Lufthansa pets transport into Ireland issue

BabyJane17

Before I bought my ticket do Dublin, I checked to see if Lufthansa is a pet friendly airline by reading their pet policy. Then a few days later I rang them to see how much would it cost to travel from Sarajevo through Frankfurt to Dublin, and they quoted me and told me I need to register my pet before the flight which was ok.

Once I registered my cat, I received a call from Lufthansa to say there’s a ban on pets in Ireland and they cannot allow me to travel with my cat for the Frankfurt-Dublin leg of the trip.

I checked for official guidance immediately and was confirmed by the Irish government that that is not true and that pets can travel without issue.

I then went back to Lufthansa who again told me the same story, then they told me it’s up to the Irish rules, then they told me they can set their own rules (which are nowhere on their website on pet policy) and then they told me if I’m allowed to travel by the airport staff they see no issue in me travelling with my cat. They sent me a confirmation email which again shows confirmation for all parts of the trip except the one involving Frankfurt to Dublin leg.

I was told by other people that Lufthansa has been defrauding people for years taking money for pet travel to Ireland without actually being able to transport pets into Ireland because they dont have a license.

Does anyone know what’s going on? Has anyone travelled with Lufthansa to Ireland with their pet? I’m desperate because I’m running out of time to figure something out

Dial Hard

Were you hoping to have your cat in the cabin with you? As far as I'm aware, no airline currently serving Ireland allows this, pets have to travel as cargo.

Lufthansa do allow pets in the cabin on other routes, which is probably where the confusion arose.

ZX7R

Possibly because you're cat is from outside the eu.

Also rabies has reamerged in the country of the cats organ in the last couple of years.

You would need a passport for the cat it would need to be fully inoculated with its shots.

Quarantined before and after traveling 6 weeks when it arrives I'm Ireland.

So I'd say the airline is correct in what it's saying.

munchkin_utd

Pets are allowed into Ireland if the ferry to and from France is anything to go by.

BabyJane17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121482725#Comment_121482725

That is just the thing. I spoke to the Dept of Agriculture in Ireland, they even sent me instructions on compliance check depending whether in cabin or as cargo. I've spoken to people who've brought their over in cabin, just with different airlines. I think the issue is that the instructions changed but Lufthansa failed to update their systems.

BabyJane17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121482759#Comment_121482759

The cat is fully compliant, has a passport, all the shots and the EU health certificate. Compliance is not the issue.

artanevilla

Is the pet travelling in the cabin or cargo hold? Should be no issue in the cargo hold, though I would be very reluctant to put my pet in there.

BabyJane17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121486336#Comment_121486336

I was planning for in-cabin travel. He fits the size and the weight limitations imposed by Lufthansa so it should really be no issue. I most certainly wont be putting him in cargo. That's my baby, I wont have him traumatised.

The thing is that they have no issue with the in-cabin travel, there's no issue on other flights. Just the part of the trip that flies in and out of Dublin. They wont tell me what the issue is, except that it's the pet travel ban imposed by the Irish government which is 100% not the case. It's so frustrating that there's not even anyone beyond the call centre you can ring and ask for more information. I will never fly with Lufthansa again. Bunch of twats so they are

artanevilla

It's possible this is the issue, I've never seen a pet travel in cabin on a flight into or out of Dublin. Have seen it several times on intra mainland Europe flights several times.

That's not to say it doesn't happen, but I've never seen it. It is possible Dublin airport does not have the facility to deal with live animals (non-service pets) coming through the passenger terminal but it does have the facility when it is arriving through cargo.

ZX7R

Are you flying luthansa from frankfurt to Dublin, or is there a change I'm airline's in frankfurt. Or a stop over.

BabyJane17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121486584#Comment_121486584

I'm flying Frankfurt to Dublin, with Lufthansa. No change. Lufthansa is the airline providing transport.

BabyJane17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121486484#Comment_121486484

they do have both options. For cargo travel, there's a third party provider, and for in-cabin, you book a compliance check and pay the EUR 50 for someone to meet you at customs and check the pet and the documentation. Like I've said, the department of agriculture sent me detailed instructions what to do.

Dial Hard

The Dept of Agriculture's rules don't necessarily align with the DAA's logistics capabilities, though. As in, just because the Dept says something is acceptable to them doesn't mean the DAA can facilitate it.

What airline did your friends bring their pet into Ireland in the cabin? Because as I said, I'm not currently aware of any airline that does this, so it would be interesting to know if that has changed.

FPL Partridge

OP

Are you sure the Frankfurt to Dublin flight is with Lufthansa and not a secondary airline, as I was looking to travel in September just gone and I was all booked and then realised that the flight from Frankfurt to Dublin was not with Lufthansa.

