Qatar Airways doubles weight allowance for transporting domestic pets as baggage

Qatar Airways has more than doubled the weight allowance for domestic pets to travel on the same flight as their owners as checked-in baggage, by increasing the weight limit for pets and their containers from 32kgs to a much more generous 75kgs.

The airline has also reduced the cost for passengers to transport their pets. While it used to cost pet owners and animal refuges approximately USD400 to transport a large dog to Europe or the Americas on another carrier, the same journey will now cost just USD300 on Qatar Airways out of Doha.

Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer Ehab Amin, said, “We know how much our passengers love their family pets and often don’t want to be apart from them. This move to increase weight allowances while also reducing the fare structure means that our passengers and their domestic pets can now travel comfortably on the same flight together. We are one of the few airlines in the world that accepts domestic pets as checked-in baggage on our passenger aircraft. So in keeping with our very inclusive culture and our drive to always enhance the customer experience, we are delighted to increase the pet weight limit from 32kgs to 75kgs, while significantly reducing charges.”

Customers checking-in for their flight only need to telephone ahead and make a confirmed booking for their pet to travel with them. After showing the appropriate veterinary certificate to confirm their pet is healthy and safe for air travel, the animal is delivered to a specially designated area at Hamad International Airport (HIA) on the day of travel.

As well as transporting domestic pets on passenger flights, the cargo division of the Qatar Airways Group has also become the third largest cargo carrier in the world in recent years and regularly uses its freighters to transport valuable show horses, dairy cows and animals for relocation and rescue purposes via its Qatar Airways Live Freighter Service (QR Cargo).

Pets and transport crates heavier than 75kgs will be transported by Qatar Airways Cargo. These pets travel in a specially equipped animal transport section of the airline’s cargo aircraft. With its sophisticated animal accommodation facilities, QR Cargo has qualified veterinary and husbandry personnel at its Doha hub. Husbandry staff travel on every animal transport flight.

Qatar Airways is also a founding signatory to ‘United for Wildlife’ Transport Taskforce, aimed at reducing the illegal transport of wildlife globally.