French bee carries dogs and cats, and only dogs and cats, either in the cabin or in the hold. A small pet that weighs 8 kg (17 lb) or less with its bag flies at your feet for a flat $100 per trip. Larger pets go in the hold for $195 per trip, up to 75 kg (165 lb) including the crate on transatlantic flights. Snub-nosed breeds are not accepted at all, and pets cannot fly to or from Papeete, Tahiti.
This guide is built from French bee's own animals page and its fare conditions, read in November 2026. French bee flies Airbus A350s between Paris Orly and US cities including Newark, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami, and on to Reunion Island and Tahiti, so most owners reading this are moving a pet between the US and France.
French bee pet rules at a glance
| Rule | In the cabin (PETC) | In the hold (AVIH) |
|---|---|---|
| Animals accepted | Dogs and cats | Dogs and cats |
| Weight limit | 8 kg (17 lb) including the bag | 75 kg (165 lb) including the crate, transatlantic |
| Container | Soft bag, max 43 x 35 x 20 cm | Rigid airline crate, no wood, zip ties |
| Fee | $100 per trip, non-refundable | $195 per trip, non-refundable |
| Pets per passenger | One, alone in the bag | Two can share a crate if each is under 14 kg |
| Minimum age | 8 weeks (6 months for dogs to the US) | 8 weeks (6 months for dogs to the US) |
| Snub-nosed breeds | Not accepted | Not accepted |
How to book a pet on French bee
You cannot simply turn up with a pet. French bee asks you to tell it about the animal as early as possible and no later than 48 hours before departure, so it can confirm whether the pet goes in the cabin or the hold. Both options are subject to quotas, which is the real reason to call early: once the cabin or hold allowance on a flight is used, the next request is refused. French bee's US toll-free number for pet bookings is 1-833-376-7158. Give the breed, the weight, and the crate dimensions when you call.
Pet transport is not part of any baggage allowance, so the fee is added on top of your fare whichever fare type you choose.
Pets in the cabin
Dogs and cats up to 8 kg, including the bag, can fly in the cabin. The bag must be soft, waterproof, no bigger than 43 x 35 x 20 cm, and small enough to stow under the seat in front of you. The animal stays zipped inside, head included, for the whole flight. The 43 x 35 x 20 cm limit is tighter than many US airlines allow, so measure your bag rather than trusting a label that says "airline approved".
One pet per traveller, one pet per bag. If you have two small pets, French bee's answer is that one of them goes in the hold. That makes a two-cat move more expensive and more stressful than it would be on an airline that lets two small animals share a bag.
Seats you cannot book with a cabin pet
With a pet in the cabin you cannot book a Maxi Leg seat. The bag has to sit under the seat in front of you, and extra-legroom rows usually have no seat in front to put it under. Pick a standard seat, or a Premium standard seat, when you book.
Pets in the hold
Dogs and cats too big for the cabin can travel in the hold as checked baggage, which French bee calls AVIH. This needs the airline's permission and is subject to quotas. On transatlantic flights the pet and crate together can weigh up to 75 kg (165 lb). Above that, or if your dog needs a crate bigger than a size 700, the animal has to go as freight instead, usually through a pet shipper.
The crate must let the animal stand with its head up, turn around and lie down without its head or ears touching the roof. Wooden crates, including chipboard and plywood, are banned. The owner's name and address must be on the crate, and the door has to be secured with zip ties. French bee publishes crate sizes from Ref. 100 (21 x 16 x 15 in) to Ref. 700 (48 x 32 x 35 in) to help you choose.
Two pets in one crate
Two adult animals can share a hold crate if they are a similar size, each weighs under 14 kg (30 lb), and they are used to living together. The price does not double, since French bee charges per crate. Animals over 14 kg need their own crate.
Connections
If a long-haul trip includes a connection and your pet is in the hold, French bee only accepts it when the layover is under two hours, and the crate gets a TRANSFER tag. A long layover with a pet in the hold is not an option, so build the itinerary around that before you buy tickets.
Breeds French bee will not carry
French bee does not accept snub-nosed (brachycephalic) dogs or cats on any of its flights, in the cabin or the hold. Its list includes the Affenpinscher, Boston Terrier, all Boxers, all Bulldogs, Bullmastiff, Cane Corso, all Pugs, Chow Chow, all Mastiffs including the Presa Canario, the Tibetan, Japanese, English Toy and King Charles spaniels, Brussels Griffon, Lhasa Apso, Neapolitan Mastiff, Pekingese, Petit Brabancon, Shih Tzu, Shar Pei, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and American Bully. For cats, the list is Burmese, Exotic Shorthair, Himalayan and Persian. French Bulldogs have been barred from the hold since August 11, 2015. Our guide to the snub-nosed flying ban explains why so many airlines now refuse these breeds.
