Breed Restrictions in the Air: Why Some Dogs and Cats Cannot Fly
A practical guide to brachycephalic-breed bans, dangerous-dog laws, and the country lists that determine whether your pet can travel with you.
Two distinct kinds of breed restriction apply to commercial pet travel: airline-imposed restrictions on snub-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds, and country-level restrictions on dogs classified as dangerous.
Brachycephalic breeds — including bulldogs, French bulldogs, pugs, Boston terriers, boxers, mastiffs, Cavalier King Charles spaniels, Persian cats, Himalayan cats, exotic shorthairs, and Burmese cats — have shortened skulls and compressed airways. At altitude, where the cabin and cargo hold are pressurised to about 8,000 feet of equivalent atmospheric pressure, these animals struggle to maintain normal respiration and are at elevated risk of in-flight respiratory distress and death. Almost every major commercial carrier — Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Air Canada, WestJet, Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, Turkish Airlines — refuses brachycephalic breeds in cargo year-round, and many also refuse them in the cabin during summer and winter temperature embargoes. If you own a brachycephalic dog or cat, talk to a veterinarian about whether commercial flight is appropriate at all, and consider ground transport for moves within the same continent.
Country-level dangerous-dog laws apply to certain breeds regardless of airline. The United Kingdom\'s Dangerous Dogs Act bans Pit Bull Terriers, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, and (since 2024) the XL Bully. France\'s Category 1 list bans Pit Bull Terriers and Boerboel-type crosses. Germany maintains a federal list of restricted breeds and additional state-level lists. Australia, New Zealand, and many US municipalities also publish breed lists that determine whether the dog can be imported, owned, or even transit through the territory.
If you own a breed that appears on a country\'s dangerous-dog list, you may be unable to fly the animal there at all, regardless of which airline you choose. Confirm with the destination country\'s veterinary authority before booking the ticket; do not rely on the airline\'s booking page, which usually only enforces the airline\'s own breed list and not the destination country\'s.