Today more and more airlines are making arrangements for travelers that want to take their furry friend or pet on board. However, not all airlines are very friendly.
A new study by Budget Direct Travel Insurance rated airlines out of 10 in categories such as cost-per-pet, cabin allowance, and openness to welcoming ‘unusual’ animals to find out the top 50 most pet-friendly airlines in the world. Each airline ended up with a score out of 100, and these scores are used to rank the top 50 pet-friendly airlines on Earth.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is paws-down the winner for pets on planes, with a score of 81.8/100. That’s nearly 5 points ahead of second-ranked Air France. KLM scores strongly across all categories, while third-placed Air Canada scores high for their low travel fees (just $82 per pet) but falls behind with its limit of 45kg for pets who fly in the hold.
These are the top 5 most pet-friendly airlines in the world – and the bottom 5 worst offenders:
TOP 5 AIRLINES | BOTTOM 5 AIRLINES | ||
Airline | Score / 100 | Airline | Score / 100 |
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines | 81.8 | Jetstar Airways | 0 |
Air France | 77.2 | Azul Airlines | 0.3 |
Air Canada | 77.1 | South African Airways | 0.6 |
Turkish Airlines | 76.6 | Fiji Airways | 0.7 |
Lufthansa | 76.1 | AirAsia | 3.1 |
Travelers should also read IATA’s Live Animals Regulations (LAR) which is the worldwide standard for transporting live animals by commercial airlines. Whether it is a pet, an animal transported for zoological or agricultural purposes or for any other reason, the objective of the LAR is to ensure all animals are transported safely and humanely by air.
