What animals are not allowed for plane transportation?

Are you a pet owner who is planning one’s next trip with your beloved animal? Then, you should be aware of the types of animals which are generally not allowed for transportation by plane. Note, the rules described in this article are pretty general, however, they are the most frequent ones used by airplane companies.

Are you a dog owner?

If the pet you would like to take with you to the next holiday, you should be aware of the list of breeds which are not allowed for plane transportation either on board the plane or in the luggage department.

These dogs are also known as brachycephalic breeds which are well-known for a particular appearance of the animals making them look flat-faced. While many people find such appearance cute, it is not necessarily healthy for animals and, when it comes to the plane transportation it can be downright dangerous.

Unfortunately, brachycephalic dogs are prone to various problems with their breathing passages which can easily lead to suffocation inside a plane.

Providing you are an owner of an English Toy Spaniel, Pug, Chihuahua, Bull Mastiff, Pekingese, Shi Tzu, Chow Chow, Lhasa Apso, Boston Terrier, Boxer or Bulldog, travelling by plane with your dog can be a rather bad idea even if by any chance an airline company does not forbid the transportation of your animal.

Other species not allowed for plane transportation

While in the case of some animals it is pretty obvious that you should not take them during your trip by plane, in the case of others this can be less intuitive.

For example, you can easily imagine no one will allow you to take animals straight from wilderness inside the plane whether it is the passenger compartment or the luggage compartment. You can also guess various snakes are not allowed to be transported by plane as well as fish and other marine fish which require water environment for life. Needless to say such animals as spiders will not be let inside the plane either.

At the same time, it might not be thus obvious for pet owners that various small and cute rodents cannot be transported by plane as well as innocent reptiles such as turtles.

General rules for animal transportation inside a plane

If an airline company is fine with the species of your animal, it still does not mean you will necessarily be allowed to take it with you. It is obvious that there is a maximum weight limit for animal transportation. Usually the maximum weight allowed is 50 kilogrammes with the carrier. Note, such heavy animals can be transported only in the luggage compartment which is a rather risky endeavour for animals. The major danger of such transportation is the lack of oxygen which can make an animal suffocate even if it is not a brachycephalic species. Certainly, it will be a way safer to transport your animal on board the plane, however, it is allowed only for the species which are not heavier than 8 kilogrammes.

When it comes to the dimensions of animals, it is the carrier itself what is usually measured rather than the pet. The maximum dimensions of a hard carrier allowed on board are 44 x 30 x 26 cm whereas for soft carrier bags a total of three dimensions is measured. This total cannot exceed 126 cm.