Swiss Air Pet Policy

Sometimes, it might become necessary to send the pets alone to another destination due to various reasons. In such a case, one needs to book flight reservations for their pets in advance. Such reservations  for pets can be made on Swiss Air. This feature is offered by the Swiss Air pet policy wherein passengers can fly with their animals or transport them on cargo as well. There are other different services available under this pet policy which can be known when you have a good comprehension of these rules and regulations.

Basic Terms of the Swiss Air Pet Policy

As one of the few airlines that offer pet transport services, this carrier has set out a designated Swiss Air pet travel policy. All the limitations/rules regarding the weight and size of the animal must be followed while carrying your pet onboard. By adhering to these conditions and guidelines, one can make sure that their pet enjoys a safe and hassle-free journey. This will help in avoiding any kind of major problems while the passenger is on the flight. 

Mentioned herewith are some of the most important terms and guidelines of the pet policy of this airline: 

1. All the fliers who have made their reservation bookings through the official sources of this airline, whether direct or indirect, will be eligible for making pet travel reservations. 
2. This airline permits its customers to transport their pets as a part of carry-on luggage inside the cabin. 
3. The option to send the pets in the hold luggage whether as a part of cargo or as checked baggage is also offered by this operator. 
4. Animals registering under the Swiss Air pets travel service must be healthy and hygienic. They should also be vaccinated properly, only then will they be accepted to fly on board. 
5. Under each type of carriage option, only limited pets will be approved to fly by airline. Hence, making a booking might be a good option. 
6. Your animal can be transported in the cabin or hold luggage off the plane based on its size. Certain restrictions might apply based on the option you choose. 
7. The regulations of pet travel depend on the flight arrival destination and its itinerary. 
8. Only animals older than 12 weeks are eligible for travel on this operator. 
9. Medical documents along with the vaccination certificate, as mentioned above, need to be submitted to assure the airline authorities that the said animal is safe to fly onboard. 
10. The pet travel fees, airport restrictions, and breed restrictions of the animal may vary with different factors like destination country and whether you wish to send your pet as a part of cargo or cabin luggage. 

Note: Passengers who have any queries regarding the basic terms of the Swiss Air pet travel policy can contact the airline authorities directly at their given toll-free number on the official website.

Does Swiss Air Allow Pets In Cabin?

This airline has a quite liberal in-cabin pet policy. Hence, your pets can be taken inside the cabin as a part of the carry-on baggage. However, it is to be noted by the passenger that the Swiss Air pet in cabin policy is subjected to conditions and restrictions of various kinds. These conditions are put in place by the carrier to assure the pet owners that their animals will fly safely. 

In this regard, the several regulations of this policy are as highlighted below: 

1. Each aircraft will be able to accommodate only a limited number of pets onboard.
2. You can know how many pets can be brought on your plane while booking your flight ticket. 
3. In most cases, every passenger will be given the opportunity to carry two animals on the flight. Out of these, only one animal can be brought inside the cabin and the other one should be transported in the hold luggage section of the plane. 
4. Swiss Air travel with pets inside the cabin is only allowed when your animal weighs less than or equal to 8 kgs or 18 lbs. This limitation includes the weight of the container in which the animal is being kept. 
5. The maximum allowed size of the pet’s crate should be within 118 cm broken down as 55 cm * 40 cm * 23 cm. 
6. The pet kennel or crate will only be approved by the airline if it is soft-sided. The container must be constructed in such a way that it is stable, clean, leakproof, and scratch-proof. Also, the pet should not be able to escape from the crate. 
7. Since your pet is required to stay inside the kennel throughout your journey, the kennel must be large and spacious enough for the pet to easily lay down and move around a bit. 
8. Some restrictions are imposed on the transport of animals that are dangerous, pregnant, or give out a foul odor. If the pet is found not obeying such restrictions, in that case, it will be denied boarding by the carrier. 
9. The pet’s crate must be kept under the owner’s seat during the flight’s take-off and landing. At other times during the flight, the animal must be kept near the passenger’s feet or by the seat. 