I have used them 4 years ago to travel with my dog as cabin luggage from Dublin to Alicante via Frankfurt but it was a Lufthansa plane on both legs of the trip.

I flew in September just gone with KLM from Alicante to Dublin via Amsterdam and there was no issues at all.

BabyJane17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121486908#Comment_121486908

Croatian Airlines, TAP, KLM...all fly pets without issue.

I'll try the DAA as well but here's what the Dept of Agriculture said:

Good afternoon,

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has no objection to the carriage of pets (cats or dogs when accompanied by their owners) in the cabin of the plane or as excess baggage when travelling on airlines, however the ultimate decision in where in the airline an animal travels is up to the airline concerned. All pets entering Ireland must be in full compliance with the EU Regulation 576/2013 as outlined on http://www.pettravel.gov.ie/

 

Kind Regards, 

Live Trade Register.

BabyJane17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121487120#Comment_121487120

It's 100% Lufthansa.

From what I hear and could research, pets travel in cabin with all other airlines, no issue.

delboythedub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058326505/lufthansa-pets-transport-into-ireland-issue

Tapair allow pets under 8 kg to travel in the correct container under your seat , any bigger has to go in cargo BUT dublin airport does not have the correct EU scanning machine to check any dog /cat over 8kg and this may the cause of confusion on the matter. Google www.tapair and look at their website

crophoenix

We also couldn't get our pet registered for in-cabin on the Frankfurt -Dublin leg of the return flight. We live in Ireland and the outbound flight with pet in cabin from Dublin is ok with Lufthansa, but the inbound is not? Go figure...

We flew with Croatia Airlines in the past as they accepted pets in cabin to Ireland, unfortunately as of 2023 they don't operate from Ireland anymore. We also flew with Aegean having pet in cabin on outbound/inbound flights to Ireland and had no issues. We'll be soon flying with our pet on KLM flights (with stopover in Amsterdam). Somebody mentioned TAP and I think also Iberia Express (Spain) are the remaining small number of other carriers that allow pet in-cabin into Ireland.

Paul O Gorman

So in June I was trying to fly with my two cats to Dublin. I booked my tickets eith Lufthansa and had the exact same as you. I called DAA, called the department of agriculture. On the DAA side, they can’t fly pets outbound in the hold. THATS IT. That is the ONLY restriction that I found. I emailed Lufthansa 100 times demanding that they refund my ticket, having 0 reason to refuse travel for my cats, also displaying no where on their website this special restriction of theirs. Its a nightmare. I ended up finding another airline, HiSky, that flies out of Romania to Dublin, but only 1 cat per person is permitted. So I ended up staying the entire summer in Romania, when I should be home in Ireland

cromelex

Airline seems to be making up rules.

I've flown Dublin to Lisbon and Lisbon to Dublin with my cat in cabin a couple of years back, no issue whatsoever. TAP Air Portugal.

They do flights with Lisbon as a hub, if you consider flying through them

Assis

I’m surprised to learn here that I’m not the only person that has being scammed by Lufthansa!

I’ve booked a week holiday with Lufthansa to krakow from Dublin and I chose Lufthansa as they advised pet friendly. I’ve reserved the space and travelled with my little chihuahua out of Dublin with no issue. On the way back last Friday the 5th they didn’t allowed me to come back to Ireland with my dog due this restriction that they can’t transport dogs to Ireland or Uk.

when I booked the my dog to leave Ireland, them knowing I had a returning ticket, I was never told about any restrictions on the way back. I just learned about it when I was on the checking at the airport. The supervisor at the bag drop off suggested me to leave my dog behind if I want to boarding. I was fuming with his nonsense suggestion. That was absolutely disgraceful and disrespectful.

I had to buy a ticket with KLM for 2 days later and extra costs with luggage and hotel. KLM did their best to bring my pet and I safe back home with no issue at all. Arriving at Dublin airport my dog was very welcome back by the customs authorities.

This was the worse experience i ever had with an airline in my life. I never will fly or recommend Lufthansa ever again!

lucyhere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121506481#Comment_121506481

Agree

blackbox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121491697#Comment_121491697

There wouldn't be many cats over 8kg.

dazed and confused

Hi, I came across this a few years ago when trying to travel with my small dog. My understanding is that Lufthansa doesn't have a license to transport pets to Ireland. I've flown with my dog twice on air France and they are super. At arrival in each airport I present the dog and the passport at customs. I get waved through with no one even looking at the dog. She's never been put through a scanner.

bringingBóhome

Hi @BabyJane17 and anyone else affected. We're due to fly Berlin - Dublin next week via Frankfurt and we're in a similar predicament. Lufthansa have confirmed our dog on 3 of the 4 legs of the return journey, but not Frankfurt - Dublin. They claim there is an "embargo" and will also not offer a refund. Did anyone have any joy with sympathetic staff at Frankfurt? We're at a total loss. We rescued the dog last summer only because our research showed Lufthansa would give us the option to move back and forth between Ireland and Germany.

