Pet-Friendly Airlines Compared: Fees, Carriers and Cargo in 2026

Every airline here lets small dogs and cats fly in the cabin in a carrier under the seat, for $50 to $150 each way. The real differences show up with bigger pets. Alaska Airlines still flies dogs in a climate-controlled baggage compartment for any passenger, Delta and American ship them as cargo, and United and Southwest don’t carry pets in the hold at all. Allegiant, Frontier and JetBlue fly pets in the cabin only. Spirit Airlines stopped flying in May 2026.

Airlines that allow dogs in the cabin

All of these airlines fly small dogs in the cabin. Your dog has to fit in a carrier that fits under the seat in front of you, and stay in it for the whole flight.

• Allegiant: $50 each way, the cheapest. Soft carrier up to 18 x 12 x 11 inches. Flights within the 48 contiguous states only.
• Alaska Airlines: $100 each way ($35 within Hawaii). Soft carrier up to 17 x 11 x 9.5 inches.
• Southwest: $125 each way. No published carrier maximum; two small pets of the same species can share one carrier.
• Delta: $150 each way in the US, $200 internationally. Soft carrier up to 18 x 11 x 11 inches recommended.
• United: $150 each way. Soft carrier up to 18 x 11 x 11 inches, hard carrier up to 17.5 x 12 x 9 inches.
• American Airlines: $150 each way. Soft carrier up to 18 x 11 x 11 inches, and you can bring a full-size carry-on too.
• Frontier: $149 each way. Soft carrier up to 18 x 14 x 11 inches. US flights only.
• JetBlue: $150 each way. Carrier up to 17 x 12.5 x 8.5 inches, the lowest height limit among US airlines.
• Hawaiian: $100 each way between Hawaii and the mainland, $35 between the islands. Carrier up to 17 x 11 x 9.5 inches.

Airlines that allow large dogs

No major US airline lets a large dog sit in the cabin unless it is a trained service dog. A large dog flies in the hold or as cargo:

• Alaska Airlines flies pets in a climate-controlled baggage compartment for $200 each way, with you on the same flight, up to 150 lb for pet and kennel. Pets flying alone use Alaska Pet Connect.
• Hawaiian Airlines flies pets in the hold for $200 each way between Hawaii and the mainland, and $60 between the islands. Snub-nosed breeds are refused.
• Delta ships pets as freight through Delta Cargo. It doesn’t take pets as checked baggage except for military and Foreign Service families.
• American Airlines ships pets through its PetEmbark cargo service. Only military and Foreign Service personnel can check a pet.
• United, Southwest, JetBlue, Allegiant and Frontier have no pet hold or cargo service for the public.

Airlines also limit pets in the hold in hot and cold weather (most refuse pets when it is above 85°F somewhere on the trip) and often refuse snub-nosed breeds such as Bulldogs, Pugs and Boxers. Many pet owners moving a large dog long distance or abroad use a pet transport company, which books the cargo space and handles the paperwork.

Airlines that allow cats in the cabin

Every airline here flies cats in the cabin under the same rules and fees as small dogs. Frontier is the one to know for other small pets: it also takes rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and small household birds on US flights.

Flying internationally with a pet

• Southwest, Allegiant and Frontier don’t fly pets internationally.
• American allows cabin pets on flights up to 12 hours within the Americas and the Caribbean, but not across the Atlantic or Pacific.
• Delta flies cabin pets to many countries for $200 each way, but not to the UK, Australia, New Zealand and several others.
• United allows cabin pets where the destination accepts them, with a health and rabies certificate on every international flight.
• Alaska has extra requirements for international flights and Hawaii.
• Air Canada flies cabin pets from $50 each way between Canada and the US, in soft carriers up to 8 inches tall. It doesn’t carry pets in the hold on flights into the US from May 1 to November 30. Air Canada pet policy.
• Lufthansa flies pets up to 8 kg (17.6 lb) with the carrier in the cabin, and larger pets in the hold, which US airlines no longer offer on transatlantic routes. Lufthansa pet policy.
• JetBlue flies cabin pets to Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Caribbean, but its contract of carriage bars pets on UK and EU flights, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Every country sets its own entry rules for pets, and dogs coming into the US must meet CDC rules, including the CDC Dog Import Form. Start the paperwork at least two months before you fly. Our pet health certificate guide walks through the USDA APHIS process step by step.

How to choose an airline for your pet

1. Size first. If your pet fits in an under-seat carrier, every airline here works, so choose on route and price. If it doesn’t, your choices narrow to the hold on Alaska or Hawaiian, or cargo with Delta or American.
2. Measure the carrier. JetBlue and Alaska have lower cabin limits than the others, and United limits carriers to 10 inches tall on the 737 MAX.
3. Book early. Every airline caps the number of pets per flight, first come, first served.
4. Check the season. Summer heat closes hold travel on many routes, especially through hot hubs such as Phoenix and Las Vegas.
5. Check the destination. Hawaii, the UK and many other places have strict rules that can take months to meet.

If you are moving with an exotic pet, check first that it is legal where you are going. Our exotic pet law checker covers 14 animals in every US state.

Planning the flight: flying with a pet, step by step · carrier and crate sizes · French Bulldogs and snub-nosed breeds