ITA Airways Pet Policy (2026): Large Dogs, Fees & Rules

How to add your dog to a booking

1. Contact ITA Airways' Information and Customer Service Office to buy the pet service at least 48 hours before the flight, and give the exact measurements of your carrier or cage.
2. Cabin: complete ITA's form for transporting dogs and cats as additional baggage in the cabin before departure, and hand it in, in duplicate, at check-in.
3. Large Dog On Board: request it only through the CIAO Contact Center, at least 4 days before departure. Web check-in isn't available for these bookings.

Sources: Pets in the cabin, Large Dog On Board

Pet fee

• ITA Airways quotes the fee in euros for departures from Europe and Japan, and in U.S. dollars for departures from the United States and the rest of the world. Each amount refers to a single flight route, and the price shown is the one at the time you buy the service, so it can change.
• The page gives both currencies for every route; the table shows the dollar amount for long-haul routes and the euro amount for flights within Italy and Europe. Fares depend on weight, cabin or hold, and the departure and arrival airports.
• The Large Dog On Board service has no published price.

Source: Pet travel supplement

Carrier size and weight

The weight limit is 8 kg (≈ 17.6 lb) including the carrier. On domestic flights the limit is 12 kg, carrier and food included.

• The carrier must be well ventilated, closed on all sides, waterproof and made of durable material, and big enough for your pet to stand, turn around and lie down. Your pet can't leave the carrier, even partly, until you've left the plane.
• Pets must be at least 3 months old.

Where you can sit

• The carrier goes under the seat in front of you

Source: Pets in the cabin

Large dogs in the cabin

Dogs up to 30 kg can fly in the cabin on a selection of ITA Airways domestic flights marked as Large Dog flights.

• Only on a selection of domestic flights identified as Large Dog flights. Each one takes at most two dogs: one over 10 kg and up to 15 kg, and one over 15 kg and up to 30 kg.
• You can only request and buy it through ITA's CIAO Contact Center, not online or through travel agencies, and web check-in isn't available. Request it at least 4 days before the flight.
• The dog needs a crash-tested harness that complies with CMVSS 213 and FMVSS 213, used to secure it to the seat belt for the whole flight.
• Documents include health papers, the dog's ID document (if applicable), a fitness-to-fly certificate that also states its weight, liability insurance for the dog, and the Pet Acceptance Form signed by the owner.
• Availability depends on the aircraft, other animals on board and operating conditions. Assistance dogs have priority over Large Dog On Board dogs.

Price: ITA Airways doesn't publish a price for this service on the page. Confirm it with the CIAO Contact Center.

Source: Large Dog On Board

Routes, breeds and other restrictions

Where pets can't fly

We haven't verified which routes, if any, don't accept pets on ITA Airways. Check the official page before you book.

Breeds

Short-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds are not accepted in cargo. ITA Airways stopped selling hold carriage for snub-nosed dogs and cats on October 26, 2025. They can still fly in the cabin if they meet the cabin limits. ITA's list, based on IATA rules, covers these dogs: Affenpinscher, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bichon Frise, Boston Terrier, Boxer, Brussels Griffon, Bulldog, Bullmastiff, Cane Corso, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chihuahua (apple-headed), Chow Chow, Dogo Argentino, Dogue de Bordeaux, English Mastiff, French Bulldog, Japanese Chin, King Charles Spaniel, Lhasa Apso, Maltese, Neapolitan Mastiff, Newfoundland, Pekingese, Presa Canario, Pug, Shar-Pei, Shih Tzu, Silky Terrier, Tibetan Spaniel, Valley Bulldog and Yorkshire Terrier; and these cats: Burmese, Exotic Shorthair, Persian and Himalayan.

Also good to know

• Since December 1, 2025, ITA Airways carries only dogs and cats, in the cabin and in the hold.
• The number of pets allowed on board, in the cabin and the hold, is limited.
• Your pet must be at least 3 months old.

Sources: Pets as cargo (animals in the hold), Pets in the cabin

Cargo and checked pets

ITA Airways carries pets in the cargo hold through pets in the hold (AVIH). The carrier must have a rigid shell made only of fiberglass or hard plastic, a metal door that locks at the central, upper and lower points, and metal (not plastic) side air vents. Wheels must be removed, or secured with tape if retractable. The maximum carrier size depends on the aircraft on your flight, so check with ITA in advance.

Compare every airline's hold rules in our guide to airlines that fly dogs in the hold.

Sources: Pet travel supplement, Pets as cargo (animals in the hold)

Service dogs and emotional support animals

• Only trained service dogs are accepted as service animals.
• Emotional support animals fly as regular pets, under the pet rules and fee on this page.
• Required paperwork: A training certificate on the training center's letterhead (or with a legible stamp) showing the dog is a service dog, requested at least 48 hours before departure. ITA's assistance dog page doesn't mention the U.S. DOT forms; confirm with ITA what you need on flights to or from the U.S.

Source: Assistance dogs

Other details

• Assistance dogs fly free in the cabin, with no quota. Emotional support dogs aren't assistance dogs on ITA: they fly as pets, for a fee, in the cabin or hold depending on their weight.
• Connecting to another airline? ITA says to check the other airline's rules: each airline on your itinerary must accept the dog.
• Pet bookings can be refunded in the event of the animal's illness or death, with a death certificate or a veterinary health certificate showing the animal can't travel.
• Dogs coming into the U.S. need the CDC Dog Import Form.

Compare other airlines

• Aer Lingus
• Aeromexico$182
• Air Canada$50
• Air France$200
• Alaska Airlines$100
• Allegiant Air$50
• American Airlines$150
• Avianca$170
• BARK Air$7,075
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Copa Airlines$125
• Delta Air Lines$150
• Emirates
• Etihad Airways$399
• Frontier Airlines$149
• Iberia$215
• JetBlue Airways$150
• JSX$100
• KLM€70
• LATAM Airlines$250
• Lufthansa
• Norwegian€55
• Qatar Airways
• Singapore Airlines
• Southwest Airlines$125
• Sun Country Airlines$75
• TAP Air Portugal$183
• Turkish Airlines
• United Airlines$150
• Virgin Atlantic
• Volaris$192
• WestJet$50
• All airlines