Aer Lingus is hard-no on pets. Pixel could not fly with me on EI at all — pets, emotional support animals, and service-animals-in-training are barred from the aircraft cabin and from checked baggage. Only fully-trained service dogs accompanying disabled passengers ride in the cabin. Everyone else routes through IAG Cargo as freight, with a 48-hour booking window.
Aer Lingus's pet policy splits into cabin and cargo. This page summarizes the weight limits, fees, brachycephalic-breed restrictions, and carrier specifications for both modes — sourced from the airline's official pet pages.
How Aer Lingus treats your pet
Cabin policy
| Item | Detail | Source & confidence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pets accepted | Not accepted in the cabin | 96% | |
| One-way fee | 160 | 85% |
Hold policy
| Item | Detail | Source & confidence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pets accepted | Not accepted in the hold | 94% | |
| Snub-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds | Not yet documented | — | |
| Pet + carrier max weight | 64 kg (incl. carrier) | 85% |
Cargo policy
| Item | Detail | Source & confidence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advance booking | Add to booking ≥ 48 h before departure | 95% |
IAG Cargo handles all Aer Lingus pet bookings as freight, not as accompanied baggage. Reservations must be made a minimum of 48 hours before departure. Use the IAG Cargo enquiry form rather than the Aer Lingus booking flow. Carrier dimensions follow IATA series-100 kennels for most countries, 200-series for US- and Canada-origin flights with cats.
Frequently asked
- How much does it cost to fly a pet on Aer Lingus?
- On flights within Metropolitan France, Aer Lingus charges from 160 in the cabin, one way per pet. Longer routes cost more — price your exact itinerary.
- What if my flight is delayed past my health certificate validity?
- If the certificate window expires before you board, you'll need a re-issue. Build a 1-2 day buffer between the cert date and departure to absorb minor delays.
- What happens if I forget a document?
- At the destination airport: at best, an extended inspection while you produce backup; at worst, the pet is held in quarantine or returned to origin at your cost. Bring printed copies.
Aer Lingus pet-cargo fees range roughly from €40 on short-haul to €160 on long-haul segments, charged through IAG Cargo. The fee is per pet container, per one-way segment, billed at the time of cargo booking. Multi-segment trips multiply the base. The fee is separate from the passenger ticket and from any standard checked-baggage allowance.
Aer Lingus's program is straightforward once accepted: pets travel cargo, full stop. Your plan starts at IAG Cargo's booking desk, not at the passenger-flow website. Build in extra lead time for the 48-hour reservation and the IATA container check. Service dogs aside, the passenger ticket and the pet ticket are two separate bookings.
Glossary
- ISO chip
- ISO 11784/11785 — the universal microchip standard.
- FAVN
- Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization — a rabies serology test required by rabies-free destinations.
- Brachycephalic
- Snub-nosed breeds (French Bulldogs, Pugs, Persians, Himalayans) with restricted airline acceptance due to heat-stress risk.
- AVIH
- Animal Vehicle In Hold — IATA's term for cargo pet shipment, with fees that vary by carrier and route.