Lufthansa

Lufthansa is the flag carrier of Germany. Pets are welcome in the cabin and as checked baggage with Lufthansa. Visit Website

Or call (800) 645-3880 for more information. You can use BringFido to find a pet friendly place to stay at your destination.

Pet Reservations

Pets must be booked onto flights at least 72 hours before departure.

Pets in the Cabin

Dogs and cats are welcome in the cabin if the combined weight of the pet and carrier is under 17 lbs (8 kg). Each passenger is allowed to bring 2 animals in the cabin. Pets must be at least 15 weeks on flights to/from Germany and 12 weeks for other flights. Animals must be stowed in a carrier under the seat during the flight. Fees for pets traveling in the cabin are calculated using the baggage calculator and depends on the route of travel.

Pets in Checked Baggage

If the combined weight of your pet and carrier is over 17 lbs (8 kg), your pet can be transported in the air-conditioned cargo hold instead. Each passenger can only bring 2 animals as checked baggage. Fees for pets traveling as checked baggage depend both on the route and the size of the carrier. A surcharge of EUR 150 / CHF 170 / USD 170 / CAD 220 is charged for transfers via Brussels, Geneva, Frankfurt, Vienna and Zurich.

Pets in Cargo

Dogs that cannot fit in larger carriers or are traveling alone must be transported as cargo instead. For this, you will need a specialized forwarding agent. Contact Lufthansa Cargo directly at (01) 806-747-100 to answer any queries about the cargo service.

Carrier Guidelines

For small dogs and cats traveling in the cabin, carriers must not exceed the dimensions 22" x 16" x 9" (55 cm x 40 cm x 23 cm). Carriers must be escape, leak, and bite-proof. For pets traveling in the cargo hold, medium carriers can be up to 24" x 18" x 16" (60 cm x 45 cm x 40 cm) and larger carriers can be up to 49" x 29" x 33" (125 cm x 75 cm x 85 cm). Carriers in the hold must have food and water containers attached, proper ventilation, and a secure locking system.

Other Restrictions

Animals classified as fighting or dangerous dogs may only be transported in special crates in the hold (except dogs between the ages of 3 and 6 months who can be transported in regular crates), including American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, American Bulldog, Dogo Argentino, Karabash (Kangal) (Anatolian Shepherd Dog), Caucasian Ovcharka (Caucasian Shepherd Dog), and Rottweilers. Additionally, Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and Bull Terriers are not allowed entry into Germany. Passengers who are looking to transport snub-nosed animals are advised not to by Lufthansa, though they are not forbidden, including Boxer, Bulldog (all breeds with the exception of the American Bulldog), Chow Chow, Pug, and Pekinese; and cat breeds are British Shorthair, Exotic Shorthair, Himalayan, Persian, and Scottish Fold.

Reviews

BringFido Guest Rating

Lufthansa has received a rating of 3.1 out of 5 bones by 7 canine critics on BringFido.

  • Nicki
    Mar 2, 2023
    Very understanding! London to Malaga (via Frankfurt)

    First time flying with my very vocal 2yo Maltipoo in cabin.
    Check-in at LCY was a breeze and the staff were very reassuring.
    On both flights we were asked if there was anything we needed when he started getting vocal. They were very understanding and reassured me that it was just like travelling with a baby, they can be very unpredictable! (Shame some of the passengers didn't feel the same way). He did manage to chew his way out of his bag about half hour before landing at Malaga, much to my horror but everyone else's relief when the whining stopped!
    The staff may not have noticed but I had him in my lap for landing! And they looked surprised and laughed when they saw me carrying him in my arms as we departed the plane and I explained he escaped! 🤦🏼‍♀️ I can only hope Air France are as nice for our return via Paris 🤞🏻🤞🏻

  • Katherine
    Oct 27, 2022
    DO NOT BOOK

    Lufthansa has also screwed me over and has not allowed my dog on the final leg of my trip saying Ireland doesnt allow dogs in via the cabin. This is untrue as I have written evidence from the government department with the legislation attached saying that dogs are allowed into Ireland in the cabin. They told me I have no alternative and I am entitled to a refund. They are so rude and mean to deal with. They arent replying to me emails.I am going to take them to court because the cost of my flight is worth it.

  • Toufic
    Oct 16, 2022
    Very unsettling experience

    Booked my ticket after receiving confirmation that my dog will travel with me to Canada.

    1 month before our flights, they changed the 2nd flight to another airline that doesn't allow dogs in Cargo. They've fully screwed month of preparation and what's worst, they didn't even bother to notice that they're still booking my dogs tickets to Germany but 0 information or clarification as to what would happen next once we land there.

    Unreliable, inconsistent and breaching terms after making payments/arrangements?

    Never again!

  • Caty
    Sep 22, 2022
    Not transporting dogs on the hold

    This post needs to be updated, and more so the Luftansa webpage. We booked a trip from USA to EUROPE based on information of the company online. Once we called to book the dog they said they have an embargo and are not taking dogs on the hold. We had to cancel tickets (they did not acknowledge the misinformation and did not refund us )

  • Victoria
    Sep 6, 2022
    Good service, can't complain!

    We have 2 dogs - both mini-dachshunds, live in Munich, and like to travel, which means LH is pretty much our #1 choice for aircarrier. Our oldest dog, Dick, is already a seaonsed traveller with 3 flights to Greece and Portugal under his belt :), and the younger one just completed his first flight to Portugal and back. Both travelled in the cabin in carrier bags, and were very well received by the crew. We were offered water for both, and were complimented on how well-behaved they were (both slept through all flights!).
    The service was not so easy to book (you needed to call after booking the flight, and wait endlessly on line), but I noticed that recently they changed the web interface and you can now book the dogs online when booking the tickets.

  • Franziska
    More than a year ago
    As good as it gets!

    Used them 3 times now to fly my kids from Germany to the states. It’s easy to book, they take great care of the pets. My dogs are xl and traveled in the special, climated pet compartment in the cargo area. They all arrived in good spirits! Never another airline to fly my kids :)

  • Tom
    More than a year ago
    Very easy experience

    Brought my Indian pariah pup home with me to Budapest via Frankfurt from Bangalore, India. Because it was still a very small dog, I took her in cabin. The one thing i would say though is the seats are very low and the small carrier i had did not fit. The height was the problem, not the width. This could have been a very big problem if the plane had been completely full. The staff was very understanding and it was an excellent experience. I will fly Lufthansa again with my dogs. Would put Lufthansa at the top of my list for flying with a dog.

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