Have a pet?
Do you plan to travel and don’t want to leave your pet at home? Can your pet travel with you?
Is it safe and allowed?
What documents would I require to travel with my pet?
Here, in this article, we try to give you an insight into the pet policy of Turkish Airlines, so read on.
Basically, depending upon the airline guidelines, your pets can be transported in 3 ways
- In the cabin
- As checked luggage (aircraft hold)
- As air freight or cargo
Turkish Airlines Pet Policy
Now let’s understand the standard Turkish Airlines pet policy. They can be transported in the cabin or in the aircraft hold.
First of all, it’s not free, they won’t be carried as a free baggage allowance, there is a chargeable fee that has to pay at the time of traveling or transporting your pet. You can book your pet in advance also. Reservation for your pet must be made at least 6 hours before your flight departure. Contact Turkish Airlines or get in touch with the airline before booking your ticket. So contact them in advance. You should place a label on the pet container which has contact details like the name, address, contact number, and name of your pets.
Points to remember before traveling with pets on Turkish Airlines
- Be sure you have to bear proper documents and vaccination certificates for your pets.
- Make sure you have a strong base container to hold the pets which is suitable and comfortable for pets with the proper ventilation.
- Trained your pet and make it familiar with the container so that your pet feels comfortable during the journey.
- Cats and dogs should be more than 10 weeks old.
- This is much recommendable that you check-in your flight with the help desk rather than the self-service channel.
- Check and verify that your pet is allowed to travel at the destination or not. Because some countries don’t give permission to enter their borders.
- Before check-in, you should check the eligibility of your pet that airlines allow for travel with you in the same flight in-cabin or travel separately with the cargo.
- If you booked your ticket already and make a plan to travel with the pet then you should inform the Airlines booking department or you can contact directly with the helpline number or chat online 24hours prior to the flight departure.
- Pregnant animals are not allowed to travel on Turkish Airlines.
Note* Ensure that you check the pet rules related to your destination country. Some destinations don’t accept pets in the cabin or aircraft hold including United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. They are only accepted as cargo in these destinations.
Turkish Airlines Pet Policy on Pets Travelling in Cabin
Small singing birds like canaries and parakeets, cats, and dogs will be allowed into the flight cabin. They should be placed in a pet container that fits underneath the seat in front of you.
However, parrots and pigeons can be taken into the hold only and not into the flight cabin
What about size and dimensions?
- As a matter of fact, the total weight of your pet and cage should not be more than 8kg and
- Maximum dimensions of cage : 23cm x30cmx40cm
While selecting a seat if you are traveling with your pet, don’t choose the seats near the emergency exit or near infant strollers.
- Service (SVAN) and Emotional support dogs (ESAN)
- Get a booking confirmation at least 48 hours prior to departure, You can manage your booking with Turkish airlines.
- SVAN dogs can be transported in the cabin free of charge on all flights
- Make sure you present all documents like training certificates, vaccination certificates, and ID cards. Please also check the rules of the destination country and which documentation is required.
- In case the flight duration is 8 hours or more, they would require additional documentation that says that your pet would not relieve itself or it can relieve in a way that won’t create sanitation issues during the flight.
- ESAN dogs shall be able to travel free of charge in the cabin only on nonstop flights from/to Istanbul and the USA. On transfer flights, before or after these routes, they will be charged a fee and transported in a pet carrier in the flight cabin or hold.
- Owners will be required to submit documentation on a letterhead of a licensed mental health professional like a psychologist, psychiatrist, or medical doctor who is treating the passenger’s mental or emotional disability to prove that the passenger has an emotional disability.
- ESAN dogs must be placed in front of your feet in the flight cabin and are restricted to lay down on the passenger seats.
Would you like to know the limit of pets allowed per passenger?
In fact, a maximum of 2 animals of the same species and those which are familiar with each other can travel in the same cage in the flight cabin. It means you can carry two dogs or two cats in the same cage. However, their total weight should not exceed 8 kg.
Transporting pets as checked baggage or in the aircraft hold
If the total pet weight and cage size exceed the allowed dimensions, then they will be transported to the hold of the aircraft.
The pet container or cage must be IATA compliant.
There must be enough space for your pet to move around in the cage, it must be properly ventilated and watertight. If possible, do inform the pilot or captain that you have a pet in the cargo hold so that the temperature is kept at the proper level. The pilot has the right to take a final decision as to whether pets can be transported in the hold.
Adult animals belonging to the same species and if the maximum weight of each pet does not exceed 14 kg, then you can place a maximum of two animals in one cage into the hold of the aircraft. For very young pets that are 10-24 weeks old and born of the same mother, a maximum of 3 animals will be allowed in a single cage.
Restricted Animals on Turkish Airlines
As a matter of fact, the airline forbids certain animals from flying on their aircraft which include
- Japanese Tosa
- American Staffordshire Terrier
- Pitbull Terrier
- Dogo Argentino
- American Pitbull Terrier
- Fila Brasileiro
Below breeds will be transported in the aircraft hold as air cargo only
- American Bulldog
- Wolf dog hybrid breeds
- Doberman(Pincher Dobman and all Doberman breeds)
- Bandog Tosa Inu
- Douge De Bordeux
- Presa Canario
- Rottweiler
- Mastiff
- Caucasian Ovcharka
- Even African grey parrots are not allowed on the aircraft as per Turkish Airlines’ pet policy.
The airline does allow snubnosed animals to fly in the cabin provided they fit the size limitations. Himalayan cats, Burmese cats, and Iranian cats are also allowed to fly in the cabin.
Neither can the airline transport puppies or kittens who are under 10 weeks nor do they transport mothers which are still breastfeeding.
You require approval from a veterinarian for puppies or kittens aged between 10 to 12 weeks.
Transporting Fee for Pets On Turkish Airlines
Fees for transporting include the weight of your pet plus its cage or pet container.
- For domestic flights, If the weight range is between 0-8 kg, the fees would be 120 TRY. If Pets are carried in the cabin
- If the Pets are carried in the cargo hold and stand the weight range between 0-15 kg, it would cost you around 200 TRY
- Wt range of 16-22 kg, cost 250 TRY
- If the total weight ranges from 23 to 28 kg, then it would cost around 300 TRY
- And finally, for 28kg and more, the fees would be 350 TRY.
- For international travel, the cost will be calculated by multiplying the total weight (of your pet and cage) with the excess baggage fee as per route.
- For carrying pets in a cabin on international routes, the minimum charge would be 70 USD.
- For carrying pets in the hold of the aircraft, the minimum charge is 140 USD
Note* TRY stands for Turkish Lira. For more information on Pets and their fee, you can try this link.
Guidelines on Cargo Pet Container or cage
Pet crate must be IATA compliant and meet airline requirements like its dimensions.
- The pet crate must be large enough for your pet to stand around or lie comfortably
- The pet container must be made up of metal, rigid plastics, weld metal mesh, fiberglass
- The floor of the pet cage must be solid and leakproof
- Sedation of animals is not recommended
- If a container has wheels, it should be removed or be inoperable
- The pet crate should have the pet’s name and your contact information by attaching a duct tape
- The roof must be solid but ventilation holes are allowed provided they don’t reduce the roof strength.
