When we bought tickets for our next trip with our dog to South America this year, we quickly realized how much last year’s experience helped. It was still fairly fresh in our minds, and we knew exactly what’s worth sorting out in advance—and where you can easily get tangled up when booking. We decided to write it up in a concise, practical way.
Table of Contents
Choosing flights: why we went with Air Europa
For our route from Madrid to Asunción and the return from Buenos Aires to Madrid, we chose Air Europa. Both legs are nonstop, which is a big advantage when traveling with a dog. Fewer connections mean less handling of the crate and fewer chances for things to get needlessly complicated. We’d also flown Air Europa to Paraguay and Bolivia last year and everything had gone smoothly, which helped tip the scales again.
Why we booked by phone when traveling with a dog
You can’t add a dog directly during online booking on the Air Europa website. In theory, you can buy the ticket online and add the dog later—by phone or even at the airport—but that’s where the risk lies. The pet capacity on a specific flight may already be full by the time you try to add your dog, even if you reserved your own seat early. If you don’t arrange the passenger ticket and the dog’s spot at the same time, this risk is very real.
That’s why we handled the entire booking, including the dog, by phone from the start. The fare was slightly higher than on the website, but in exchange we could handle everything—seat selection included—and get the dog’s spot confirmed in a single call.
Are you planning a trip abroad with your dog? Check the entry requirements for various countries directly in BorderCooler®.
What to prepare before booking by phone with a dog
Before calling, we selected specific flights plus backups, knowing pet capacity might not be available on every departure. Along with dates and times, we also noted current website prices so we could immediately compare how the phone fare differed from the online price.
For the dog, we prepared:
- the dog’s weight,
- crate dimensions in centimeters,
- mode of travel—in our case the cargo hold, since Ibo is a larger dog.
For the call, we also needed:
- the full names of all passengers exactly as in the passport,
- a payment card (we ended up needing two),
- an email address to receive the ticket documents.
Air Europa handles calls in Spanish or English. Be ready to spell out names and your email address—over the phone it’s easy for an agent to record something incorrectly.
If you’re still choosing a crate, our guides to the right crate for the cargo hold and for in‑cabin crates may help.
How booking by phone with a dog works
We found the phone number directly on the Air Europa website, where you can choose the line for your region. That’s practical too, because on a longer call the cost can add up.
The call itself was professional and straightforward. The agent first checked pet capacity on our flights and only then moved on to the booking. Besides our personal details, they asked about:
- the type of pet transport,
- crate dimensions,
- the total weight of the dog plus crate,
- the dog’s breed.
Breed is checked due to Air Europa’s rules—some breeds considered fighting or dangerous must travel in a specially reinforced crate.
During the call the agent asked us to hold a few times—to confirm fares, check availability, and arrange split payment. This isn’t a five‑minute task. We allowed 30–45 minutes for the call, and that’s exactly how long it took.
How much it costs to transport a dog on Air Europa
We paid €350 per segment to transport our dog in the hold in our own crate—€350 for Madrid–Asunción and another €350 for Buenos Aires–Madrid. In total, €700 for the dog for the round trip, plus our own tickets.
How payment works when booking a ticket with a dog
The agent sent us an email with a link to a payment gateway. Alternatively, you can enter the card number and expiry date via your phone keypad—this option is also available. Because of the higher amount, we asked to split the payment in two, which the agent accepted without any problem. This approach had also worked for us last year when we ran into a card limit.
What to check before confirming a booking with a dog
Before taking payment, the agent emailed us the full booking details. This isn’t the moment to rush. We checked:
- flight dates and times,
- that the flights are indeed nonstop,
- passenger names—exactly as in the passport,
- that the dog is listed in the booking—if traveling in the hold, look for an entry “AVIH – ANIMAL ON HOLD – CONFIRMED”; if traveling in the cabin, look for “PETC – PET IN CABIN – CONFIRMED”.
Don’t skip this check—fixing mistakes is much easier now than at the airport.
What you’ll learn during booking and what you need to find elsewhere
During the call you’ll get all the basics for traveling with a dog—the airline’s rules, crate requirements, the surcharge, and confirmation of the pet’s spot. The agent will also flag potential restrictions, for example banned breeds or special crate requirements. If you want to compare policies across airlines before choosing a flight, we’ve summarized them in our overview of major airlines’ pet policies.
Details about the airport process—exactly where you hand over the dog, how check‑in works with a pet, or how pickup after landing goes—tend to be general and depend on the specific airport. It’s better to learn these from other travelers’ experiences or directly at the airport. On our route, we’ve written up experiences from Vienna–Schwechat Airport, Madrid Barajas, and Asunción. You’ll find more airport reviews in the airports category.
The same goes for veterinary entry requirements. The agent can provide basic guidance, but they won’t have full, up‑to‑date rules for every destination—and certainly not for your return. You need to verify these yourself—for example with the BorderCooler® tool, which generates requirements for your specific route.
Conclusion
Booking a long‑haul flight with a dog is more involved than buying a regular ticket, but once you know roughly what to expect, the process is manageable. Our experience is with Air Europa, but you can expect a similar flow with many other airlines on long‑haul routes. In purely practical terms:
- Most portals don’t let you add a dog online—call the airline directly and handle the booking by phone from the start. Don’t add the dog later, and definitely not at the airport.
- Before you call, prepare your preferred flights plus alternatives, the dog and crate details, passengers’ names exactly as in the passport, a payment card, and an email address.
- During the call, the agent will check pet capacity, record all necessary details, and arrange payment—either via a link sent by email or directly via your phone keypad. Allow 30–45 minutes for the whole call.
- Before paying, review the booking email—flight dates, passenger names, and confirmation for the dog. For travel in the hold, look for the AVIH entry; for in‑cabin travel, look for PETC.