Marcusm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121486484#Comment_121486484

I wonder is it a mixed thing or just not valuable enough for them. I have seen cargo transferred dogs handed to their owner in the baggage hall in Dublin. In that case from Sao Paolo via Lisbon.

SamEmiTheDog

I had the same issue in Aprile this Year.

I needed to move to Dublin from Sarajevo and all the flights I checked would not accept the dog for the Dublin part of the flight.

Lucky I found out that Iberia and Iberia Express that fly from Madrid to Dublin had no such issues and I was able to bring my dog into the cabin(was under the weight limit of 8 kg - barely).

The issue seems the embargo in the UK and they are two theories of why they apply this embargo to Republic of Ireland:

1. The to stupid or lazy to diff UK and Republic of Ireland.

2. The UK embargo affect all airlines flying into their air space even if they are just flying over, so any flight from the east side have issues while France and Spain are not affected as they fly in from the south not entering UK airspace.

saviogr

Hello. I have found this topic obviously AFTER having issues with Lufthansa and my pet.

Called them to make booking for my pet in cabin after checking IE government allows it - and after buying the ticket, as is the procedure in Lufthansa case.

After a very bad 1st attendant telling me the government does not allow it, the 2nd attendant told me that yes, I was correct, government allows but LUFHTANSA and SWISS AIR DO NOT have authorization to carry pets into Ireland. So, it is clearly their problem. At least I did it right after and could cancel my tickets (less than 24hs) for a refund. Oh, and they said that they can BRING BACK the pet, the problem is going with them. But now looking for other companies…

dazed and confused

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122285764#Comment_122285764

I think it must be the first theory because there is no problem flying out of Ireland over UK airspace. I encountered this problem about 5 years ago and intermittently check in to see if Lufthansa have figured out that Ireland is not part of or associated with the UK (apart from the common travel area) yet. I have flown with my dog in cabin a few times with Air France and once to Norway with wideroo. Both were great airlines for travelling with pets!

josip

Lufthansa I believe will fly pets out of Ireland in-cabin but not back in since Brexit. It sounds nuts but it hasn't been possible to explain to Lufthansa that Ireland != UK. Over the years, many have tried, but nobody has succeeded.

We've flown KLM ever since and have been glad to do so. Schipol is a much nicer airport than Frankfurt. On one flight back to Dublin, there were 3 dogs, 1 cat and 1 rabbit in the cabin. They got along famously.

cr-07

Does anyone know of an airline that allows medium size dogs to travel in-cabin, from Dublin/Shannon?

Me and my wife are looking to holiday with our 2 year old Cocker Spaniel (16kg). We are happy enough to go anywhere (where there is a bit of sun!). We don't want to stick him in cargo hold, as we feel it'd be too cruel & stressful.

josip

8kg net is the limit for any airlines I know of. Agree about not going in the hold, staying with a boarding kennel/minder would be preferable probably.

You could always drive to the south of France 🙂

cr-07

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122860858#Comment_122860858

Usually leave him with my mother when we go, but we were thinking about bringing him for our next holiday - I think he would also enjoy a bit of sun every now and again 😂

Yes, we were also considering that. I know there is a ferry that goes to northern Spain (Bilbao?) also, but it would be a lot of driving so would need to plan in stops ☺️. Was hoping flights might give us more options for destinations, but seeing the 8kg limit on all airlines.

Marcusm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122285764#Comment_122285764

Process is the issue. Ireland and the U.K. are in a separate pet sanitary zone so the airline would have to check whether the relevant vaccinations have been given, pet passport or AHC obtained etc. these generally don’t apply in Schengen. Madrid to Dublin might be a big enough route pair to justify it or IB have the resources because they have to check the same for pets transiting to LatAm or North America.

Marcusm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122860787#Comment_122860787

Not sure about Shannon but there is a fundamental problem in that the luggage belt in Dublin cannot accommodate pet carriers. About two years ago, it became mandatory in The EU for the pet carriers to go that route rather than to be carried through the airport and put separately in the hold at the gate. That means that pets have to go cargo and dropped off at cargo terminal resulting in disproportionately high costs. It does not have an impact on inbound pets.

Marcusm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122861000#Comment_122861000

If it’s any use to you, we have taken our 30kg golden retriever to the south of Portugal three times. Twice though Bilbao (non-stop driving)and most recently through Cherbourg (with two

Over night stops). French hotels are generally very accommodating with dogs. Ours is a very good traveller and never a problem with leaving her in room to have a meal etc. Spanish hotels outside the big cities can be much more hit/miss as regard pet acceptability.