American Airlines Pet Policy In Cabin: Fees, Carrier Sizes and Rules for 2026

Answer: As of October 2026, the American Airlines pet policy in cabin allows small cats and dogs to fly with you for $150 per kennel, each way. The pet must stay zipped inside a carrier under the seat in front of you for the whole flight. In-cabin pets are allowed within and between the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. They are not allowed to Hawaii, on trans-Atlantic or trans-Pacific trips, or on several South American routes, according to American Airlines' official pets page (2026).

The American Airlines pet policy in cabin is the set of rules that decides which pets may ride in the passenger cabin as a paid carry-on rather than as checked baggage or cargo. It covers species, carrier size, aircraft capacity, routes, fees and documents. This guide comes from Animal Passport, an animal-identity publisher. It sticks to what American Airlines, the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) publish. We note where those sources differ.

American Airlines in-cabin pet rules at a glance

American Airlines' pets page (2026) says carry-on pets are limited to cats and dogs that meet size, age and destination requirements. Fully trained service dogs are handled separately and fly at no charge.

• Fee: $150 per kennel, each way, nonrefundable (American Airlines optional service fees, 2026).
• Species: cats and dogs only.
• Minimum age: at least 8 weeks old within the U.S. and Puerto Rico (American Airlines, 2026).
• Position: the pet stays in the carrier, under the seat in front of you, for the entire flight.
• Fit: the pet must be small enough to fit comfortably inside the closed, zipped carrier.
• No sedation: American does not accept sedated or tranquilized pets, following American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) advice that sedatives raise respiratory and cardiovascular risk at altitude.
• Extra bag: you may bring either a personal item or a regular carry-on bag in addition to the pet carrier, but not both.

The extra-bag allowance is a fairly recent change. USA TODAY reported on April 1, 2024 that American had relaxed its policy. Before that, travelers with a pet could bring only a small personal item alongside the carrier.

How much does it cost to bring a pet in the cabin on American Airlines?

American Airlines' optional service fees page (2026) lists the carry-on pet fee as $150 per kennel in Main Cabin, Premium Economy, Business and First. All pet fees are nonrefundable and apply per kennel, each way. For checked pets, the airline says a stopover or connection of 4 hours or more makes each connecting segment a separate charge.

Two practical points come straight from the airline's pets page:

• You pay the pet fee at the airport ticket counter or a travel center, by credit card or paper voucher where accepted. American does not take cash or checks for pet fees.
• American does not collect pet fees for partner airlines, even on codeshare flights with an American flight number. If your ticket says Operated by another airline, that carrier's pet rules and fees apply on that segment.

American Airlines pet carrier size limits

American Airlines recommends soft-sided carriers. They must be secure, padded, made of water-repellent material and have nylon mesh ventilation on 3 or more sides. A soft carrier may be slightly larger than the listed size, but it must still fit under the seat without being heavily collapsed. Non-collapsible kennels cannot exceed the under-seat space of any aircraft on your trip.

Source: American Airlines, Traveling with pets, accessed October 2026.

American does not list a single weight limit for every in-cabin pet. The only weight cap on its pets page applies to the premium cabins of the 3-cabin Airbus A321T, where pet plus carrier must not exceed 20 pounds (9.07 kg) and is weighed at check-in. Elsewhere, the test is fit: the pet must sit comfortably in a carrier that fits under the seat.

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

American Airlines limits in-cabin pets by aircraft type. Spaces go first-come, so booking early matters on busy routes.

Service animals are excluded from these counts. Source: American Airlines, 2026.

American says carry-on pets are not permitted in bulkhead or exit-row seats, citing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety requirements or lack of under-seat storage. They are also not allowed in First or Business on the Boeing 777-200, 777-300ER, 787-8 and 787-9, in seat 13D on the Airbus A321neo, or in row 11 on the A321XLR.

Which routes allow in-cabin pets on American Airlines?

American Airlines' pets page says you can travel with a pet on most flights of up to 12 hours. It specifically lists the 48 contiguous states, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, St. Croix and St. Thomas. The fees page describes eligible carry-on routes more broadly as within and between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, subject to each country's entry rules. Check the specific country restrictions below before you book.

Routes where carry-on pets are not allowed

• Hawaii: no carry-on pets to or from Hawaii (American Airlines, 2026).
• Jamaica: no carry-on pets when traveling to Jamaica.
• South America: no carry-on pets to or from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia or Uruguay.
• Trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific trips: no carry-on pets, including flights to Europe, the U.K. and Japan.
• Trinidad and Tobago (POS): pets cannot arrive before 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m.

If your pet is too big for the cabin, American generally sends it through American Airlines Cargo (PetEmbark). At the ticket counter, it accepts checked pets only from active-duty U.S. military and U.S. State Department Foreign Service personnel traveling on official orders.

