American Airlines Flying With Pet Rules: Fees, Carriers and Documents (October 2026)

American Airlines lets small cats and dogs fly in the cabin for $150 per kennel each way, as long as the pet stays in a closed carrier under the seat in front of you for the whole flight. Flying with a pet on American Airlines means booking your pet as a carry-on, as a checked pet (military and State Department staff only) or as a shipment through American Airlines Cargo. Each option has its own fees, carrier sizes and paperwork. As of October 2026, carry-on pets are limited to cats and dogs on routes within and between the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Hawaii is excluded.

This guide is published by Animal Passport and was last updated on October 6, 2026. It is based on American Airlines' official pet, service-animal and fee pages, plus guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Airline rules change often, so check every detail with American before you fly.

What are American Airlines' pet travel options?

According to American Airlines' Traveling with pets page (2026), there are four ways an animal can travel:

• Carry-on pet: a cat or dog in a carrier under the seat in front of you, in the cabin.
• Checked pet: accepted at the ticket counter only for active-duty U.S. military and U.S. State Department Foreign Service personnel traveling on official orders.
• American Airlines Cargo (American PetEmbark): for pets that don't qualify to travel as carry-on or checked pets.
• Service animal: fully trained service dogs fly in the cabin free of charge if they meet DOT and airline requirements.

Comparison table: American Airlines pet options at a glance

American Airlines' bag and optional fees page (2026) says all pet fees are nonrefundable and apply per kennel, each way. If your trip includes a stopover or connection of 4 hours or more, the fee is charged again for each connecting segment.

How much does it cost to fly with a pet on American Airlines?

As of October 2026, American Airlines charges $150 per kennel for a carry-on pet on eligible routes and $200 per kennel for checked pets belonging to eligible military and State Department travelers. The checked-pet fee drops to $150 to or from Brazil. Fees for American Airlines Cargo depend on the trip and on the size of the animal and kennel.

You pay pet fees at the airport or a travel center by credit card or paper voucher (where accepted). American says it does not take cash or checks. American also does not collect pet fees for codeshare flights operated by partner airlines. If your ticket says "Operated by" another carrier, you must check in and pay that airline's fee separately.

What size pet carrier does American Airlines allow?

American Airlines' published carrier limits for 2026 are:

Under American's rules, the pet must fit comfortably inside the closed, zipped carrier. Soft-sided carriers must be secure, padded and water-repellent, with nylon mesh ventilation on at least 3 sides. A soft carrier may be slightly larger than the hard-sided limits, but it must still fit under the seat without being heavily collapsed.

Is there a weight limit for pets in the cabin?

Sources disagree here. American Airlines' official pets page lists a combined pet-and-carrier limit of 20 pounds (9.07 kg) only for First and Business on the three-cabin Airbus A321T, and says the airline weighs them at check-in. Third-party tracker Paws On Board (policy page dated April 19, 2026) presents the 20-pound limit as a general cabin rule. On other aircraft, the binding test on American's own page is fit: the pet must sit comfortably in a carrier that goes under the seat. If your pet is near 20 pounds with its carrier, call American Reservations before you book.

How many pets are allowed per flight, and where can you sit?

American limits carry-on pets by aircraft (American Airlines, 2026):

• Most mainline aircraft (A319, A320, A321, A321neo, Boeing 737, plus the Boeing 777 and 787 and the A321XLR): a maximum of 20 pet carriers across all cabins, not counting service animals.
• American Eagle regional jets (CRJ-200/700/900, ERJ-145/175/190): a maximum of 1 carrier in the premium cabin and 5 in the main cabin.
• Boeing 777-200, 777-300ER, 787-8 and 787-9: pets are not permitted in First or Business because there is no under-seat storage.
• Airbus A321T (three-cabin): First and Business passengers must put the carrier in one of 2 dedicated animal compartments at the front of the plane.

Carry-on pets are not allowed in bulkhead or exit-row seats, which American attributes to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety requirements. Seat 13D on the A321neo and row 11 on the A321XLR are also excluded. Space is limited, so add your pet to the reservation early.

How to add a carry-on pet to an American Airlines booking

American Airlines describes the process like this (2026):

1. Find your trip on aa.com or in the American app.
2. In the Additional Services section, select Add carry-on pets.
3. Review and agree to the carry-on pet requirements.
4. Select the flights your pet will travel on.
5. Confirm the carry-on pet to complete the change.
6. On the day of travel, go to the American ticket counter to pay the fee and have staff check your pet and carrier.

With a pet carrier on board, you may bring only one other item: either a personal item or a carry-on bag that fits in the overhead bin. Pet strollers must be checked at the ticket counter, and normal checked-bag fees apply.

Where can't you fly with a pet on American Airlines?

American says pets can travel on most flights of up to 12 hours, plus flights to or from select places: the 48 contiguous states, Canada, Alaska, Mexico, Puerto Rico, St. Croix and St. Thomas. As of October 2026, its published route restrictions include:

• Hawaii: no carry-on pets to or from Hawaii. Checked pets (eligible travelers only) must connect via Honolulu (HNL) and follow Hawaii's quarantine rules.
• Trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific trips: no carry-on pets.
• South America: no carry-on pets to or from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia or Uruguay.
• Jamaica: no carry-on pets.
• Trinidad and Tobago (POS): pets cannot arrive before 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
• United Kingdom and Ireland: no checked pets apart from service animals. Dogs and cats can go to London Heathrow (LHR) and Manchester (MAN) through American Airlines Cargo.

