If you’re planning a trip where you need to fly to your destination, then you likely already know that flying with a large dog is a bit of a challenge.
Especially if you want your dog in the cabin with you instead if in the cargo hold.
Dog policies vary by airline and they tend to focused more on weight of the dog + carrier than size of the dog.
Below we’ll give you the latest information on flying with large dogs in the cabin of a variety of airlines.
Air Canada
If you are planning on flying Air Canada, then you should know that while they do allow dogs in the cabin of the plane, there are some restrictions.
For flights to or from Hawaii, no pets are allowed in the cabin.
Only one cat or dog is allowed in the cabin is allowed per passenger on Air Canada.
Other requirements:
- Be at least 12 weeks old and fully weaned.
- Remain at all times in a closed pet carrier stowed under your seat.
The dog must be able to stand, turn around and lie down in its carrier under the seat in front of you.
As you can see from these requirements so far, most large breeds won’t be allowed on Air Canada.
Pet carrier requirements for Air Canada
| Hard-sided Height: 23 cm (9 in) Width: 40 cm (15.5 in) Length: 55 cm (21.5 in) | Soft-sided Height: 27 cm (10.5 in) Width: 40 cm (15.5 in) Length: 55 cm (21.5 in) |
These exceptions apply based on aircraft type or cabin:
- On Boeing 789 aircraft, the pet carrier cannot exceed these dimensions:
- Height: 20 cm (8.in) in height,
- Width: 40 cm (16 in)
- Length: 43 cm (17 in)
- On Boeing 788 aircraft, the pet carrier cannot exceed these dimensions:
- Height: 20 cm (8 in) in height,
- Width: 40 cm (16 in)
- Length: 35 cm (14.50 in)
- On Boeing 777-300ER and 777-200LR aircraft, the pet carrier cannot exceed these dimensions :
- Height: 21 cm (8.25 in) in height,
- Width: 38 cm (15 in)
- Length: 43 cm (17 in)
Air Canada pet fees for one-way travel:
- Within Canada and Canada/U.S. (except Hawaii): $50.00 – $59.00 CAD/USD
- International: $100.00 – $118.00 CAD/USD
Restricted breeds on Air Canada flights are brachycephalic and snub-nosed dogs.
Alaska Airlines
If you are planning on flying Alaska Airlines, then you should know that while they do allow dogs in the cabin of the plane, there are some restrictions.
Alaska Airlines limits the number of pets on each flight so book your pet’s reservation as early as possible.
The First Class cabin can accommodate a total of one pet carrier per flight, and the main cabin can accommodate a total of up to five pet carriers per flight.
In cost to take your pet in-cabin on Alaska Airlines is $100.00 each way, or $105 each way for flights departing from Canada.
The following carrier sizes are accepted for travel in the cabin:
| Type | Kennel size | Dimensions (length x width x height) |
|---|---|---|
| Hard-sided | 50 | 17″ x 11″ x 7.5″ |
| Soft-sided | 50 | 17″ x 11″ x 9.5″ |
American Airlines
If you are planning on flying America Airlines, then you should know that while they do allow dogs in the cabin of the plane, there are some restrictions.
On American Airlines, you can travel with a dog in the cabin on most flights up to 12 hours or flights to / from select locations:
- Within the 48 contiguous United States
- The U.S. and Canada
- Alaska
- Central America
- Mexico
- Puerto Rico
- St. Croix
- St. Thomas
American Airlines carry-on pet policy requirements:
- Pets must be able to stand and sit erect, turn around normally and lie down in a natural position in their kennel (without touching any side or the top of the container).
- Non-collapsible kennels can’t exceed the underseat dimensions of any aircraft included in your journey.
- Soft-sided collapsible kennels are recommended and can be slightly larger but still need to fit under the seat without having to excessively collapse the kennel. They must be secure, padded, made of water-repellant material and have nylon mesh ventilation on 2 or more sides.
As with all airlines, there are restrictions for the size of the pet carrier to take your dog in the cabin.
Hard-sided kennel
- Mainline flights on American: 19 x 13 x 9 inches / 48 x 33 x 22 centimeters (length + width + height)
- Regional flights on American Eagle: 16 x 12 x 8 inches / 40 x 30 x 20 centimeters (length + width + height)
Soft-sided kennel (recommended)
- 18 x 11 x 11 inches / 46 x 28 x 28 centimeters (length + width + height)
The combined weight of the carrier and your pet can’t exceed 20 lbs. / 9.07 kgs. It will be weighed when you check-in for your flight.
Please note American Airlines only accepts:
- 7 kennels on American flights, excluding service animals
- 5 kennels on American Eagle flights; 1 in First
Also note, due to the lack of underseat storage space, carry-on pets are not permitted in First or Business on the following aircraft:
- 777-200
- 777-300
- 787-8
- 787-9
The fee for taking your dog in the cabin on an American Airlines flight is $125 one-way. There is no charge for service animals.
Breed restrictions for American Airlines flights are: Affenpinscher, American Bully, American Staffordshire Terrier, Boston Terrier, Boxer (All breeds), Brussels Griffon, Bulldog (All breeds), Cane Corso, Chow Chow, Dogue De Bordeaux, English Toy Spaniel, Japanese Chin, Lhasa Apso, Mastiff (All breeds), Pekingese, Pit Bull, Presa Canario, Pug (All breeds), Shar Pei, Shih Tzu, Staffordshire Terrier, Tibetan Spaniel
Delta Airlines
If you are planning on flying Delta Airlines, then you should know that while they do allow dogs in the cabin of the plane, there are some restrictions.
