Eurowings, the Lufthansa Group's short-haul airline, carries small dogs and cats in the cabin, and nothing else. There is no hold option and no cargo option for pets on Eurowings, and the weight limit is strict: 8 kg for the animal and its bag together. If your pet fits that, Eurowings is a reasonable way to fly it around Germany and to much of Europe for a fee that starts at EUR 60 a flight. If it does not, you need a different airline.
This guide sets out the full Eurowings policy: the bag rules, the age limits, the fee, how to add a pet, and the destinations where Eurowings will not carry animals. It is based on Eurowings' own Travelling with animals page and its pets FAQ, read in November 2026.
Eurowings pet rules at a glance
| Rule | What Eurowings says |
|---|---|
| Animals allowed | Small dogs and cats only |
| Where they travel | Cabin only, on short and medium-haul flights |
| Weight | 8 kg maximum, animal and bag together |
| Bag | Soft, leak-proof, bite-proof, air-permeable, max 55 x 40 x 23 cm |
| Animals per bag | Up to two per bag and person, within 8 kg |
| Minimum age | 12 weeks, or 15 weeks to or from Germany |
| Fee | From EUR 60 / GBP 53 / USD 69 per flight, by route |
| Paperwork at check-in | Eurowings pet form, plus EU travel documents |
| No pets on | UK, Ireland, Dubai, Marsa Alam and Keflavik flights |
| Breeds refused | Category 1 fighting dogs, such as pit bulls |
Only small dogs and cats
Eurowings is blunt about it: it transports only small dogs and cats, up to 8 kg, and only in the cabin. Rabbits, ferrets, birds and other small animals are not accepted as pets. Eurowings also says it offers the pet service on short and medium-haul flights, which covers its whole European network. If your trip continues beyond Europe on another airline, that airline's rules apply on that leg, so check, for example, our Lufthansa pet guide for long-haul connections from Germany.
Eurowings will not carry Category 1 fighting dogs, as defined by the law at the departure point, and names pit bulls and Staffordshire bull terriers as examples. Because the definition depends on the departure country, a breed that is legal at home can still be refused on a flight out of a stricter country.
The bag: soft-sided and 55 x 40 x 23 cm
The pet has to travel in a closed bag that is leak-proof, bite-proof and air-permeable. Eurowings specifically says not a hard-sided container. The bag cannot exceed 55 cm long, 40 cm wide and 23 cm high, and it must fit sideways under the seat in front of you. Eurowings explains that the 23 cm height reflects the space between the floor and the seat, and it adds that you cannot turn the bag on its side to squeeze it in if that makes it leak or blocks the airflow.
Inside the bag, the animal must be able to stand upright, turn around and lie down in a natural position, whether the bag is upright or lying flat. For a cat or a toy dog that is easy. For a terrier near the weight limit, the 23 cm height is often the real problem, because the dog cannot stand in a bag that low. Measure your pet standing, then measure the bag.
The 8 kg weight limit
The combined weight of animal and bag must not exceed 8 kg. A good soft carrier weighs 1 to 2 kg, so the pet itself needs to be around 6 to 7 kg at most. Eurowings allows two animals per bag and per person, but the 8 kg limit still covers both animals and the bag together, so this really only works for two kittens or two very small puppies.
Staff weigh the bag at check-in, and Eurowings says it is obliged to refuse carriage if the requirements are not met. There is no fallback to the hold, so a pet that is half a kilo over the limit does not fly.
Age limits: 12 weeks, or 15 weeks in Germany
Eurowings requires pets to be at least 12 weeks old for animal welfare reasons. On flights to or from Germany, the minimum is 15 weeks. That matches the timing of the EU rabies rules, because a puppy or kitten vaccinated against rabies at 12 weeks cannot travel within the EU until 21 days later. In practice, most pets are 15 weeks or older before they can legally cross a border anyway.
How much Eurowings charges
Eurowings says the charge for bringing a pet on board starts at EUR 60, GBP 53, CHF 56 or USD 69, depending on the route, and lists the equivalent in other currencies. It is per pet and per flight, and it does not come out of your free baggage allowance. There is no extra charge for assistance dogs. A return trip with one cat therefore costs at least EUR 120 in pet fees.
How to add a pet to a booking
You can add the pet in the second booking step, called "Travellers", or by calling the Eurowings call centre. If you have already booked, you can add the pet to the existing booking. Do it early, because cabin pet spaces are limited on each flight.
Be sure before you add it. Eurowings says booked services such as pets cannot be voluntarily removed from a booking, and there is no refund if you cancel the pet yourself. If your pet cannot fly for health reasons, call the call centre for advice rather than simply not turning up with it.
The pet form and check-in
Before the pet can travel, you must complete a Eurowings form and present it at the check-in counter. If everything meets the rules, staff put a special Pet-in-Cabin label on the bag. That means you cannot go straight to security with online check-in only. Leave enough time for the desk.