Government documents you may need on top of the airline rules

American Airlines' policy controls what happens on board. Governments decide whether your pet may enter a country. This is where many trips go wrong.

Flying with a dog from the U.S. to Mexico

USDA APHIS states that, effective August 3, 2026, pet dogs entering Mexico from the United States need a New World Screwworm (NWS) Inspection Certificate for Pet Dogs Moving (Exporting) from the United States to Mexico. It must be signed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and issued no more than 5 days before entry (USDA APHIS, page modified September 2026). APHIS endorsement is not required. Missing or incorrect paperwork can lead to the dog being refused entry or held at the border. American Airlines' pets page confirms it checks this certificate at check-in, including for service dogs.

Cats are different. USDA APHIS (2026) says pet cats do not need a health certificate or NWS inspection document to enter Mexico. Mexico's agriculture authority, SENASICA, inspects them on arrival. APHIS also warns not to add cats to the dog form, because that invalidates it.

Bringing a dog into or back to the United States

The CDC requirements that took effect on August 1, 2024 apply to all dogs entering the U.S., including returning pets and service dogs. What you need depends on where the dog was vaccinated and which countries it visited in the previous 6 months (CDC, 2024). American Airlines adds its own embargo. It does not accept dogs as carry-on pets if they come from, or have visited, a CDC high-risk country for dog rabies in the 6 months before travel, though service dogs that meet CDC rules are exempt. Dogs returning from Mexico must also meet USDA APHIS screwworm requirements, because APHIS has considered Mexico affected by screwworm since November 22, 2024.

Emotional support animals and service dogs on American Airlines

The U.S. Department of Transportation's final rule under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), published December 10, 2020, defines a service animal as a dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. That includes psychiatric service dogs. The same rule lets airlines treat emotional support animals as pets. In practice, an emotional support cat or dog on American Airlines follows the in-cabin pet rules above and pays the $150 fee, while a qualifying service dog flies free.

Under 14 CFR 382.75, airlines may require the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form. For flight segments of 8 hours or more, they may also require the DOT Service Animal Relief Attestation Form. Beyond those forms, airlines may not demand other documentation except to meet federal, territorial or foreign government animal rules.

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

1. Check the route. Confirm every segment is eligible, and that no segment is a codeshare operated by another airline.
2. Check government rules. Look up destination and return-entry requirements on the USDA APHIS Pet Travel pages and the CDC dog import page. For Mexico, book a USDA-accredited veterinarian visit within 5 days before arrival.
3. Add the pet online. On aa.com or the American app, open your trip, choose Add carry-on pets under Additional Services, agree to the requirements, select the flights and confirm (American Airlines, 2026).
4. Measure the carrier. Aim for 18 x 11 x 11 inches soft-sided, or the hard-sided limit for your aircraft. Call Reservations if a non-collapsible kennel is borderline.
5. Check in at the ticket counter. Pay the $150 fee and let an agent confirm the pet and carrier meet the rules.
6. Clear TSA security. TSA asks you to take the pet out of its carrier, send the empty carrier through the X-ray and carry or leash the pet through the metal detector, removing the leash first. Never put a pet through the X-ray.
7. Keep the pet zipped in. On board, the carrier stays under the seat in front of you for the whole flight. Pet strollers must be checked at the ticket counter, and checked bag fees apply.

Where Animal Passport fits, and where it does not

It is easy to mix up the word passport here, so to be clear: Animal Passport is a digital animal and livestock passport built on muzzle biometrics. A nose print is unique like a fingerprint. It is captured on a phone and linked to a record of the owner, breed, estimated age, body condition and vaccination history. The app can estimate age from a dental photograph with a confidence score and give a body condition score from 1 to 5 from a side-profile photo. 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 an airline pet document, a USDA or CDC certificate, an EU pet passport or any government-issued travel document. American Airlines, USDA APHIS and the CDC do not list it as an accepted travel record. For a flight, you still need the airline booking, the carrier and the official health or inspection forms described above. Find more animal-identity coverage on the Animal Passport blog.

Where the official sources differ

American Airlines' two official pages describe eligible regions slightly differently. The pets page lists specific U.S., Canadian, Mexican and U.S. Caribbean territories for flights up to 12 hours, while the fees page covers Central America and the Caribbean more broadly, subject to each country's entry policy. Both pages list exceptions such as Jamaica and Hawaii. If your destination is not named on the pets page, confirm with American Airlines Reservations before paying for a ticket. Country rules, especially the screwworm measures, changed several times in 2024 to 2026 and can change without notice, as USDA APHIS states on its own page.

Bottom line: as of October 2026, a small cat or dog can fly in the cabin with American Airlines for $150 each way in a compliant under-seat carrier on eligible North American and Caribbean routes, provided the destination's government paperwork is in order.

By Animal Passport. Last updated October 6, 2026. This article is general information, not legal or veterinary advice. Always confirm with American Airlines and the relevant government authority before travel.