Start with the part that decides everything else: Malaysia Airlines does not accept pets in the cabin. Checked baggage is the only route, which means a crate, a weight, and a booking made well before you turn up. Cooper has done this trip three times now and the hold is where he always travels, so I can tell you plainly that the crate is the work, not the ticket.

Malaysia Airlines'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 Malaysia Airlines handles your pet

Key points

  • Malaysia Airlines does not carry pets in the cabin
  • Dogs and cats travel in the hold, either as excess baggage (AVIH) booked through the call centre when you buy the ticket, or as cargo through MASkargo
  • There is no flat pet fee: the hold price is the normal excess baggage rate for the weight of the pet and its container on the zone flown, with a minimum charge of 5 kg, paid at the airport check-in counter
  • An animal over 32 kg or 204 cm in total dimensions cannot travel as baggage at all and must go through MASkargo, where your pet shipper or forwarding agent quotes the price
  • Pets sent as cargo must reach the MASkargo Animal Hotel at least 8 hours before departure

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 Not accepted
In the hold / cargo Accepted

Cabin policy

Pets accepted Not acceptedverified 2026-10-01

Hold & cargo policy

Hold: Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-10-01
Hold: Advance booking required Yesverified 2026-10-01
Hold: Booking methodphone_onlyverified 2026-10-01
Hold: Max weight (pet + crate)32 kgverified 2026-10-01
Hold: Crate must have/behard-sided ok, water bowl, ventilated, IATA-compliant, absorbent liner, a carrierverified 2026-10-01
Cargo: Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-10-01
Cargo: Advance booking required Yesverified 2026-10-01
Cargo: Crate must have/behard-sided ok, water bowl, ventilated, IATA-compliant, absorbent liner, a carrierverified 2026-10-01

Health & documents

Health certificate required Yesverified 2026-10-01

Service & assistance animals

Fee waived Yesverified 2026-10-01
Recognized Yesverified 2026-10-01
So on Malaysia Airlines the cabin is closed and checked baggage is the whole conversation. If you pictured your dog under the seat, the itinerary needs rebuilding now rather than at the airport, and the crate needs sizing to the aircraft on your actual flight. Build your personalized plan on Pawgo and you will see what the hold route requires for your route and your dog, before you pay for anything.
Get YOUR personalized plan for Malaysia Airlines →

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.