Turkish Airlines makes family travel easier by allowing passengers to fly with their pets

A pet owner travels on board a Turkish Airlines flight with their dog. Picture: Supplied

A pet owner travels on board a Turkish Airlines flight with their dog. Picture: Supplied

Published Mar 20, 2024

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Getting a pet sitter for your furry friend while you travel is a thing of the past after Turkish Airlines announced that pet owners can travel with their pets.

According to the airline, there is no need for families to go on vacation without their pets and holidays will become much more memorable as cats, dogs and birds will be allowed on board a variety of local and international flights with the airline.

“With the furry members of the family in tow, travel can be a more inclusive and enjoyable experience for everyone,” said Turkish Airlines.

In order to make the experience more pleasurable for travellers, the airline said that cats, dogs and birds are the only animals permitted to fly with passengers in-cabin travel.

“Passengers must keep their pets in a carrier or a cage, under the seat in front of them,” said the airline.

It highlighted that there are also in-cabin size restrictions that passengers must consider including the weight of the pet with its crate or cage should not exceed 8kg and crate sizes should not exceed 23cm height, 30cm width and 40cm length.

“If your pets weigh more than 8kg, or their crate doesn’t meet size requirements, they are still welcome to fly in the cargo compartment,” said the airline.

When it comes to service animals, the airline said that guide dogs accompanying vision or hearing-impaired passengers, or for passengers with other medical needs, are welcome in the cabin free of charge, however, the service dog must be professionally trained and certified.

And lastly, Turkish Airlines advised pet owners that they should check the rules of the destination country they are going to regarding pets, as well as the information they’ll need to supply.

“For your pets to be permitted onto the aircraft, you must carry their vaccination card, ID details, and other documents required by the destination country.

“Before travelling with your pet, you can generate a fee estimate for domestic and international flights.

“You can also easily make a reservation for your pets through the Turkish Airlines website or the mobile app, using your flight reservation code (PNR),” said the airline.