Ethiopian Airlines Pet Policy

Flying with pets is a requirement for many owners. The same is the case for disabled passengers who require service animals for their assistance. To facilitate easy travel with your animals, Ethiopian Airlines has drafted a special pet policy. This Ethiopian Airlines pet policy is known to assist travelers who wish to bring their animals onboard or transport them as cargo on the plane. Further, it takes all the necessary steps to ensure a safe flight journey for your pet. You can read ahead to find out more about the various rules and regulations of this policy concerning the safety of the passengers as well as their pets on the flight. 

Terms of the Ethiopian Airlines Pet Policy

To make flying with pets easier and more manageable, this airline has given a specific set of rules and conditions. These regulations have been established to ensure the utmost safety of the pets and the flyers onboard. Any pet owner wanting to fly with their animals must follow these regulations. Not only to the travelers, but these conditions apply to the airline authorities as well. Hence, it is important to practice these regulations to ensure easy trips. 

In this regard, the main guidelines to be followed while flying with pets on Ethiopian Airlines are given below: 

• The pets onboard will be allowed only on tickets purchased via travelers through legitimate and direct sources of the airline. 
• Cats, dogs, and other guide animals are accepted to travel by this airline. 
• Pets can fly as cabin luggage or checked baggage under this policy. You can also ship them as cargo when you want to send your pets alone on the flight. 
• Service dogs that provide assistance to blind passengers can be brought onboard instead of being transported as Ethiopian Airlines pet cargo. 
• Travelers who wish to fly with their pets must inform the airline well in advance about their requirements. This information should be provided to the air authorities at the time of booking itself. 
• When your reservation includes an interlinking flight and the second flight belongs to another airline, you have to adhere to certain pet policy rules of the said airline. 
• This airline allows the application of government restrictions on pet travel. These government rules differ from one country to another. 
• Pet travel fees have to be paid to the airline for transporting pets as cargo or as checked baggage. This fee depends on the size and weight of your animal to be transported onboard. 
• Animals can only be transported in carriages. These cages/carriages must be safe for the animal to travel on the flight. 
• It is upon the pet owner to take responsibility for the health conditions of their animal. This airline will not be liable on behalf of the passengers who get into trouble due to non-compliance with these regulations. 

Note: Changes and upgrades can be made to the Ethiopian Airlines pet policy without notice to the customers. You can see these upgrades on the main site of this airline. 

Carrying Pets in Cabin on Ethiopian Airlines

The carrier, Ethiopian, allows passengers to bring their pets onboard. Only dogs and cats can fly along with their owners in this aircraft cabin. Flying with pets on Ethiopian Airlines as cabin luggage is subjected to certain restrictions. These restrictions are imposed to board the flight with no further hassle. 

Given below are the rules that apply to the allowance of pets in cabins on this airline: 

• Only two pets in the Economy class per compartment can be accepted by the air operator. Whereas, the passengers in the Business Class can carry only one pet per passenger. 
• The combined weight of your pet and its carriage should not be more than 8 kgs or 18 lbs. 
• The Ethiopian Airlines pet policy requires the dimensions of the pet cage to be within 50 * 40 * 20 cm or 20 * 16 * 8 cm. These dimensions should be concerning the transport of the pets under cabin luggage. 
• Any carriages exceeding these weight and size limitations will not be accepted by the airline. 

Note: When bringing pets on board, passengers must ensure that the animal stays inside the cage throughout the journey. Accordingly, necessary arrangements should be made by the fliers. 

Pets as Checked Baggage on Ethiopian Airlines

Travelers can check in their pets as checked baggage on this airline. The animals registered as checked baggage will be transported in the ‘hold’ section of the aircraft. However, this is different from transporting pets as Ethiopian Airlines pet cargo. Under checked luggage, owners will be accompanying their animals. 

The rules for transporting pets as checked luggage on this carrier are mentioned here: 

• All the animals and carriages that exceed the cabin baggage restrictions will be accepted as checked luggage. 
• While flying with pets on Ethiopian Airlines under this baggage type, the weight of the animal and its cage should be within 71 lbs or 32 kgs. 
• For your pet to be permitted to travel as a checked bag, it should be more than 50 * 40 * 20 cm or 20 * 16 * 8 cm. 

Note: When calculating the weight of your pet, you must take into account the combined weight of the cage as well as the animal within. 

Does Ethiopian Airlines Allow Pets as Cargo?

Since all the pets cannot be transported in the cabin or as checked luggage, this airline has facilitated the option of cargo travel. Those animals which are to be sent alone to the destination can be shipped as cargo. Passengers can take advantage of this option as well. This is a viable option for owners who cannot accompany their pets for various reasons. The airline makes sure that your pet is sent securely without any room for danger. 

