How Our Cats Moved From Thailand to France (Flying In Cabin)
When people hear we moved from Thailand to France with our two cats, the first question is usually: “Wait… you brought them with you?!”
Yep. Biscuit and Snowball are part of the family, and they weren’t getting left behind.
But moving cats on planes internationally is a process. So if you're curious, or planning something similar, here’s how we did it.
✈️ Find out Which Airlines Fly With Cats In The Cabin
This is the first thing we checked. Not all airlines let you bring a pet in cabin and even if they do, code shares can mess things up. Just because your booking says Lufthansa doesn’t mean every leg of your trip is with them.
We needed pet friendly airlines in cabin that allowed two cats, one per adult. After comparing options, we found that Lufthansa and Air France allow cats on planes in the cabin, so we booked with Lufthansa.
Also, make sure you have pet carriers airline approved in cabin. Not every soft crate is allowed. Ours fit under the seat perfectly, which is a requirement for most in-cabin pet travel.
📝 Getting the Paperwork Right
This part matters. You can’t just show up and expect them to let your pet in cabin without the proper documents.
Here’s what they needed:
Microchips (must be done before the next steps)
Vaccinations (especially rabies)
Titer tests (a blood test to prove their rabies shot worked)
It’s really important to do those in that exact order:
Microchip → Vaccination → Titer test.
Once their bloodwork came back clear, we had to wait out a mandatory 3-month stand-down period before they were allowed to fly.
To make sure we got it right, we brought in the experts: Relo4Paws, a Bangkok-based pet relocation service. They know their stuff and walked us through everything.
🚗 Getting to Bangkok
Since I’d already flown out with Jasmine (our visas ran out before the 3 month period lapsed so we had to go), it was up to Paul and Shane to manage the cat travel.
We didn’t want Biscuit and Snowball flying in cargo. We needed pet friendly airlines in cabin that allowed them under the seat, not in the hold. But that meant one cat per adult human. No exceptions.
Rather than book another flight to Bangkok, Paul asked Relo4Paws if he and Shane could hitch a ride with the cats during the 12-hour drive from Chiang Rai to Bangkok. They said yes, and the guys got a free lift! 😄
🏨 Pet Hotel + Vet Day
Once in Bangkok, they checked into a pet hotel and waited a day to see the vet. Relo4Paws sent a rep to pick the cats up, take them to their appointment, and return them later, paperwork sorted and cats still chill(ish).
We built in an extra day as a buffer just in case, but everything went smoothly.
🛫 Flight Day: Bangkok → Munich → France
The next day, Paul and Shane met the Relo4Paws rep at the airport. He double-checked all the docs and helped them through check-in. This is when having pet carriers airline approved in cabin matters—our setup fit all the requirements.
The cats flew in cabin, under the seat, from Bangkok to Munich. No cargo, no drama.
They flew from Bangkok to Munich, where officials reviewed the paperwork, approved everything, and cleared the cats for the final flight to France.
That's where things got interesting. The walk from the gate that they arrived at and the gate that they needed to leave from were so far apart. They had a 1 hour 20 layover. It was not enough.
The check itself with customs was just 5 minutes but the gate was too far away. They missed their flight and so did 9 other people.
Thankfully Lufthansa agreed to give them a free flight to replace it, just 8 hours later.
So the boys checked into a lounge to rest in a quiet place, until their flight left.
After a long wait they boarded, and flew to France where we were waiting, with open arms, cat treats, and a deep sigh of relief.
🐾 Would We Do It Again?
100%.
Was it a bit of a mission? Yes.
Travel with cats isn't easy, but it's worth it.
Biscuit and Snowball now cruise around Europe with us. They’ve flown and road-tripped their way through France, Italy, Croatia, Albania, and currently Greece (May 2025).
If you’re planning to move with cats on planes, make sure to:
Book with pet friendly airlines in cabin
Use pet carriers airline approved in cabin
Double-check paperwork (or get help from pros like Relo4Paws)
Plan for delays and have a backup plan
Here are some of the associated costs.
Relo4 Paws - Transporting The Cats - Docs & Transport Internally Within Thailand
7,000 THB for the first animal and 3,500THB per additional animal. This includes; collecting the cats 2-3 days prior to departure for the health check, returning after the health check, issuing export/import documents and meeting us at the airport on departure day and assisting with check in.
For flights departing between 3 am and 7.30 am there would be an additional overtime handling fee of 1,500 THB but we didn't need this.
Pick up from Chiang Rai by van was an additional 13,700 THB (humans free).
Relo4paws - https://www.relo4paws.com/
Honestly they were so professional and made the whole process so much easier. Well worth the investment - and peace of mind.
Flights
Bangkok to Toulouse, via Munich - NZD 2000 total for 2 people (approx USD 1,180 total)
Flights - Cats in Cabin - USD 280
Titer Test in Chiang Rai
10,000 baht - both cats (approx USD 298).
If you're prepping to travel with cats or bring your pet in cabin on an international flight, I hope this helps you feel more confident (and sane). Got questions? Feel free to ask.
If you want to see how we move with the cats over land here in Europe, watch out for a future blog post or sign up for regular updates here.
