We recently wrote about how to travel to Italy with your pet – what paperwork you will need, what vaccines your pet must have, how to fly with your pet in the cabin or hold, and more – for our Italy Villas blog. In that article, we also briefly mentioned new regulations that were brought in this summer, allowing bigger dogs to be brought in the cabin along with their owners but what does this actually mean for those who book a villa in Italy and are travelling with their pet by air?
New Rules
Previously, the largest dogs allowed in the cabin had to be under 10kg or 22 pounds. This meant that, up until recently, if you wanted to bring a larger dog, your only option was for them to be kept in the hold.
In May of this year, it was announced that larger dogs (as long as their combined weight with their carrier does not exceed the standard weight limit for passengers, which is around 84kg or 185 pounds) would be permitted in the cabin according to new guidelines from the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC).
The First Flight
ITA Airways had its first flight with larger dogs on board on the 23rd of September, to the major excitement of serious dog-lovers. Honey and Moka, a mixed-breed and a Lab became the first larger dogs to fly in the cabin in Italy when they travelled with their owners from Milan to Rome.
The dogs, one in Economy and one in Business class, were placed in dedicated spots in the front and back rows, on a mat under the seat next to their owner, on the window side, leashed, and given water. This set-up is, therefore, probably a good representation of how owners should expect to travel with their larger dogs on participating flights.
Moving Forward
The aforementioned flight by ITA Airways was a demonstration flight to see how this process would look and to test it out. However, there is yet no real indication of how common such flights will actually be moving forward.
These new rules are simply guidelines that allow airlines to offer this service but offering the service itself will pose various challenges – from potential noise issues and cleanliness concerns, to the use of valuable space on board airplanes when airlines are already trying to maximise profits. It is uncertain how many airlines will decide to offer this option.
It is also worth keeping in mind that this all only applies to domestic flights currently but it does open the door and set a new industry standard in Italy, paving the way for potential future changes to allow larger dogs on more flights all around the world – certainly, it puts dog-lovers and their furry pals in a good place as we look to future travel possibilities.
Travelling With Your Dog In Italy
All of this also comes on the back of Italy becoming an increasingly dog-friendly destination, in general. Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, for example, has pet areas to make it easier for four-legged friends to wait. Trenitalia also introduced a new initiative this summer that would allow dogs and cats to travel with their owners free of charge on Italy's Frecce and Intercity long-distance trains from the 21st of June to the 15th of September 2025 – as an effort to reduce the number of people each year who abandon pets to go on summer holidays but also making it easy for both domestic and international travellers to explore Italy with their pets.
So, if you’re thinking about booking a vacation rental in Italy and you want to bring your furry friend, check out our travel tips over on the Italy Villas blog and keep these new regulations and initiatives in mind!