Delta Airlines has the following requirements when flying with a pet as a carry-on:
- Your pet must be at least 10 weeks old for domestic travel
- Your pet must be 16 weeks old if traveling to the U.S. from another country and must be at least 15 weeks old when traveling to the European Union
- One pet is permitted per kennel with the following exceptions:
- One female cat/dog may travel with her un-weaned litter if the litter is between 10 weeks to 6 months of age
- No limit on the number of animals in the litter
- 2 pets of the same breed and size between the age of 10 weeks and 6 months may be allowed to travel in 1 kennel as long as they are small enough to fit into a single kennel and are compatible – they will be charged as 1 pet
Your pet must be able to fit in a small, ventilated pet carrier that fits under the seat in front of you.
Maximum carry-on kennel dimensions are determined by your flight as the space under seats vary by aircraft, we recommend a soft-sided kennel with maximum dimensions of 18” x 11” x 11” since this fits most aircraft types.
Delta Airlines pet fees are:
- To/From the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico: $125 each way
- To/From the US Virgin Island or International: $200 USD/CAD/EUR each way
- To/From Brazil: $75 each way
Please note that no pets are allowed in the cabin on Delta Airlines to or from the following places:
- Australia
- Barbados
- Brazil – Exit Brazil
- Colombia – Exit Colombia
- Dubai
- Hong Kong
- Iceland
- Jamaica
- New Zealand
- Republic of Ireland
- South Africa
- United Kingdom
- United Arab Emirates
JetBlue
If you are planning on flying JetBlue, then you should know that while they do allow dogs in the cabin of the plane, there are some restrictions.
On JetBlue, the combined weight of your pet and carrier may not exceed 20 pounds.
And only one pet is allowed per person, but they do sometimes make exceptions.
You should know that a total of six pets are allowed on each flight, so it’s best to book early.
On JetBlue the pet carrier cannot exceed 17″L x 12.5″W x 8.5″H to ensure that it fits under the seat in front of you.
The pet fee on JetBlue is $125 each way.
No pets are allowed in Mint on JetBlue.
Southwest Airlines
If you are planning on flying Southwest, then you should know that while they do allow dogs in the cabin of the plane, there are some restrictions.
Your pet must be able to fit in a small, ventilated pet carrier that fits under the seat in front of you.
Southwest does not allow pets to travel in-cabin on international flights or any itinerary that includes an international flight.
Per Southwest policy, a total of six (6) pets are allowed per flight with a limit of one pet carrier per paying Customer traveling on the same flight.
However, they do sometimes make exceptions.
Southwest charges a $95 pet fare each way for each pet.
The maximum dimensions for a pet carrier on Southwest is 18.5” long x 8.5” high x 13.5” wide.
Cats and dogs must be at least eight (8) weeks old for travel in the cabin on Southwest Airlines.
United Airlines
If you are planning on flying United Airlines, then you should know that while they do allow dogs in the cabin of the plane, there are some restrictions.
United Airlines allows domesticated cats and dogs that can fit in a travel carrier underneath the seat in front of you to fly in-cabin.
The maximum dimensions for hard-sided kennels are 17.5 inches long x 12 inches wide x 7.5 inches high (44 cm x 30 cm x 19 cm).
The recommended maximum dimensions for soft-sided kennels are 18 inches long x 11 inches wide x 11 inches high (46 cm x 28 cm x 28 cm).
Soft-sided pet carriers can exceed these dimensions slightly because they are collapsible and able to fit underneath a seat without blocking the aisle.
On domestic flights, puppies and kittens must be at least 2 months old.
On international flights, puppies and kittens must be at least 4 months old due to rabies vaccination requirements.
United doesn’t allow in-cabin pets on flights to, from or through:
- Australia
- Barbados
- Cuba
- Guam
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Hawaii
- Hong Kong
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Marshall Islands
- New Zealand
- Palau
- Panama
- Philippines
- Singapore
- South Africa
- Tahiti
- Trinidad and Tobago
- UK
United Airlines does have some cabin restrictions based on aircraft:
- Two pets per flight are allowed in premium cabins on select aircraft. Pets are not permitted in premium cabins on Boeing 757-200, 767, 777 or 787 aircraft because of limited storage space under the seat.
- Four pets per flight are allowed in United Economy® on all narrow-body aircraft operated by United (including the Boeing 737 and 757, or the Airbus 319/320), or six pets per flight on wide-body aircraft (including the Boeing 767, 777 and 787).
- A customer traveling with an in-cabin pet in United Economy on Boeing 757-200 aircraft will need to be seated in a window seat because of limited storage space under aisle and middle seats.
- For flights on the Boeing 737 MAX 9, the maximum kennel height is 10 inches (25 cm).
United Airlines pet in-cabin pet fees are: a $125 service charge each way and an additional $125 service charge for each stopover of more than four hours within the U.S. or more than 24 hours outside of the U.S.
Final Word
As you can see, it’s not easy to fly with a large dog. In fact, no airlines will take a full grown large breed dog in the aircraft cabin.
If you absolutely must fly with a large dog, then your best bet is to look into chartering a flight.
There are even Facebook groups where people looking to fly with a large dog in the cabin seek out other flyers to minimize the per-person cost for the flight.