Everything About Flying with our Pet on Korean Air (Economy) from Cebu to Toronto

This was by far the most challenging, yet the most rewarding travel experience.

Just a few weeks ago, my dog and I travelled to Toronto to visit my husband for the holidays. I was travelling alone which I have to admit added a bit of stress to this entire ordeal. I did ask around and did a lot of research. I made it a goal to write about this trip with the hopes that it would help ease up any anxiety you might have if you're also travelling with your pet soon.

All of these are not standard operating procedures. These are a recollection of my experience and I tried to be as thorough as I can. Hope this helps!

In this blog:

Part One: Preparing Our Dog

• Crate/carrier training
• Indoor pee training
• Weight watching

Part Two: Booking flights

• Details to prepare
• Steps in booking
• Making the request for pet slot

Part Three: Paperwork

• Veterinary medical certificate
• Export Permit at Bureau of Animal Industry

Part Four: Checking in at MCIA

• Steps and immigration

Part Five: Flight from MCIA to Incheon

Part Six: Transit at Incheon Airport

Part Seven: Flight from Incheon to MCIA

Part Eight: Arriving in Toronto

Part One: Preparing our Dog

Crate/Carrier Training

Since I got him at three months, I have started crate training my dog. By the time he was one, he already look into his crate as his safe space. It's where he takes naps, relaxes or retreats when there are other people around. This helped a lot in training him for his first travel.

Click this non-affiliate link to see where I got the carrier we used for travel 

I got the carrier above in medium because it was what fell just right into the requirements of Korean Air for pet in-cabin travel. We originally trained our dog in another carrier, a more expensive and expandable one but we noticed he did not spend as much time there because it seemed too tight and dark. This was more airy and he slept longer in this one.

Our dog was already crate trained so it was not difficult for us to train him to stay in the carrier. Other than fussing over the landing/take-off and the turbulence, he was very calm inside it.

The only problem I had with this carrier is that it did not have a sleeve to slip through the handle of a trolley so I had to exert more effort into holding both the carrier and the trolley handles.

Indoor Pee Training

Another training that started when he was a few months old was indoor pee training. My dog is trained to pee at a specific pad.

This skill for him was also very extremely helpful when we travelled because laying out the pads were prompts for him to relieve himself.

Weight Watching

Korean Air only allows in-cabin pets if they are under 7kg with the carrier. We started weight watching a year prior to travel. We made sure he stays well below 7kg by watching the amount of food he ate and regular walks.

Part Two: Booking flights

We were advised to book our flights via phone call to ensure that there is a pet slot on the specific flight dates that we chose. If you are calling from the Philippines, this is the phone number:

Korean Air Ticketing: +63 2 8789 3700

Before calling, I prepared the following information:

• SkyPass Membership Number
• Flight dates and alternative dates
• Pet breed and age
• Soft carrier dimensions
• Weight of pet + the soft carrier

Steps:

1. I let them know my ideal flight date. The customer service agent helped me find the closest date with an available slot for my pet. Shoutout to Azrel (hopefully I got the spelling right) for being so patient with me that day!

2. After the dates are reserved, I was asked to complete the payment online through the My Bookings tab on the website:

3. We paid for the flight online using a credit card.

4. We were told we could add in our pet information through the additional services that can be seen on the manage booking page, but there was a technical error on our end so we needed to call the ticketing office again to apply for the pet request.

5. Via phone call, I gave them the details of my pet including:

• Pet breed, specifying the mix of breed
• Carrier dimensions
• Weight of pet plus the carrier (I weighed him while he was inside the carrier)
• Age of pet

6. We were advised that the request will take up to 48 hours to process if it will be approved. We got the approval just an hour after the phone call ended. The agent also told us about the requirements, contact numbers for both Philippines and Canada.

Tip: It is best to book at least a month in advance because there's only three slots per flight and they get full very fast.

Part Three: Paperwork

When should paperwork be processed? The veterinary certificate has a three-day validity so it is best to take care of this part at most three days before the scheduled flight. For example, our flight was on a Sunday so we processed everything on the Friday.

You should also consider national holidays when booking your flight because clinic and government office closures could interfere with your schedules.

Veterinary Health Certificate

The main vaccination requirement for Canada is the anti-rabies vaccination which is only valid for one year. Our dog last got his on December of 2023 so it was still good. 

We went to the Banilad (BTC) branch of the Cebu Veterinary Doctors and informed the reception that we were requesting for a medical certificate for travel. The only requirement was the vaccine card for our dog.

It was around 9:00 am on a Friday and there was no queue. The doctor scanned the microchip and reviewed our dog's vaccination records.

We were then asked to wait for the processing. It took a total of 20 minutes and the fee was Php 400. 

Important: The veterinary medical certificate should contain the dog's type, hair colour, weight, vaccine name, serial number, expiration date (within one year). 