When you travel with a pet, you cannot reserve seats in the emergency exit rows or the first row. The pet must stay in the closed bag under the seat in front for the whole flight. You cannot let it out to move around the cabin or take it out onto your lap.
Choosing a bag that passes the check
Most refusals at the desk come down to the bag rather than the pet. Look for a soft carrier with a firm, waterproof base, mesh panels on at least two sides for airflow, and zips that lock or clip so a cat cannot nose them open. Avoid bags with rigid frames that cannot flex under a seat, and avoid backpack styles that are taller than 23 cm when loaded. Eurowings says the bag must fit sideways under the seat in front, so a long, narrow bag is easier than a square one.
Put an absorbent pad in the base. Eurowings asks for a leak-proof bag, and an accident on a two hour flight is far easier to manage with a pad and a spare in your hand luggage. Weigh the finished, packed bag with the pet inside on a home scale the night before, so the 8 kg figure is not a surprise at the counter.
Security screening
At most European airports you take the pet out of the bag at security, put the empty bag through the X-ray, and carry the pet through the walk-through detector. Have a harness and lead on the animal before you reach the belt, so you are not trying to clip one on while it wriggles. If your cat is likely to panic in a busy hall, ask staff whether a private screening room is available. Put the pet straight back in the bag afterwards, because Eurowings expects it to stay inside from check-in onward.
Assistance dogs on Eurowings
Recognised assistance dogs are treated differently from pets. They fly without the pet fee and are not bound by the bag or the 8 kg rule, and they are exempt from the Dubai, Marsa Alam and Keflavik restrictions. Eurowings handles them through its assistance service, so register the dog when you book and carry its documents. Emotional support animals are not assistance dogs under European airline rules and would have to meet the normal pet conditions. Our guide to flying with a service dog explains how the two categories differ.
Routes where Eurowings does not carry pets
Eurowings lists four restrictions because of local entry rules. It does not carry pets in the cabin on flights to and from Dubai, or on flights to and from Marsa Alam in Egypt. It does not carry animals on flights to and from the UK and Ireland, and it does not carry pets in the cabin on flights to and from Keflavik in Iceland. Assistance animals are exempt from the Dubai, Marsa Alam and Keflavik restrictions, and special rules apply to assistance dogs in the UK and Ireland.
For the UK, the only legal way to fly a pet in is as cargo on an approved route. Our UK pet transport guide explains that system, and our Ireland guide covers the Irish rules.
Planning around the restrictions
Because Eurowings flies so many holiday routes, the restricted list matters more than it first looks. A family flying Dusseldorf to Dubai or Cologne to Marsa Alam for a beach week cannot bring the cat, and there is no paid upgrade that changes that. For Iceland, the restriction is on the cabin route into Keflavik, which reflects Iceland's own import system: pets entering Iceland need a permit and a spell in quarantine, and they arrive by approved routes. If any leg of your trip touches one of these airports, plan the pet's journey first and book your own seats around it, not the other way round.
EU documents your pet needs
Eurowings asks travellers to follow the EU rules on pet movement, which came into force in 2004 and have been updated since. For a dog or cat moving within the EU, that means a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before travel for a first vaccination, and an EU pet passport, as set out on the European Commission's pet movement page. Eurowings suggests checking with your vet, the local veterinary office or the border inspection post before you book. Our EU pet passport guide covers how the passport works.
Flying into Germany from the US
Eurowings is often the last short leg for people who land in Germany on a long-haul flight from the US. A pet coming from the US needs an EU health certificate endorsed by USDA rather than an EU passport, plus a microchip and rabies vaccination. The USDA APHIS page for Germany sets out the steps, and our Germany pet transport guide covers the timeline. Once the pet is in the EU with valid papers, a small one can continue on Eurowings.
Strollers and buggies
Some owners use a pet buggy to get through the airport. Eurowings lets you drop a buggy off free at the check-in counter if you are flying with your pet, but it cannot go to the gate. The pet stays in its soft bag from the check-in desk onward.
Tips from Eurowings for a calmer flight
Eurowings suggests getting your pet used to the bag at home well before the trip, by closing it inside for a few hours several times and rewarding it afterwards. It recommends putting a familiar object in the bag for the smell, and asking your vet about adjusting food before the flight. On sedation, Eurowings warns that it is impossible to predict how an animal will react, including circulation problems in flight, and says to discuss it with your vet. Our guide to flying with a dog in the cabin has a step by step carrier training plan.
If your pet is too big for Eurowings
A dog over 8 kg cannot fly on Eurowings at all. On the same European routes, full-service airlines in the same group, such as Lufthansa, Austrian and SWISS, carry bigger pets in the hold on many flights, at higher fees. Our Austrian Airlines pet guide lists its hold fees as an example. For a move to the US, a pet shipper or a long-haul airline with a cargo service is the usual route, and our guide to pet transport from Europe to the US covers both.