Flying With a Dog or Cat From the UK in 2026: Which Airlines Take Pets in the Cabin

The first thing I learned about flying with a pet from the UK surprised me: the British airlines most people book first, British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Virgin Atlantic, don't take a cat or dog in the cabin at all. If your ticket is already paid for with one of them, your pet isn't coming on board.

The good news is that a handful of European airlines do take a cat or small dog in the cabin when you fly out of a UK airport. This page lists them, the bag size each one allows, and the part most people find out too late: how to bring your pet back home again.

The short version

• British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Aer Lingus, TUI and Virgin Atlantic don't take pets in the cabin. Loganair carries pets in the hold only.
• From a UK airport, KLM, Aegean, TAP Air Portugal and Croatia Airlines take a cat or small dog in the cabin. Each one has its own exceptions, listed below.
• Pet and bag together may weigh 8 kg on most of these airlines.
• No airline may fly a pet into Great Britain in the cabin. The return trip needs an approved cargo route, or a ferry or Eurotunnel crossing.

The rules below come from each airline's own pet page, linked at the end. Rules can change, so open the page for your airline before you book.

Airlines that take your pet in the cabin from the UK

Airline	Bag size	Weight	Bag that fits
KLM	46 × 28 × 24 cm	8 kg with bag	P8114
Aegean	55 × 40 × 23 cm (A320); 40 × 25 × 25 cm (ATR / Dash 8)	8 kg with bag	P8110 / P8113
TAP Air Portugal	45 × 30 × 23 cm, soft bag	8 kg with bag	P8114
Croatia Airlines	length + width + height up to 118 cm, soft bag	8 kg with bag	P8110
KM Malta Airlines	40 × 34 × 18 cm	10 kg with bag	very low bag needed

A few exceptions that matter: Aegean doesn't take cabin pets from London Gatwick, TAP doesn't from Gatwick or Northern Ireland, Croatia Airlines doesn't from Gatwick, and KM Malta only from Heathrow. Check your departure airport against the airline's page before you pay.

Airlines that haven't said yes or no

Lufthansa, SWISS, Turkish Airlines, Air France, Iberia, ITA Airways, LOT, SAS and airBaltic all take pets in the cabin elsewhere in Europe, but their pet pages don't say whether that includes a flight that departs from the UK. Lufthansa even writes that it may refuse bookings on UK routes. If one of these is your only option, call before you book and ask for the answer in writing.

Finnair, Norwegian, Eurowings, Austrian, Edelweiss, Sky Express, Air Dolomiti and Vueling exclude UK flights from cabin pet travel.

The bag: measure the outside, and keep it soft

KLM allows 46 × 28 × 24 cm, TAP 45 × 30 × 23 cm. Both are smaller than the 55 × 40 cm many people expect, so a bag sold as "cabin size" can still be too big.

Measure your bag's outside at its longest, widest and tallest point, with side pockets and the handle base included. Product pages sometimes give the inside, and the airline measures the outside.

A soft bag gives a little when you slide it under the seat in front, and the top usually presses down a centimetre or two. With a bit of space above your pet, that small give makes the difference. What matters most is that your pet can lie down comfortably.

For KLM and TAP I'd pick our P8114: 43 × 28 × 22 cm, 1.45 kg, so about 6.5 kg is left for your pet under an 8 kg limit. For Aegean's larger jets, the P8110 gives a bigger pet more room.

Getting home: the part to plan first

Great Britain doesn't allow pets to arrive in an aircraft cabin. Only assistance dogs can. Every pet flying into the UK travels as cargo on an approved route, handled by a pet transport company.

Many people with a small dog or cat take a different route home: fly out to the continent with the pet in the cabin, then come back by ferry or Eurotunnel with the car. Both have their own pet check-in and fees, and dogs need a tapeworm treatment from a vet one to five days before they enter Great Britain.

Plan the return before you book the outbound flight. It decides which airport you fly from and which country you come back through.

Papers for leaving the UK

To take a cat or dog from Great Britain to the EU you need a microchip, a rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before travel, and an animal health certificate from an official vet, issued no more than 10 days before you arrive in the EU. The full steps are on GOV.UK: taking your pet abroad, and the return rules on GOV.UK: bringing your pet to Great Britain.

What I've learned from flying with a dog and a cat

Get your pet used to the bag weeks before. Before Mochi's first flight she rode in her bag on our longer car trips, about two hours at a time. After a few trips she lay down and slept. With Luna, my sphynx, I left the bag open on the sofa until it became one more place she naps.

Weigh pet and bag together at home. Stand on the bathroom scale holding the bag, then take off your own weight. The blanket and pad add a few hundred grams.

Book the pet place with the ticket. Cabin pet places per flight are limited. Book both at once, and keep the confirmation with the pet booking on your phone.

Airline rules from the UK, one by one

KLM

• Bag: 46 × 28 × 24 cm
• Weight: 8 kg with bag
• From the UK: yes. Into the UK: no
• Booking: at least 48 hours before departure; price shown when you book

Official page: klm.com pets. More detail in our KLM from the UK guide.

Aegean

• Bag: 55 × 40 × 23 cm (A320 family); 40 × 25 × 25 cm (ATR / Dash 8)
• Weight: 8 kg with bag
• From the UK: yes, except London Gatwick. Into the UK: cargo to Heathrow only
• Window seat required

Official page: aegeanhub.com pets

TAP Air Portugal

• Bag: 45 × 30 × 23 cm, soft
• Weight: 8 kg with bag
• From the UK: yes, except London Gatwick and Northern Ireland
• Request at least 24 hours before the flight

Official page: flytap.com pets

Croatia Airlines

• Bag: length + width + height up to 118 cm, soft
• Weight: 8 kg with bag
• From the UK: yes, except London Gatwick

Official page: croatiaairlines.com animals

KM Malta Airlines

• Bag: 40 × 34 × 18 cm
• Weight: 10 kg with bag
• From the UK: Heathrow only

Official page: kmmaltairlines.com pets

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Jet2, TUI, Loganair

• No pets in the cabin. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic carry pets as cargo; Loganair in the hold; Jet2 and TUI assistance dogs only

easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Aer Lingus

• No pets in the cabin on any route, assistance dogs aside

Common questions

Can I take my dog in the cabin from London?

Yes, with KLM, Aegean, TAP or Croatia Airlines, if the dog and bag together stay within the airline's weight limit, usually 8 kg. Check the exceptions for Gatwick.

Can my cat fly back to the UK in the cabin with me?

No. Pets arrive in Great Britain as cargo on approved routes, or by ferry or Eurotunnel with the car.

Which bag fits KLM from the UK?

A soft bag up to 46 × 28 × 24 cm. Our P8114 measures 43 × 28 × 22 cm and weighs 1.45 kg.

A short note: entry and exit rules and airline requirements change, and the official information always applies.