Flying British Airways With Your Dog: Hold Only, No Cabin
British Airways is the clearest airline on this list: no pets in the cabin, on any route. Your dog can still fly, but always in the hold, and always booked through a partner rather than through your own ticket. Here's the short version, checked September 2026. Rules change, so confirm on British Airways' pet page before you fly.
No dogs in the cabin, whatever the size
BA says it plainly: pets travel in the hold and are not carried in the cabin on any route. A 3 kg dog in a soft bag is treated the same as a 30 kg one. Only assistance dogs travel in the cabin, free of charge on most flights. Emotional support dogs are not accepted in the cabin and travel as a pet.
How your dog does fly: through a partner
- Leaving the UK: BA works with PetAir UK, a company run by vets, which arranges the export.
- Flying to the UK: that goes through IAG Cargo, the freight arm of the BA and Iberia group.
In both cases your dog is booked separately from your own ticket, so start early. Prices are quoted per journey by the partner, not published as a simple fee.
Landing in the UK: the Pet Travel Scheme
Entering the UK means meeting the requirements of DEFRA's Pet Travel Scheme: microchip, rabies vaccination and, for dogs, a tapeworm treatment given 24 to 120 hours before you arrive. Miss one and your dog can be refused or put into quarantine. We wrote the full route down in taking your dog to the UK from the Netherlands, including the ferry and train options that skip the hold altogether.
When another airline is simply easier
For a small dog inside Europe, an airline that allows the cabin is usually cheaper, quicker and a lot less stressful. KLM, Air France, Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Finnair, Iberia and TAP all take dogs up to 8 kg with the bag, and Vueling goes to 10 kg. See our comparison of 27 airlines to find the one that fits your dog.
Not sure if your dog fits the rules?
Our free Dog Flight Checker takes your dog's weight and tells you which airlines take it in the cabin or the hold, with a checklist for the vet dates. Flying in the hold? It also gives the crate size your dog needs under the IATA rules.
Also flying with: KLM · Lufthansa · Air France. Need a bag? Which Dog Carrier Bag Is Really Airline-Approved?
Source: British Airways travelling with pets page, checked September 2026. Always confirm with the airline before you book.