The UK cabin ban

Our petition has closed. Here's what you can do now.

Nearly 20,000 of you signed. It wasn't enough for a debate, but it got a government response, and that response didn't point to any science. It said dogs go in the hold because of where the checking building is.

A petition is a number on a website. A letter has to be logged and answered. Send both. Two steps each, about five minutes.

Write to DEFRA·Write to your MP

Letter one

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DEFRA makes the rule. Every message to its contact team is logged, and the more there are, the harder this is to brush off.

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It's ready to go. Swap in your name, and add one line about you and your dog if you want to. Then tap copy.

Subject: Review of the UK cabin ban on dogs for inbound flights

Dear DEFRA,

I am writing to ask DEFRA to review its policy preventing dogs from travelling in the cabin on flights arriving into the UK.

Dogs can already enter the UK by ferry, by car through the Eurotunnel, and in the hold of a plane. They cannot travel in the cabin on any inbound flight, even though this is allowed across the rest of Europe, including Ireland and Malta, both rabies-free islands like the UK.

Every dog flying in the cabin in Europe is already microchipped, rabies vaccinated and wormed, and the airline checks its paperwork before departure. The biosecurity checks happen before the plane takes off.

On 13 May 2026 DEFRA responded to a Parliament petition on this issue signed by nearly 20,000 people. The reason given was operational, not scientific: pets must travel in the hold so they can be taken to a pet checking facility separate from the passenger terminal. Yet Recognised Assistance Dogs already fly into Great Britain in the cabin and are checked on arrival, which shows it can be done.

I am asking DEFRA to commission an independent, evidence-based review of whether small, cabin-approved dogs with full Pet Travel Scheme paperwork can travel in the cabin on inbound flights to the UK.

[One line about you and your dog: a trip you cancelled, a ferry you had to take, a holiday you never booked]

Thank you for your time. I look forward to your response.

Yours faithfully,
[Your name]
[Your town or county]

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Letter two

Send a letter to your MP

This is the one that moves things. Your MP has to reply to constituents, and enough letters get the issue raised with DEFRA in Parliament.

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It's ready to go. Swap in your name, and add one line about you and your dog if you want to. Then tap copy.

Dear [MP name],

I'm writing to you as a constituent and a dog owner about the DEFRA policy that stops dogs travelling in the cabin on flights arriving into the UK.

Dogs can enter the UK by ferry, by car through the Eurotunnel, and even in the hold of a plane. They are not allowed in the cabin on any inbound flight, despite this being allowed across the rest of Europe.

Ireland and Malta, both rabies-free islands like the UK, already allow dogs in the cabin on inbound flights, with checks carried out on arrival.

Every dog flying in Europe is already microchipped, rabies vaccinated, and has its paperwork checked by the airline before departure. The biosecurity checks happen before the plane takes off.

On 13 May 2026 DEFRA responded to a Parliament petition on this issue signed by nearly 20,000 people. Its reason for the ban is operational, not scientific. It says pets must travel in the hold so they can be taken to a pet checking facility separate from the passenger terminal. Yet Recognised Assistance Dogs already travel in the cabin into Great Britain and are checked on arrival, which shows these checks can be done without putting a dog in the hold.

[One line about you and your dog: a trip you cancelled, a ferry you had to take, a holiday you never booked]

I'd like to ask you to raise this with DEFRA and request a formal review of whether the cabin ban is still justified by the evidence. This isn't a request to remove safety checks. It's a request to bring the UK in line with the rest of Europe.

Thank you for your time. I would welcome your response.

Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address and postcode]

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And when the next election comes round, ask every candidate who wants your vote where they stand on letting small dogs fly home in the cabin.

Want the full argument? Read our open letter to DEFRA.