The following highlight the main points given by the Ethiopian Airlines pet cargo policy: 

• All animals weighing more than 32 kgs or 70 lbs can be transported in cargo. This includes the weight of the cage or crate in which your animal is to be seated. 
• Pets not put in crates will not be approved by this airline. 
• The crate should be designed in accordance with the IATA guidance. It should have enough space, and ventilation for the animal to be comfortable. 
• The cage should be made with stable material and it should be properly secured. 
• The airline also requires the animal crate to be leakproof and tidy.
• All the bowls for feeding your animal can be instilled within the cage. 
• It is mandatory for the owners to label their pets’ carriage without fail under the Ethiopian Airlines pet policy. 
• Submission of necessary certificates like vaccination proof, medical documents, export permits, and pet passports might be required by the carrier. 
• You must submit these documents to the airline at least 3 days before the scheduled departure of your flight. 
• Payment of cargo fee is necessary when you want to transport your pets via this method. 

Note: In case you have any queries regarding shipping/flying with pets on Ethiopian Airlines, you can call the airline directly at their customer care number available on its website “www.ethiopianairlines.com” .

Flying With Service Animals on Ethiopian Airlines

Service animals or emotional support pets are trained to help passengers with physical or mental disorders. Under the Ethiopian Airlines pet policy, you will be allowed to bring along your guard animals onboard. The rules for these animals differ from regular pets. Service animals usually enjoy more liberty compared to regular pets. 

While flying with trained pets, passengers will be required to follow the given guidelines: 

• Seeing-eye dogs, that is, dogs that assist travelers with vision problems will be allowed on board. However, they should be properly harnessed and secured at all times. 
• Similarly, hearing-ear dogs, that is, dogs that help owners with hearing disabilities, can also be brought onboard. However, they should obey all the governmental restrictions on pet travel. 
• In the case of service animals, flying with pets on Ethiopian Airlines does not require payment of an extra fee. You can travel with your guide animal for free. 
• Travelers who need to bring service animals must make sure to inform the airline in advance so that the authorities can make the necessary arrangements. 
• These animals should be muzzled while in the cabin. 
• You are advised to confirm with the airline whether there are any additional rules that you need to comply with to travel with these pets. This can be done during the time of reservation of your ticket. 
• This airline requires the submission of valid certificates and reports showing that the animal is trained enough to be a service pet. It should also be proved that the pet can provide proper assistance to blind or deaf owners. 

Note: There will be no need to transport service animals as Ethiopian airlines pet cargo. Travelers are free to carry them in the cabin with themselves. 

Ethiopian Airlines Pet Travel Fees

A specific fee can be charged for the carriage of animals on this airline. This fee may depend on the size and weight of your pet. The flight itinerary and the arrival destination also help in determining these fees. 

As per the Ethiopian Airlines pet policy, the following fee can be charged for animal travel on this airline: 

• In the cabin pets weighing about 8 kgs or 18 lbs (including the crate) will be charged a fee of about USD 150 or EUR 120. This applies to all international destinations. 
• Checked baggage pets weighing more than 8 kgs or 18 lbs and less than 32 kgs or 71 lbs will be charged about USD 370. This applies to all international destinations per direction. 
• On domestic flights, you will have to pay around USD 100 or EUR 98 for in-cabin pets weighing up to 8 kgs or 18 lbs. 
• For checked luggage pets on domestic destinations that weigh more than 8 kgs or 18 lbs and less than 32 kgs or 71 lbs, a fee of 500% in excess of the regular baggage charges will have to be paid. 
• The Ethiopian Airlines pet cargo fee varies based on the weight of your animal. This fee is determined in accordance with the AVIH regulations. 

Note: The option to contact the airline’s customer service is open in case you have any queries regarding the pet travel fee. Apart from this, customer service can be contacted for various reasons like Ethiopian Airlines name correction, flight modification, and for obtaining baggage information. 

Procedure to Carry Pets on Ethiopian Airlines

To carry or transport your pets on this carrier, you will have to follow a certain process. During the reservation process itself, passengers will be required to inform the airline about their need to transport their pets. For this, you can contact the airline agents and let them know the size and weight of your pet. The agents will then tell you does Ethiopian Airlines allow pets on the particular aircraft you wish to book. Generally, pets will be permitted in the cabin on all Q-400 aircraft of this operator. 

Upon getting official confirmation from the airline, you can proceed with the booking process. You need to provide all the required documentation and certificates as mentioned earlier. Pay the necessary charges and you can easily fly with your pet now.

The Bottom Line 

The Ethiopian Airlines pet policy offers the utmost convenience when it comes to flying with pets. It allows passengers to carry pets in the cabin, as checked luggage, and even as cargo. This airline makes a special room for the efficient travel of service animals. Further, it does not charge any extravagant charges for facilitating animal transport, thus making it affordable. Overall, you can select this airline when you want to comfortably fly with or transport your animals.

FAQs- Ethiopian Airlines Pet Policy

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