What documents do you need to fly with a pet?

American Airlines leaves government entry rules to the traveler, so paperwork depends on where you are going.

Dogs entering or returning to the United States (CDC)

The CDC's dog import rules, in effect since August 1, 2024, depend on where a dog was vaccinated and which countries it visited in the 6 months before arrival. The CDC says an unvaccinated dog that has been in a high-risk country for dog rabies in that period will not be allowed into the United States. American goes further: it does not accept dogs as carry-on pets if they started in or visited a high-risk rabies country in the 6 months before travel. Service dogs that meet CDC requirements are exempt from that restriction.

The USDA APHIS pet travel page (last modified March 20, 2026) adds that U.S.-vaccinated dogs that have been to a high-risk country within 6 months need a "Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination" form. A USDA-accredited veterinarian must submit it before the dog leaves the United States.

Dogs flying to Mexico (New World screwworm)

According to USDA APHIS guidance on pet travel to Mexico (last modified September 21, 2026), Mexico has required a New World screwworm (NWS) inspection certificate for pet dogs since August 3, 2026. A USDA-accredited veterinarian must sign it no more than 5 days before entry. American Airlines says it checks this certificate at check-in, including for service dogs. APHIS says pet cats do not need a health certificate or NWS document to enter Mexico, but they are inspected on arrival.

Checked pets: health certificate and feeding statement

For eligible checked pets, American requires a veterinary health certificate issued within 10 days of travel. It also requires a signed, dated statement that the pet was fed and offered water within 4 hours before you hand it over, along with 24 hours of feeding instructions. American's pets page does not list a separate health certificate for domestic carry-on pets, but your destination's rules may still require one.

Checked pets and cargo: breed and temperature limits

American Airlines does not accept brachycephalic (snub-nosed) dogs or cats, or any mix of them, as checked pets. Examples it lists include pugs, all bulldog breeds, Boston terriers, boxers, Shih Tzus, Persians and Himalayans. Checked pets cannot fly on A319, A320 or most A321 variants. Connections are only allowed through 10 hubs, including Charlotte (CLT), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Chicago O'Hare (ORD) and Miami (MIA).

For pets traveling outside the cabin, American's 2026 rules ban travel if the current or forecast temperature anywhere on the itinerary is above 85°F (29.4°C), or if the ground temperature is below 45°F (7.2°C). A veterinarian's acclimation letter can waive the cold limit, but never below 20°F (-6.6°C). Pets outside the cabin also cannot travel to, through or from Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas or Palm Springs between May 1 and September 30. Following American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) guidance, American does not accept sedated or tranquilized pets in any category.

Service dogs vs. emotional support animals on American Airlines

The DOT's final rule on Traveling by Air With Service Animals, published in the Federal Register on December 10, 2020, defines a service animal as a dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. The rule lets airlines treat emotional support animals as pets. American follows this rule. On its service animal page (2026), it says emotional support animals, comfort animals and service animals in training travel as pets, with the usual fees.

American recommends submitting the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form at least 48 hours before departure. Flights over 8 hours also require the DOT relief attestation form. Service dogs must be at least 4 months old, leashed or harnessed, and able to fit at your feet, under the seat or on your lap. Each passenger may bring up to 2 service animals.

A practical pre-flight checklist

1. Confirm your route allows carry-on pets and that no leg on the itinerary is longer than 12 hours.
2. Add the pet to your reservation early, because each flight has a cap on pet carriers.
3. Measure the carrier against the American Eagle limits if any leg is on a regional jet.
4. Book a USDA-accredited veterinarian early if you are going abroad, to Mexico or back into the U.S. with a dog.
5. Arrive early enough to check in at the ticket counter and pay the fee there.
6. Pack only one extra item besides the pet carrier.

Is Animal Passport a pet travel document? No. Here is the difference

Searches about flying with pets often mix up airline paperwork, government health certificates and "pet passports." The documents American Airlines and border agencies accept are official ones. Examples include the DOT service animal forms, CDC dog import requirements, USDA-endorsed health certificates and destination-country certificates such as Mexico's NWS inspection certificate.

Animal Passport is a different kind of product. It is a digital animal and livestock passport that identifies an animal by its muzzle print, a nose pattern that is unique like a fingerprint. The owner captures it with a phone. The record links the animal to its owner, breed, estimated age, body condition and vaccination history. Age is estimated from a dental photograph with a confidence score, and a side-profile photo gives a body condition score from 1 to 5. In August 2025 it was used in livestock flood rescue in Pakistan, so farmers could reclaim animals after paper tags washed away.

Animal Passport is not a government-issued travel document. It is not a substitute for a veterinary health certificate, CDC or USDA paperwork, or an EU pet passport, and it does not provide veterinary diagnosis or legal advice. USDA APHIS also notes that livestock and poultry, such as pigs or chickens, do not count as pets for travel purposes and fall under separate import and export rules. For more on animal identification and travel topics, browse the Animal Passport blog.

The bottom line

For most travelers in October 2026, flying with a pet on American Airlines means a cat or small dog in an approved under-seat carrier, a $150 fee each way, and a check at the ticket counter. Larger pets go through American Airlines Cargo unless the owner is eligible military or State Department staff. International trips add CDC, USDA APHIS and destination-country rules on top of American's own. Check aa.com and the official government pages close to your departure date, because these rules have changed several times since 2024.