French dangerous dog rules
Because French bee is based in France, it applies French law on potentially dangerous dogs. Category 1 attack dogs, such as pit bull, Boerboel and Tosa types without a recognised pedigree, are not carried. Category 2 guard and defence dogs, such as Rottweilers and Staffordshire and American Staffordshire Terriers, face extra rules, and nobody under 18 can travel with a dog in either category. If your dog could be classed this way, ask French bee before booking and check French import rules too.
Other refusals
French bee will not carry animals younger than 8 weeks, females in heat, or animals that smell strongly. Pets cannot travel with an unaccompanied minor, and pet transport is not available to or from Papeete, Tahiti, which rules out the Tahiti leg entirely. The airline also accepts no liability for injury, illness, loss or death of a pet, so the owner carries that risk.
Flying a dog to the US on French bee
For dogs entering the US, French bee follows the CDC rules in force since August 1, 2024. The dog must be at least 6 months old and microchipped, and you must complete the CDC Dog Import Form and show the receipt at check-in and on arrival. The rabies vaccination must be valid, and a first shot, or a booster given after the old one expired, must be at least 21 days old at departure. A health certificate from a vet within 10 days of departure may also be needed. Dogs that have been in a high-risk rabies country in the last six months face extra steps. See the CDC dog import page and our guide to importing a dog into the US.
Cats do not need the CDC form, but they still need the documents French bee lists and a valid rabies vaccination for the US route.
Flying a pet from the US to France
Going the other way, France applies the EU pet travel rules: a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination given after the chip, a waiting period after a first shot, and an EU health certificate endorsed by USDA. The European Commission pet movement page sets out the rules, and our guide to pet transport to France walks through the timing.
Reunion Island
French bee also flies to Reunion Island. For that route it asks for its declaration of conformity, a microchip or tattoo, and an EU passport. It notes that a rabies vaccine is not required for travel to or from Reunion, but check the island's current rules before you go.
The declaration of conformity
Whichever way your pet travels, French bee asks for a signed declaration of conformity for the transport of animals, one form for the cabin and another for the hold. It is a short document in which you confirm the animal and its container meet the airline's conditions. Print it, fill it in before you reach the airport, and keep it with the vaccination record and the CDC receipt so the agent at the counter can check everything in one go.
Getting your pet ready
Start weeks before the flight, not days. Get the bag or crate early and leave it open at home with a blanket inside so your pet starts to treat it as a safe place. Book the vet visit so the rabies date, microchip number and health certificate all line up with French bee's timing rules, and check that the microchip number on every document matches. Our guide to crate training a dog for travel covers the steps.
On the day of the flight
Give yourself extra time at check-in, because the agent has to look at the animal, the container and the paperwork before your bag is accepted. Feed a light meal a few hours before the flight rather than just before, walk the dog before you enter the terminal, and line the crate or bag with an absorbent pad. A cabin pet stays in its bag through security, boarding and the whole flight, so a pet that cannot settle in a closed bag for ten or more hours is better off in the hold or on a different plan.
Service dogs
Trained service dogs follow French bee's passenger assistance rules rather than the pet rules described here. Contact the airline before booking to confirm what it needs for your route, and see our guide to flying with a service dog.
Sedation
French bee does not recommend sedating pets, because sedatives lower blood pressure and that combines badly with altitude, especially for older or stressed animals. Talk to your vet about calming the pet without drugs before a long flight.
Pet strollers
A pet stroller is not free. French bee charges it at the airport at $35 per flight.
What the total cost looks like
For a small cat or dog in the cabin on a one-way trip from the US to Paris, the French bee charge itself is $100. On top of that sit the vet visit, the microchip if your pet does not already have one, the rabies vaccination, the health certificate and its USDA endorsement, and a compliant soft bag. For a large dog in the hold, the fee is $195 plus an airline crate, which can cost more than the fee for big sizes. A round trip doubles the French bee charges, since each fee is per trip.
French bee compared with other airlines on the same routes
On Paris routes, French bee's cabin limit of 8 kg matches most European airlines, but its bag size is smaller than some, and its blanket ban on snub-nosed breeds is stricter than most. Air France also flies dogs and cats in the cabin and hold between France and the US, and is worth comparing on price and breed rules. For a large dog, the 75 kg hold limit is generous, but the two-hour connection rule means a nonstop flight is the realistic option.
When a pet shipper makes more sense
If your dog is too big for a size 700 crate, is a breed French bee refuses, or needs to travel on a date you are not flying, it has to go as freight. Freight needs a cargo agent or pet shipper, who books space, handles the paperwork and meets the pet at the other end. Our guide to cargo versus in-cabin travel explains the trade-offs, and IATA's live animal rules set the crate standards shippers follow.