Flying with a dog and cat in the cargo hold: our experience (and everything we wish we’d known beforehand)

We were scared. Really scared.

The first thing you read online when you search “pet in the plane’s cargo hold” is always the same: “animals die in the hold.” And that’s exactly what we thought too, before flying 9 hours from Osaka to Vancouver with our Shiba Inu Genepì and our cat Sakè.

But when you have no alternative — because you’re travelling the world in a campervan and can’t leave your animals behind — at some point you stop, you stop reading forum horror stories, and you actually start researching properly.

It can be done. And it can be done safely.

This article isn’t trying to convince anyone that the cargo hold is the best choice. We ourselves would have preferred to keep them on our laps for the whole flight. But since that’s not always possible, we want to share our experience to help anyone facing the same situation.

The pet cargo hold: what it really is (and what it isn’t)

When people talk about a “pet in the hold,” they immediately picture the classic luggage compartment: dark, cold, packed with piled-up suitcases. It’s one of the most persistent myths out there — and one of the most wrong.

Pet cargo compartments are separate, pressurised and climate-controlled environments, with conditions similar to those in the passenger cabin. The animals travel far from loud noises and luggage, in a controlled space.

On top of that, the number of animals allowed per flight is always limited: on our flight only two animals were allowed in total, and Genepì and Sakè took up exactly those two spots.

Is flying with animals in the hold really dangerous?

According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation  , incidents during pet air transport are extremely rare: under 0.01% across the hundreds of thousands of animals transported every year. That’s a lower rate than domestic accidents at home.

In the cases that were reported, it was almost always older animals, animals with pre-existing conditions, or — and this is a crucial point — sedated animals.

That’s exactly why sedatives are generally discouraged or banned by airlines: they can interfere with breathing and with the ability to adapt to cabin pressure at altitude, making the trip riskier, not calmer. If your vet suggests them, explicitly ask for a natural alternative instead.

Why our animals couldn’t travel in the cabin

In our case, the hold wasn’t a choice — it was the only option.

On the Japan–Canada route, the rules for in-cabin pet transport are very restrictive. The carriers allowed are extremely small (about 20 cm/8 in in height), and the animal has to be able to stand up and turn around inside it — requirements designed exclusively for very small pets.

Got a small dog or cat that meets those requirements? We recommend this cabin carrier  , which we also use on buses and trains.

The IATA-approved carrier: what it must have

The carrier used for the hold is probably the single most critical element of the whole trip. It must be IATA-approved (International Air Transport Association), meaning compliant with international standards for air transport.

Many airlines are extremely strict on this point: if the carrier doesn’t comply, your animal can be turned away right at check-in.

The main requirements are:

• Rigid structure (no soft-sided or foldable carriers)
• Sturdy material (hard plastic or fibreglass)
• Ventilation on at least three sides
• Metal latches (not lightweight plastic)
• Size appropriate to the animal: it must be able to stand without touching the roof, turn around completely, and lie down in a natural position

Always double-check before you leave. Don’t leave this to chance.

We used this IATA-compliant carrier  . The gold standard if you’re travelling by air.

How much it costs to fly a pet in the hold: real prices

Costs for the hold on intercontinental flights vary a lot from airline to airline. For our Japan–Canada flight, here’s what we found:

• General range: €150 to €500 per animal (one way only)
• Some airlines calculate the price based on total weight (animal + carrier), others apply a flat fee per route
• Above €500 you enter cargo shipping territory, with completely different rules and procedures

Payment happens at the baggage counter on the day of departure, after all the paperwork has been checked.

How to book: phone only (not online)

You can’t add a pet in the hold during online checkout. The correct process is:

1. Call the airline and check hold availability (spots are limited)
2. Buy the ticket, then reconfirm by phone
3. Provide the animal’s weight, the carrier’s weight, and the carrier’s dimensions

Watch out for brachycephalic breeds: dogs and cats with flat faces (bulldogs, pugs, Persians, etc.) often can’t fly even in the hold, for health reasons. Always check with the airline before booking.

Documents to fly with a pet: the most important part

This is the section that deserves the most attention. A missing or expired document can block boarding, and there are no exceptions.

The main documents required are:

Start well in advance: at least 3-6 months before departure, depending on the destination.

How to prepare your pet for the carrier (weeks before the flight)

The carrier shouldn’t turn into “the cage from flight day.” We started preparing weeks in advance:

• We left it open at home, like any other normal spot
• We turned it into a familiar space they’d curl up in on their own
• We put blankets and items that smelled like them inside it

On the day of the flight we also added:

• Absorbent pad  (check the size first)
• Natural pheromone spray ( cat  - dog  )
• External tags  with the animal’s name and the owner’s contact details
• Water dispenser  (check it fits the carrier’s door)
• AirTag  fixed to the outside with packing tape

Practical tip: bring some zip ties  with you to better secure the carrier door. Pack a pair of scissors in your checked suitcase — you’ll need them the moment you land to cut them off.

Flight day: our hour-by-hour schedule

Our flight was at 6:00 PM. Here’s how we organised the day:

• 8:00 AM — Last full meal and morning walk
• 1:00 PM — Long walk
• 2:00 PM — Small snack
• 3:00 PM — Last bathroom walk
• Arrival at the airport — We headed straight to the baggage drop-off area and stayed with them until the very last possible moment

⚠️ Animals are not loaded onto the belts together with the suitcases. They’re taken directly by dedicated staff — an important detail that makes all the difference.

We asked the staff if we could stay with Genepì and Sakè until the last minute. They even gave us a fast-lane ticket, so we reached the gate stress-free.

Shortly after, we got a notification from the airline confirming they’d been loaded on board. For extra peace of mind, we also asked the flight crew to confirm once we were seated, handing them a sheet with the animals’ photo and a short thank-you note for the captain.

Arrival: calmer than we were

As soon as we landed we picked them up right away. The carriers were in a dedicated area, at the gate next to baggage claim.

Genepì and Sakè were already there, calm and relaxed, as if nothing special had happened at all.

After picking them up, we finished the document checks and got out as fast as we could.

The most surprising part? They were far calmer than we were.

The truth about this choice

It wasn’t an easy decision. We were scared, and we didn’t know what to expect. We chose not to announce it in advance on social media, because hearing people tell us “they’re going to die” and that we were crazy would only have hurt us — without changing anything about the situation.

When you travel for work, out of necessity, for family — or simply because you’ve built a life on the road with your animals — you can’t always leave them at home. In these cases, the option to have them travel safely isn’t a luxury: it’s often the only solution.

And we’re here to tell you: it can be done.

Got questions about flying in the hold? Write to us in the comments — we’ll answer everything.