Pawfect trip for a pet in hold – tips for travelling with a dog

Heidi Korkalainen, a dog and animal trainer, flew to Lisbon with her 4-year-old Labrador Onni, who had never flown before. Since Onni together with his pet container weighed way over 8 kilos, he had to travel in the aircraft hold. Heidi now shares tips for travelling with a dog.

How to prepare for a flight with a dog?

Even though the flight with Onni went well and without any problems, Heidi recommends to always consider carefully, whether you want to bring your dog with you on a flight. Travelling in the aircraft hold can be stressful for your pet, and there are also multiple things to consider prior the trip.

Before the trip, it’s crucial to familiarise yourself with the requirements of the destination country and find out what certificates, documents or possible medical treatments or vaccinations your dog or other pet needs. For instance, you can find information on travelling to Finland on the Customs’ webpage.

“Before leaving for Portugal, Onni needed to have a passport, which we got from a veterinarian. In addition, I also brought Onni’s registration certificate with me. Since we were flying within the EU, the passport was only checked on departure,” says Heidi. “The requirements always depend on the destination country. For instance, when we returned to Finland, we had to have a note in our passport that Onni had received echinococcal medication,” she continues.

Before the flight, you must also get a transport container for your dog, in which the dog must be able to stand freely and lie lengthwise. Additionally, the pet container must be IATA approved for air travel. The maximum weight and dimensions of the transport box and the dog transported in it are airline-specific: you can check the dimensions of the containers suitable for Finnair flights on our Pets on Finnair flights page.

“It’s important to practise with the dog how to be in the container, so that he knows how to behave there and calm down. It also helps if the dog is already used to travelling in the car and has also spent time in the container in a car, as that’s pretty similar to travelling on an aircraft,” Heidi advises.

When planning a trip with a pet, please make a flight reservation no later than seven days before the departure and contact Finnair via the chat service on our website within 24 hours. You can find further instructions for making a reservation on the Pets on Finnair flights page. Smaller pets weighing up to 8kg including the transport box can travel in the cabin, while larger dogs must travel in the hold.

What to do on the day of the flight?

Heidi gave Onni a lactic acid bacteria two days before the flight as well as upon arrival to ease the stress caused by flying for the first time. Before the flight, she took Onni for a longer walk to stretch his legs, which is important before travelling.

Heidi also says she doesn’t recommend feeding the dog right before the flight: “I already reduced the amount of food the night before, and in the morning, Onni got half of his normal breakfast. He got something to eat, but not too much to reduce the risk of vomiting.”

Heidi and Onni arrived at Helsinki Airport well on time. The flight to Lisbon departed around noon, so the airport wasn’t that busy. If possible, Heidi advises to choose a departure outside the peak times, so that there are less congestion and people at the airport. In addition to the number of people, you should consider that the airport's floor might be slippery. “If your dog is afraid of people or slippery floors, it's worth practising encountering and getting used to those in advance,” advises Heidi. 

At Helsinki Airport, Heidi and Onni headed to the special assistance desk, from which they were directed to a separate area. “I put Onni in the container and cable ties were also put in the transport box to make sure it won’t open. The staff checked the box and made sure it met all the requirements. If your dog doesn't have a suitable pet container, you cannot get on the flight,” says Heidi.

"You also can’t put anything extra in the container: no collars, harnesses, toys or snacks. However, there had to be something absorbent at the bottom, so I put down some newspaper and then a cooling gel pad on top."

From there, Heidi and Onni’s paths went separate ways for a while, as Onni’s journey continued with the staff towards the aircraft. At the departure gate, Heidi received some information about her dog: “I was told that my dog will now be secured in the hold, which is equipped with heating. I was somewhat nervous about how the transport to the plane would go for Onni, so it was really nice that they gave me an update.”

How did it go at the destination?

Once in Portugal, Heidi first picked up her own baggage and then asked for advice on finding the right place and Onni. The local ground crew brought her Onni and helped her load the pet container and the dog into the cart and cut open the cable ties.

Onni was happy and relieved to see Heidi again, but he also seemed a bit stressed out and hot. However, when the two of them got outside, the panting stopped. “I had some dog treats in my pocket, and I immediately gave Onni one as a reward. I rewarded him for being near me when we started walking through the crowd. It’s also important to make sure the dog drinks well. If they have been panting a lot, they will need fluids. In fact, we’ve been told at school that water is a dog's most important nutrient.”

All in all, Onni and Heidi’s first flight together went really well. When going on a flight with a pet, Heidi encourages you to trust the system that has been built for travelling with pets. “A dog will sense their owner’s tension too, so you should trust that everything will go well, so that the panic won’t transfer to the dog," says Heidi.

As other tried-and-tested tips for air travel, Heidi lists practicing going into the cage and calming down there, getting used to travelling in a car, taking a long walk outside on the morning of the flight, and preparing for the trip with slightly smaller portions of food. With good preparations, furrier fellow travellers will enjoy the trip more and arrive at the destination less stressed.

You can find more information about travelling with a dog and other pets on our website as well as on the frequently asked questions’ Pets section.