the animal in familiar surroundings, and a good boarding kennel gives a social dog company and a routine. Both usually cost less than the extra flights, crate and vet visits that a trip abroad needs. Our guide to finding a trustworthy dog sitter covers what to ask before you hand over the keys.
If you already have an easyJet ticket
You can't add a pet, so the question becomes what to do with the booking. Compare the cost of changing or abandoning the easyJet fare with a new ticket on an airline that takes pets, or with driving. For a short trip, leaving the pet with a sitter or a trusted boarding kennel is often less stressful for the animal than two flights and a holiday rental. For a longer stay or a move, plan the pet's route first and book your own seat around it.
Moving abroad rather than holidaying
A relocation is a different job. Moving a dog or cat between the US and Europe usually means a long haul airline that carries pets in the hold or as cargo, with a vet health certificate and, for dogs entering the US, the CDC entry rules. Our guide on pet transport from Europe to the US covers the airlines and the paperwork, and when a professional pet shipper is worth paying for.