Waiting time: 20 minutes (no queue) | Cost: Php 400

Export Permit at the Bureau of Animal Industry

It is worth mentioning that the Bureau of Animal Industry office in Cebu is right beside the Bureau of Fisheries office. We missed it the first time we went there because the sign was faded. Keep an eye out on your map and this green building:

We went to the small office to the right of the main gate:

I prepared the original and photocopy of the following requirements:

• Veterinary medical certificate
• Vaccination record/booklet 
• Microchip record

I did bring our dog in this as well but they did not check him. When all requirements were ready, I gave them to the employee in Window 3:

We were then asked to wait for the permits to be checked and processed. Waiting time was 40 minutes but there were no fees paid.

Only the original copies of the requirements were given back to me.

Waiting time: 40 minutes (no queue) | Cost: Php 0

Part Four: Checking in at MCIA

We arrived 5 hrs before flight, but was only able to start the process when the check in counters opened 4 hrs before the flight so we waited for an hour. We queued on the regular lane since we were travelling economy. 

Overall, the check in process was smooth. It just took longer at the counter because of the pet documents checking. The security

Step One. I showed my passport and itinerary to the ground crew at the check in counter. The crew first verified my flight.

Step Two. I was asked for the pet travel confirmation, veterinary certificate, export permit and vaccine records. Tip: to make this faster, prepare photocopies of the mentioned documents.

Step Three. My pet was checked that he was not too large for the carrier. He was also weighed in and taken a photo of while inside the carrier.

Step Four. After my checked bags were checked in, I was assisted to the ticketing office to pay USD $300 for the pet travel fee. I have a Philippine card so I was charged in Philippine peso. The rate is depending on the day's exchange rate.

Step Five. I proceeded to the immigration queue. I was asked the regular questions when travelling as a tourist. The officer did not ask for anything regarding my pet.

Step Six. For the security check, I had to take my pet out of the carrier and carry him with me through the security scanner. Tip: Remove all collars and tags prior to travel to avoid inconvenience in security checks.

Step Seven. As soon as we were done with security check, I went straight to the toilet. I used the special needs toilet because it was the only stall that allowed me enough space to lay out a pee pad and to let my dog out without harness. I did make sure there was no one else in queue. I also fed my dog and gave him water during this break.

Step Eight. I planned to let him out at the gates while waiting for boarding. However, the gate where we were at was kind of small and crowded so my dog just stayed in his carrier the entire time.

Step Nine. When boarding, the staff made us queue with the priority boarding. This was extremely helpful since it avoided the chance of me inconveniencing a long queue or someone else when settling my dog under the seat and my carry-on in the overhead bin.

Part Five: Flight from MCIA to Incheon

I know it does not look much, but surprisingly the leg room is more spacious than the other airlines. This was a pet-friendly seat. We were in luck in this flight because there was no one else sitting beside me. 

This was a challenging flight. For around 2 hours, there was constant turbulence so for the entire time my dog was very fussy. I could not take him on my lap even inside the carrier so I had to constantly crouch to give him pets and massages without taking him out of the carrier. 

Part Six: Transit at Incheon Airport

I had grand plans of checking out shops and taking photos, but I was too exhausted that I only had the mindspace and energy for a sandwich at Dunkin. 

I was able to take my dog out of the carrier when we found a not so crowded corner in the airport. It was not for long though since we had a short transit time.

Part Seven: Flight from Incheon to Toronto

I knew it was only by miracle that I'd get an entire row to myself again. I was in for a sure treat on this 13-hour flight from Incheon to Toronto.

First of all, I tried to ask very nicely if I could board in zone 1 again just to avoid inconveniencing others in boarding. The crew told me it was okay. However, when it was time to board, I was asked to move to zone 3 (my original zone) and because they told me too late, I was already at the end of the line. I was one of the last few to board. The plane was already packed by the time we got to our seat.

I was just so thankful for the mother and her daughter who I was seated next to because they helped place my bags in my seat while I settle my trolley in the overhead bin.

I couldn't sleep more than 15 minutes at a time for this flight. I was so exhausted. I was just staring at the flight tracker the entire time. 

It was good that for this flight, my dog (probably also exhausted by then) has slept through most of it and only fussed when the plane landed.

Part Eight: Arriving in Toronto

I could not even be bothered anymore by this time to take out my phone for photos so my apologies, I don't have any for this part.

Step One. Passport check and immigration was just like my other travels to Canada in the past. I declared my pet to the immigration officer and I was told customs would be the ones to verify my documents.

Step Two. I took my checked bags from the carousel.

Step Three. I gave the yellow sheet/form to the officer after the baggage claims and I mentioned I was travelling with my pet. I was told to go to the "goods to declare" section.

Step Four. I was the only one in queue at the customs declaration. The documents (vet certificate, export permit, vaccination records) were verified and the fee for this was CAD $40.

Step Five. We exited the customs declaration area and went to the arrivals hall!