In a landmark decision, the Court of Justice of the European Union has clarified that pets traveling in an aircraft’s cargo hold are legally considered “checked baggage.” The ruling came after a case involving a passenger whose dog was lost during an Iberia intercontinental flight.
While the airline acknowledged responsibility, it capped compensation under the standard baggage liability limits, arguing that the owner had not declared a special value for the animal before the flight. The Court upheld this position, stating that — though living beings — pets do not qualify as “passengers” in the legal sense and thus fall under baggage regulations.
The ruling carries tangible implications for millions of European travelers: the EU counts over 69 million dogs and 81 million cats. In Italy, national aviation regulations already allow pets of any size to travel with their owners in the cabin, following a 2024 decision by the Ministry of Transport, later endorsed by ENAC, the national civil aviation authority.