Note: When you opt for the Swiss Air fly with pets feature, certain seats may not be allotted to you. These can be such as the front row and the aisle seats. This is because these seats do not have enough stow space for the pets to fly and it might cause a bother to the fellow passengers. 

Swiss Air Pet In Hold Policy

Larger or heavier animals can be sent as checked luggage on the aircraft. This is usually known as the hold transport. It means that your pet will be transported in the same aircraft as you but in the hold section. Therefore, owners will not be able to be in direct contact with their animals throughout the flight journey. They can later be picked up at the arrival destination by their passengers as per the Swiss Air pets rules. 

The rules and regulations for the checked baggage pet travel service are described below: 

• You will have to check in your animal at least 2 hours before the flight’s departure. 
• A separate Swiss Air pet in hold cost will be charged for the check-in of animals. This fee will be determined based on the arrival destination and the type of animal carried. 
• For animals to be accepted as hold luggage, they should weigh more than 8 kgs or 18 lbs, including the weight of the crate. 
• Swiss Air pet carrier dimensions should be more than 118 cm in terms of 55 cm * 40 cm * 23 cm to be approved as a part of the hold luggage. 
• It is to be noted that no other animal other than cats or dogs will be approved to fly for hold transport. Further, some breed restrictions are also imposed on this type of pet travel. 
• It is the duty of the owner to make sure that the animal has sufficient food and water for the entire journey. This will help the flyers to travel with ease.
• The airline ensures that suitable temperatures are maintained in the hold so as not to harm the animals in the hold. This is why the checked baggage service for shipping animals may not be made available during extreme winter or summer weather conditions. 

Note: The other guidelines for checked baggage transport are similar to the general conditions of the Swiss Air pet policy. For more queries, visiting the official website “www.swiss.com” .

Swiss Air Pet Cargo Policy

Apart from carry-ons and check-in baggage options, the Swiss Air pet cargo is also a viable method to transport your animal on the plane. All the pets that exceed the size and weight restrictions of checked and cabin baggage are to be sent in as cargo luggage. Otherwise, you can also choose this option when you want to send your pet to the arrival destination without any human company. Also, some regions only accept pets when they are shipped as cargo. Hence, this feature is useful in such situations as well. 

While flying as cargo, your animal can travel on the same flight as you or may also be shipped on a different flight. This may entirely depend on the space and the accommodation eligibility of the aircraft. To book this service for your animal, passengers are required to contact the Swiss Air pet in cargo department. For this, you will have to visit the “Swiss WorldCargo” page which can be found at the following link :

https://www.swissworldcargo.com/en/web/guest/pets_live_animals

The necessary forms to be filled out by the passenger can be located on this page. Other than this, some more important features of pet cargo transport of this airline are as given below: 

• The airline makes sure that the temperature of the aircraft is appropriately maintained during the entire course of travel. Usually, an optimum temperature between 12 and 20 degrees celsius is maintained. 
• As per the Swiss Air pet travel international regulations, the airline tries to cut the flight time to the lowest possible minutes in order to make the journey short and safe for the pets onboard. 
• Further, your animals will be entrusted with specially trained and skilled pet keepers. These pet keepers will also look after your animals at the different stations. 

Important Note: Animals that are too young and are not healthy will not be given the required approval to fly as cargo according to the general Swiss Air pet regulations. 

Swiss Air Pet Crate Requirements

Whether it be hold luggage or carry-on baggage, the airline makes its best effort to protect the safety of the animals during their transportation. For this reason, certain crate requirements have been set by this operator. These requirements, mentioned under the Swiss Air pet policy, are directly dependent on the IATA pet container regulations. All the airlines facilitating pet travel are required to follow these IATA guidelines for the smooth boarding process.

The main requirement is that the pet crate should be made of something like a sturdy material. It should have an absorbent material within so that there are no leaks or holes. Also, each pet carrier must be labeled by the respective owner. 

