A common question we get is how much a round trip for a holiday will cost for pets. We'd all love the option to take our pets on holiday with us, but what are the practical implications? There are a few factors to consider and we'll discuss each.

Route

Counties like the United Kingdom will only allow the arrival of pets as manifest cargo when using air transport. This means that as a holiday destination for pets, it's one of the more expensive and the cost might be prohibitive for a short trip. Now, you can fly into Europe and go overland to reduce the price however the time/stress must be factored in. Most European destinations allow the arrival of pets as accompanied baggage and this is much more manageable both in terms of price and ease of clearance on arrival.

Returning to the UAE is not as simple as leaving. Unless your pet is under 8kg, you are limited to cargo as the method of import. We'll discuss this more in the next section. If your pet is under 8kg then good news, you can bring your cat or dog into Abu Dhabi with Etihad and carry them in the cabin with you.

Size

How big your dog or cat is will affect the price of a flight, plus will open or close options for travel. As a general rule, pets below 8kg can travel in the cabin if the destination country and airline allow this. Etihad will allow you to travel back into Abu Dhabi with your pet in the cabin and this offers a great option for those not wanting to put their dog or cat in the hold.

Pets that are larger than 8kg will either go in the hold or as manifest cargo. For the latter, prices are based on the volume of the crate so the larger the crate, the more it will cost. If your pet is going in the hold, airlines generally have a tiered pricing structure based on weight.

Breed

Do you have a bulldog? Or a pug? Then make sure you prepare well in advance! Over the hot summer of the UAE, airlines put into place embargos on any animals considered to be "snub nose". This drastically reduces the options open to you and many airlines will not transport snub nose breeds at all in the hold. What you do have access to all-year-round is private or shared charters. We have a number of clients who holiday with their snub nose pets and take a shared flight to their destination.

Prices

For accurate pricing all the above factors need to be considered so it's best for you to get in touch, tell us about your pets and we will send you a no-obligation cost breakdown.