Air France gives you 8 kg for your pet and carrier combined in the cabin. That number has settled every plan I've made, because Cooper's weight alone would blow past it. Here's what I wish someone had told me: start with the scale, and everything else follows. Let's count down the steps for an Air France trip, one at a time.

Air France'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 Air France handles your pet

Snub-nosed dogs and cats cannot travel in Air France's hold. Air France routes them to cargo instead, through a transporter it approves — with one exception: Pugs, Bulldogs and Boston Terriers have not been carried by Air France cargo since 15 July 2019, so for those breeds the cabin, under 8 kg including the bag, is the only way to fly.

Each fact comes straight from the operator’s published policy. Tap the to read the exact wording; the opens the source page.

In the cabin Accepted
In the hold / cargo Accepted
Snub-nosed breedsAccepted

Cabin policy

Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-09-29
Snub-nosed breeds banned Noverified 2026-09-29
Snub-nosed breeds listAffenpinscherBoston TerrierBoxerBulldogBull MastiffCane CorsoPugChow-ChowGreat DaneTibetan SpanielJapanese SpanielKing Charles SpanielBrussels GriffonLhasa ApsoMastiffNeapolitan MastiffPekingeseSmall BrabantShih TzuShar PeiStaffordshire Bull Terrierverified 2026-09-29
Minimum age15 weeksverified 2026-09-29
Advance booking notice48 hoursverified 2026-10-03
Advance booking required Yesverified 2026-09-29
Max pets per passenger1verified 2026-09-29
Booking methodonlineverified 2026-09-29
Embargoed routesUnited KingdomDubaiAbu Dhabiverified 2026-09-29
Banned breeds list
  • Staffordshire Terrier (pitbull)
  • American Staffordshire Terrier (pitbull)
  • Mastiff (Bœrbœl)
  • Tosa
verified 2026-09-29
Carrier size46 × 28 × 24 cmverified 2026-10-03
Max weight (pet + crate)8 kgverified 2026-09-29
Crate must have/besoft-sided ok, ventilated, a carrierverified 2026-10-03

Hold & cargo policy

Hold: Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-10-03
Hold: Snub-nosed breeds banned Yesverified 2026-09-29
Hold: Snub-nosed breeds listAffenpinscherBoston TerrierBoxerBulldogBull MastiffCane CorsoPugChow-ChowGreat DaneTibetan SpanielJapanese SpanielKing Charles SpanielBrussels GriffonLhasa ApsoMastiffNeapolitan MastiffPekingeseSmall BrabantShih TzuShar PeiStaffordshire Bull Terrierverified 2026-09-29
Hold: Minimum age15 weeksverified 2026-09-29
Hold: Advance booking notice24 hoursverified 2026-09-29
Hold: Advance booking required Yesverified 2026-10-03
Hold: Max pets per passenger3verified 2026-09-29
Hold: Embargoed routesUnited KingdomDubaiAbu DhabiMoscow to Parisverified 2026-09-29
Hold: Sedation allowed Noverified 2026-10-03
Hold: Banned breeds list
  • Staffordshire Terrier (pitbull)
  • American Staffordshire Terrier (pitbull)
  • Mastiff (Bœrbœl)
  • Tosa
verified 2026-09-29
Hold: Max weight (pet + crate)75 kgverified 2026-09-29
Hold: Crate must have/behard-sided ok, water bowl, IATA-compliant, a carrierverified 2026-09-29
Cargo: Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-09-29
Cargo: Snub-nosed breeds listAffenpinscherBoston TerrierBoxerBulldogBull MastiffCane CorsoPugChow-ChowGreat DaneTibetan SpanielJapanese SpanielKing Charles SpanielBrussels GriffonLhasa ApsoMastiffNeapolitan MastiffPekingeseSmall BrabantShih TzuShar PeiStaffordshire Bull Terrierverified 2026-09-29
Cargo: Booking methodthird_partyverified 2026-09-29
Cargo: Banned breeds list
  • Staffordshire Terrier (pitbull)
  • American Staffordshire Terrier (pitbull)
  • Mastiff (Bœrbœl)
  • Tosa
verified 2026-09-29

Service & assistance animals

Esa noteAir France carries only trained guide and service dogs. Emotional-support, therapy and comfort animals are not recognised as assistance animals and travel as ordinary pets, at the pet fare and under the cabin or hold rules.verified 2026-09-29
Fee waived Yesverified 2026-09-29
Recognized Yesverified 2026-09-29
Cabin allowed Yesverified 2026-09-29
Esa recognized Noverified 2026-09-29
Forms required Yesverified 2026-09-29
Advance notice hours48 hoursverified 2026-09-29
Documentation required Yesverified 2026-09-29
Recognized organizationsIGDF, ADIverified 2026-09-29
Air France requires the pet to be added to the booking no later than 48 hours before departure. Add the animal in the same sitting as the ticket purchase instead of leaving it to the last two days. Treat the 48-hour mark as the hard stop, and set a calendar reminder for three days before the flight.
Air France allows snub-nosed animals such as pugs, bulldogs, boxers, Pekingese, Shih Tzus and Persian cats in the cabin, and notes that stressful situations can cause breathing difficulties. The airline recommends consulting a veterinarian before the flight. Book that appointment early and ask the vet to assess the animal's breathing.
Weight, booking deadline, vet visit: that's the whole Air France checklist, and it fits on one page. Build your personalized plan with Pawgo and each date lands on your calendar, counted back from your flight. It takes a few minutes, and nothing is left to the last 48 hours. Cooper approves of that kind of calm.
Get YOUR personalized plan for Air France →

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.