Traveling by plane with pets

Traveling by plane with pets can sometimes be a problem. Although many airlines allow you to travel with your pet for an additional fee, there are a number of rules that you should follow. First of all, you must notify all airlines that you are traveling with a pet. Your animal will not have a plane ticket like yours, but its flight announcement is necessary. In most cases, if you book your ticket online, you will have the option to mark if your pet is traveling with you. If this is not the case, you can announce the pet by calling the contact center at the airport. If you buy a ticket directly, you can announce your pet on the spot.

Conditions for traveling by air with pets

During the reservation of the service itself, it is necessary to indicate which type of animal it is. Then you have to provide information about their weight with the carrier, as well as the dimensions of the carrier. The number of pets that can be on one flight is limited and their carriage must be confirmed by all carriers before boarding. Also, when traveling with a pet, your seat must be confirmed. Unaccompanied children cannot travel with pets.

Rules for the pet and carrier

Dogs and cats older than 12 weeks are allowed to travel on flights. The weight of the pet with the carrier can be up to 8 kg. The maximum dimensions of the carrier are 94 cm, e.g. 40 (length) x 30 (width) x 24 (height) cm. You must have a pet permit for the country you are traveling to and other documents required by countries of exit, entry and transit. You should also have a certificate of vaccination against rabies and any health certificates that are necessary for the flight. Your pet must not be smelly, aggressive or dangerous. A maximum of two pets belonging to the same species can be accommodated in one carrier. The carrier will be placed under the seat, so it must have a mesh fabric for ventilation. It must be secured against opening, leakage of liquid and waste. No part of the pet must protrude from the carrier, which must be spacious enough for your pet.

Conditions for traveling abroad

If you are traveling to Serbia with a pet, it is necessary to find out about the conditions for bringing pets on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If you are traveling outside of Serbia, it is necessary to inform yourself about all conditions at the consular department of that country.

Required documentation for pets

The procedure of collecting the necessary documents for traveling with pets takes more than three months. All pets older than 90 days must be chipped and vaccinated against zoonosis, rabies and other dangerous and contagious diseases. On that occasion, a pet passport is obtained, which is a necessary but not sufficient document for the pet to travel. Furthermore, all pets must have a certificate of antibody titer against the rabies virus. 30 days after the vaccination, the pet’s blood is drawn and the serum is sent to Novi Sad to the Pasteur Institute. He is the only one in Serbia certified by the EU for performing such tests. The institute determines the number of antibodies within 15 days – and if it is in the appropriate range, it sends the data to the veterinary inspection. The inspection will issue a certificate in 90 days, and in the meantime, you must obtain a certificate about the animal’s health at the same place.

Pricelist

Depending on the airline with which you bought the ticket, each has its own price list when the supplement for a pet is asked for. The table below contains the price list valid for Air Serbia. It should be noted that the prices are given for one flight. If you have multiple flights and transfers to your destination, each flight will be charged separately.

Price list for other countries

Within Germany – 50 EUR;

Within Europe – 60 EUR;

North Africa, Central Asia and coastal countries of the Eastern Mediterranean – 80 EUR;

Intercontinental flights (short) – 90 EUR;

Intercontinental flights (medium) – 100 EUR;

Intercontinental flights (long) – 110 EUR;

From and to Japan – 70 EUR.

Rights and responsibilities

Airlines strictly state in their regulations for traveling with a pet that they are not responsible if the animal is refused entry or transit through any country. If this happens due to not having the aforementioned documents and health certificates. The risk of injury, illness or death of the animal is yours, unless it is due to the negligence or fault of the company itself. If your trip includes combined transportation on Air Serbia flights and flights of one or more other airlines, it is possible that the regulations of other airlines will be applied. Also, if you are traveling on an Air Serbia shared flight where the transportation is performed by another company, it is possible that the regulations for transporting pets of that other airline will be applied.

Exceptions for traveling by air with a pet

The carriage of animals is not allowed on Wizz Air planes, except for a guide dog for the blind. Lufthansa has very detailed regulations on the carriage of pets, and the rules differ even for individual species of animals. If breeds of dogs and cats have genetic breathing problems, such as Boxers, Pugs, Pekingese and Himalayan, Persian and British Shorthair cats; Lufthansa advises you to choose another mode of transportation for them because they can have serious health problems, and if they have to go by plane, they must have at least 10 centimeters of space in the carrier on all sides when standing. With Lufthansa, dogs can travel for free if they are there for work. emotional support animals (ESAN – emotional support animal) or as guides for blind, partially sighted or deaf people (SVAN – service animals). They must have a basket over their muzzle.