When flying from anywhere in the US, be it New York City, Los Angeles or Miami, you can choose from a wide array of major air carriers. Most of those airlines transport pets on their aircraft, but typically, there are many restrictions.
New study examined every important detail, such as the diversity of pets allowed onboard and the costs of pet transport for the world’s largest carriers, to reveal the most pet-friendly airlines.
Top 10 Most Pet-Friendly Airlines
| Rank | Airline | Lowest Pet Ticket Price | No. Species Allowed | Pets per Customer | ||
| 1 | Turkish Airlines | $8 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 2 | All Nippon Airways | $50 | 9 | 1 | ||
| 3 | Spirit Airlines | $125 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 4 | Sichuan Airlines | $125 | 9 | 1 | ||
| 5 | Japan Airlines | $50 | 9 | 1 | ||
| 6 | China Eastern Airlines | $165 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 6 | Emirates | $500 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 8 | Air China | $70 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 8 | Alaska Airlines | $100 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 10 | Southwest Airlines | $95 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 10 | JetBlue Airways | $123 | 2 | 2 |
Turkish Airlines comes in first place with a pet travel score of 7.13/10
Turkish Airlines rank as the best airline when it comes to pet transportation. Turkish Airlines will transport cats, dogs, ferrets, and small singing birds, at the lowest cost out of all major airlines on this list.
Turkish Airlines charges between 150-450 TRY for your pet, equating to $8.15 and $24.46. The catch here is that the carriers for your pet are quite small, with maximum dimensions of 23 x 30 x 40 cm. Therefore, if you need a larger carrier your pet will travel in cargo.
Turkish Airlines’ most popular international route is between two popular coastal cities, Miami, Florida to Tel Aviv, Israel.
Pets arriving in Israel from overseas must be accompanied by an official veterinary health certificate.
In the runner-up position is All Nippon Airways with a pet travel score of 5.87/10
In runner-up position is All Nippon Airways. Only one pet per passenger is allowed on All Nippon flights, however, All Nippon Airways will carry mammals and birds in cargo, meaning as many as nine different species are accepted.
Prices vary, however, the lowest price totals $50 (prices vary depending on the size and weight of your pet).
Since all pets travel in cargo, All Nippon Airways offer the largest carriers of these major airlines, with the sum dimensions reaching 292cm.
Japanese airline All Nippon Airways has an extensive international network extending across major countries including China, Korea, Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Western Europe.
All Nippon’s domestic network also covers the entirety of Japan.
In third place is Spirit Airlines with a travel pet score of 5.63/10
In third place is Spirit Airlines. Four species of pets are allowed on Spirit Airlines; cats, dogs, rabbits, and birds can all ride alongside you in the cabin.
Spirit Airlines likewise charge a standard price of $125 per pet flying on their planes, so you can get a much better feel for how much it will cost you to fly your pet no matter its size.
Spirit Airlines allow up to two pets per passenger (provided there is room onboard the plane).
A major ultra-low-cost airline, Spirit Airlines has quickly become a major competitor in the American airline industry.
Spirit Airlines offer trips to 77 destinations across the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
window.fbAsyncInit = function() {
FB.init({
appId : ‘{your-app-id}’,
cookie : true,
xfbml : true,
version : ‘{api-version}’
});
FB.AppEvents.logPageView();
};
(function(d, s, id){
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;}
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = ”
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
