Assistance dogs travel in the aircraft cabin and have their PETS checks performed on board the aircraft or in the passenger terminal on arrival in Manchester. In all other respects, the checks completed are identical to, and as stringent as those applied to non-assistance dogs.
Cats or other animals are NOT permitted in the aircraft cabin under any circumstances.
Guide Dogs
Guide Dogs are accepted with all airlines. The airline should contact us on your behalf to make us aware of your arrival with your guide dog, however, this has not always been the case. For peace of mind, you can also email or call us to make sure we are aware of your arrival. Please try to give us as much notice as possible of your arrival.
Assistance Dogs (Does not include Emotional Support)
All permitted assistance dogs must have proof of training by an organisation that is accepted by and affiliated with Assistance Dogs International. Full membership criteria must be met.
All customers travelling with an Assistance Dog must first contact us to arrange our attendance on arrival. Please be aware that cats are no longer permitted in the aircraft cabin under any circumstances as per Defra regulations. As we are not a 24 hour operating facility, before booking, please advise us of the flight you are looking to book so we can ensure we have staff on shift to attend the flight on arrival. We will need you to confirm your flight details with us once you have booked your ticket with the airline.
The airline must be approved to carry your Assistance Dog so please double check with us if you are unsure whether the airline you wish to use are approved to avoid an illegal landing and trading standards issue. More information on this can be found on our Airlines & Routes page.
Once you have completed all of the above, we can create your booking on our system.
In order for your dog to travel, you must obtain an Annex IV veterinary health certificate if your pet has never been to the EU before and doesn’t have an EU pet’s passport. The health certificate can be obtained from your vet or can be found on the Defra website. This should contain all details of Microchip, implant date (not date of scanning which is a common mistake), rabies vaccinations (21 day wait must be carried out before entry to the UK unless there is proof of continuous previous history that has been stamped and signed by the vet) and tapeworm treatment (must be given between 24 and 120 hours prior to arrival by the vet). Once the health certificate is completed by your vet, the certificate must then be sent to the department of agriculture for endorsement.
Once you have obtained the completed/endorsed health certificate, you must send this over to us via email for pre-check. This is required to ensure that your dog will not have to be quarantined upon arrival. If you have an EU pet’s passport for your dog, you can use this instead and will not require an Annex IV providing that all vaccinations were given inside the EU and are still valid. Please be aware that only tapeworm treatments can be added to a pets passport from vets outside the EU. If your pet needs a new rabies vaccination, microchip or blood test, the health certificate must be used for travel instead.
Once we are happy with your paperwork and have everything we need from you, we will send you a confirmation of attendance form which will be required by the airline before the day of departure and also at check-in.
Upon arrival at Manchester, a member of our team will be there to greet you when the aircraft doors open. We will then need to scan your dog’s microchip and see your original paperwork. Once we have carried out these checks, we will provide you with a stamped copy of our checklist for you to provide to immigration as you pass through Manchester Airport. You won’t be able to pass through immigration without this.
If you have any questions regarding your travel with a guide, assistance dog, please don’t hesitate to call or email us for advice.
Emotional Support Dogs
Emotional Support dogs are not recognised by DEFRA in the UK at this time. Emotional Support dogs may only enter the UK in the cabin of the aircraft when certain guidelines are followed. Please contact us direct if you wish to travel with an Emotional Support dog.
Cats or other animals are NOT permitted in the aircraft cabin under any circumstances.