Depending on the weight of the cage, the maximum allowed dimensions should be as follows:

• In case your cage weighs up to 4 kgs, it should be within 57 cm x 37 cm x 36 cm 
• Cages extending up to 6 kgs must be within 71 cm  x 50 cm x 51 cm 
• For containers weighing equal to 8 kgs, the allowed dimensions should be under 82 cm x 57 cm x 60 cm 
• When the cage weight goes up to 11 kgs, 93 cm x 65 cm x 68 cm dimensions should be followed. Whereas, 105 cm x 75 cm x 79 cm for a cage weighing equal to 14 kgs should be carried on the flight. 

Specific animals are considered fighting breeds. Such animals will only be allowed to be transported in the cargo and not as in-cabin baggage. These pets should be carried in specially designed crates. 

The following are these special crate requirements as given under the Swiss Air pets policy: 

• The crate should be made of specific hard materials like metal, wood, welded wire, standard wire, or any other synthetic materials. 
• The container will not be accepted by the carrier if any part of it is made with plastic. 
• The door of the crate must have a safety lock and it should be properly sealed. The use of metal, reinforced wood, or wire mesh in the construction of the door will be approved. 
• The frame, sides, roof, and floor of the container should all be stable and must have handles and openings for ventilation. 
• A food and water bowl can be placed within the container for your pet but it must have access from outside as well. 

The pet travel Swiss Air feature for fighting breeds will be denied if any of these conditions are not met. Hence, it is extremely essential to adhere to these requirements. 

Flying With Service Animals on Swiss Air

Service pets include those animals that offer support and assistance to their owners who might have any physical or mental disorders and disabilities. These include guide dogs and emotional support animals as well. All support animals can utilize the pet in cabin Swiss Air service and fly along with their owners. However, only dogs will be accepted as guide animals to be transported onboard. Also, certain documents have to be submitted to get approval while flying with trained animals. 

The other similar regulations that apply to assistance animals are mentioned below: 

• A valid certificate must be provided to the operator stating that the dog is well-trained to meet the needs and provide assistance to the disabled owner. 
• The animal must not be loud and aggressive. The owner should always be able to command and control the service pet. 
• The airline authorities are not responsible to ensure that all the entry regulations of the destination country are met. It is instead the duty of the pet owner to follow these guidelines. 
• The name, location, and other details of the trainer of the animal have to be provided. The owner should also submit an obedience certificate for their pets to be accepted onboard. 
• These service Swiss Air pets must be kept on a leash or harness for the whole journey. They must either be seated near the owner’s feet or under the seat space but cannot occupy a separate seat. 
• The animal must be equipped with a muzzle if required. 
• Service pets should be at least 4 months old to travel on this air provider. 

The rules of flying with service animals to and from the US are slightly different and the process is slightly elaborate. 

Given below are such Swiss international airlines pets regulations that apply when carrying guide animals to the United States: 

• Travelers who wish to fly with service animals to the US will first have to fill out the following forms: 

Service Animal Health Behavior Training Form

United States Department of Transportation Service Animal Relief Attestation Form

• The second form has to be filled out when the flight duration is longer than 8 hours. 

• In case you have made the service animal reservation more than 48 hours before the flight’s departure, then you will have to submit these forms online to the airline’s official email address. 
• For reservations made less than 48 hours prior to the flight’s take-off, the forms can be submitted at the departure gate at the airport. 

Emotional support animals can travel as a part of the cabin luggage or can be transported in the cargo in a Swiss Air approved pet carrier. This means that animals weighing less than 8 kgs can travel in the cabin while those that are more than 8 kgs have to be transported in the hold. 

Swiss Air Pet Fee

The Swiss Air pet fees depend on the arrival destination and the type of transport. Also, this fee varies based on the size of the pet’s container. 

The following table highlights the details of the fee structure of this airline: 

You can contact the airline agents to know the exact fee structure applied for transportation of the service animals as given by this airline’s pet policy. 

In Conclusion, 

The Swiss Air pet policy offers the utmost convenience to the customers. It makes pet travel possible through different options. The booking procedure for pet transport is simple and easily accessible as well. Further, this airline facilitates smooth travel for the passengers along with their service animals. The pet fee charged is affordable too. Therefore, choosing this airline when flying with pets can be convenient and efficient.

FAQs- Swiss Air Pet Policy

Related Pages