Flying-with-pets statistics
62 of the 77 airlines verified here accept pets in the cabin — and 15, including Aer Lingus, Air New Zealand, ANA (All Nippon Airways) and 12 others, ban them outright. Across the 58 airlines with published limits, the median carrier maximum is 17.7 × 12.5 × 9.1 in and the median weight limit is 8 kg. Every number is computed from airline policy pages, each cited on its own page here.
These figures are computed from the 77 airline policies in the CabinPets dataset — a verified, growing set, each row cited to the airline's own published page with a dated verification note. Free to cite with a link (how).
The airlines that don't allow cabin pets at all
15 of 77 verified airlines publish an outright cabin-pet ban:
- Aer Lingus
- Air New Zealand
- ANA (All Nippon Airways)
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- China Airlines
- easyJet
- Emirates
- Icelandair
- Japan Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Ryanair
- Singapore Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
For these, the only routes are checked/cargo programs where offered, or a professional pet shipper — the honest comparison is in in-cabin vs cargo.
Published carrier size limits
Median published maximum across 58 airlines: 17.7 × 12.5 × 9.1 in. Strictest published length: 13" (EL AL Israel Airlines). Most generous: 24" (Contour Airlines).
There is no universal "airline-approved" carrier size. A carrier at or under ~14 × 9 × 8 in clears 49 of the 58 published limits here; 16 × 10 × 8.5 in clears 36; a typical large 17 × 11 × 9 in carrier clears only 31. Which real carriers clear which airlines: best carriers ranked by fit.
Soft-sided requirements
27 of 58 airlines with published limits require a soft-sided carrier in the cabin, 25 explicitly allow a hard-sided one within the limit, 1 requires the opposite — a solid container, with soft-sided refused, and 5 publish no carrier-type rule either way. 16 of 58 explicitly publish limits that vary by aircraft — why that matters: the under-seat truth.
Weight limits
37 of the 58 airlines publish a weight limit in kilograms: median 8 kg, range 5–12 kg, and it usually includes the carrier. Most US majors publish no weight number — the pet must simply fit the carrier, and the carrier must fit under the seat.
How to cite these statistics
Free to reuse with attribution — cite CabinPets with a link to this page. Suggested citation:
CabinPets analysis of 77 verified airline pet policies (each cited to the airline's official page; dataset verified 2026-08-14). https://cabinpets.com/statistics/
Methodology
Every underlying figure is the airline's own officially-published rule, recorded with a source URL and a dated verification note on that airline's page here. Where an airline publishes different limits per aircraft, the dataset records the smallest published figure so a fit is never over-stated. Counts and medians are computed at build time and update automatically as airlines are added. "Allows in-cabin" means the airline publishes an in-cabin program; explicit bans are counted only where the airline's own page states one. Corrections: tell us.
Start from your own airline: the fit matcher · all 77 airline policies · fees compared · every airline ranked (CSV).
Carriers that clear the most airlines
Ranked by how many of the 58 airlines with a published cabin limit each one clears at its published size — the same computation behind every fit verdict on this site.
Affiliate link — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes our specs or which carriers we list.
Sherpa Original Deluxe (Small)Mr. Peanut's Gold Series Mini (Low-Profile)Petmate Soft-Sided Kennel Cab (Medium)Mr. Peanut's Gold Series Standard (Expandable)Common questions
Which major airlines do not allow pets in the cabin?
15 of the 77 airlines verified here ban cabin pets entirely: Aer Lingus, Air New Zealand, ANA (All Nippon Airways), British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, easyJet, Emirates, Icelandair, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Ryanair, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic. Each ban is cited to the airline's own policy page — for most of these, checked baggage/cargo or a pet shipper is the only route.
What carrier size fits the most airlines?
No single size fits every airline. Across the 58 airlines here with published cabin limits, a carrier no larger than about 14 × 9 × 8 in clears 49 of 58; at 16 × 10 × 8.5 in it clears 36; at 17 × 11 × 9 in only 31. The strictest published length is 13" (EL AL Israel Airlines).
What is the typical in-cabin pet weight limit?
Of the airlines here that publish a weight limit in kilograms, the median is 8 kg (5–12 kg) — usually including the carrier. Many US airlines publish no weight number at all and rely on the carrier-fit rule instead.