American Airlines Pet Travel Policy 2026: Fees, Carrier Sizes, Cargo and Destination Rules

The American Airlines pet travel policy is the set of rules American Airlines uses to decide which animals may fly, where and at what price. As of October 2026, American lets small cats and dogs fly in the cabin for $150 per kennel each way within and between the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, but it accepts checked pets only from active-duty U.S. military and State Department Foreign Service personnel on official orders.

Every other pet that is too big for the cabin must be shipped through American Airlines Cargo. This guide summarises the policy using American's own pages, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS). It also notes where those sources leave gaps you should confirm before you fly.

American Airlines pet policy at a glance

• Carry-on pets: cats and dogs only, $150 per kennel each way (American Airlines, 2026).
• Checked pets: only for active-duty U.S. military and U.S. State Department Foreign Service personnel on orders, $200 per kennel or $150 to/from Brazil (American Airlines, 2026).
• Cargo pets: shipped via American PetEmbark by American Airlines Cargo; fees vary and are confirmed at booking.
• Service dogs: fly in the cabin free of charge if they meet U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) form requirements.
• Minimum age: 8 weeks for cats and dogs travelling within the U.S. and Puerto Rico (American Airlines, 2026).
• Sedation: sedated or tranquilised pets are not accepted, following American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) guidance cited by American.

Three ways a pet can fly on American Airlines

American groups animal travel into three channels plus service animals. Which one applies depends on your pet's size, your route and, for checked pets, your employment status.

American states that 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 applies to each connection segment. American also does not collect pet fees for partner airlines on codeshare flights, so you pay each operating carrier at check-in.

Carry-on pet rules on American Airlines

American allows one pet carrier as a carry-on if you pay the carry-on pet fee and your pet stays in the carrier under the seat in front of you for the whole flight. With the pet carrier you may bring only one other item: either a personal item such as a purse, or a carry-on bag that fits in the overhead bin, not both. Pet strollers must be checked at the ticket counter, and checked bag fees apply.

Carry-on carrier size limits

American Airlines publishes these maximum carrier dimensions (length x width x height) as of 2026:

• Soft-sided (recommended), all flights: 18 x 11 x 11 inches (46 x 28 x 28 cm).
• Hard-sided, American Mainline flights: 19 x 13 x 9 inches (48 x 33 x 22 cm).
• Hard-sided, American Eagle regional flights: 16 x 12 x 8 inches (40 x 30 x 20 cm).

Soft-sided carriers must be secure, padded, water-repellent and have nylon mesh ventilation on 3 or more sides. Your pet must fit comfortably inside the closed, zipped carrier. American does not publish a general weight limit for carry-on pets; the only stated cap is 20 pounds (9.07 kg) for pet plus carrier in the dedicated premium-cabin compartments on the three-cabin Airbus A321T.

How many pets are allowed on each flight

American limits cabin pets by aircraft type. Mainline Airbus A319, A320, A321, A321neo and Boeing 737 flights allow a maximum of 20 pet carriers across all cabins, excluding service animals, with no pets in premium cabins. American Eagle CRJ and ERJ regional jets allow 1 carrier in the premium cabin and 5 in the Main Cabin.

On the Airbus A321XLR, Boeing 777-200, 777-300ER, 787-8 and 787-9, pets are not permitted in premium cabins because there is no under-seat storage, according to American's 2026 cabin table. Because capacity is capped, add your pet to the reservation early.

Seats you cannot choose with a pet

Carry-on pets are not permitted in bulkhead seats, exit rows, First and Business on Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft, or seat 13D on the Airbus A321neo. American cites Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety requirements and lack of under-seat space.

Checked pets: who can still check an animal

American Airlines accepts checked pets at the ticket counter only for active-duty U.S. military and U.S. State Department Foreign Service personnel travelling on official orders. Up to 2 pets may be checked, on a first-come basis. Eligible travellers must:

1. Contact American Reservations at least 48 hours before travel.
2. Check in at the ticket counter with official orders, 2 to 4 hours before the flight.
3. Complete a checklist with an agent.
4. Provide a health certificate issued by a veterinarian within 10 days of travel (or within 60 days of a return on the same ticket).
5. Attach a signed, timed certificate confirming the pet was fed and offered water within 4 hours before drop-off, as required by federal regulations.

Checked-pet kennels must let the animal stand, turn, sit and lie down naturally, weigh no more than 100 lbs (45 kg) including the pet, and have a welded or cast metal door. They also need ventilation on 3 sides for domestic travel and 4 sides for international travel. Checked pets cannot fly on Airbus A319, A320 or A321-family aircraft. Connections are limited to ten hubs: Charlotte, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York JFK, New York LaGuardia, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington Reagan.

Breed restrictions for checked pets

American does not accept brachycephalic (snub-nosed) cats or dogs of any mix as checked pets. The list includes Persian, Himalayan, Burmese and Exotic Shorthair cats, and dogs such as pugs, all bulldog breeds, Boston Terriers, Boxers, Shih Tzus, Pekingese, Mastiffs, Cane Corsos and Pit Bulls. These restrictions apply to the cargo hold, not to small dogs and cats flying as carry-on pets.

American Airlines Cargo and the PetEmbark service

If your pet is too large for the cabin and you are not eligible to check it, American directs you to American PetEmbark, operated by American Airlines Cargo. According to American Airlines Cargo, dogs must be at least 8 weeks old for domestic travel and at least 6 months old for international travel. The route must offer compatible aircraft, and temperatures must be forecast at 85°F or below.

American Airlines Cargo recommends booking at least 24 hours and no more than 10 days before travel (30 days if flying into London Heathrow). Payment is not taken until the pet is accepted at the airport. At drop-off you need two forms of identification and all health documents. Pets are usually available for pickup about one hour after arrival.

Temperature embargoes for pets in the hold

For checked pets and Cargo pets, American will not fly an animal if the current or forecast temperature is above 85°F (29.4°C) anywhere on the itinerary. From May 1 to September 30 each year, pets not travelling in the cabin cannot go to, through or from Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas or Palm Springs. The cold limit is 45°F (7.2°C). A licensed veterinarian's acclimation letter can waive it, but never below 20°F (-6.6°C), according to American Airlines in 2026.

Destination rules that change the policy

American's pet page says you can travel with a pet on most flights up to 12 hours, including within the 48 contiguous states, Alaska, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Thomas, Canada and Mexico. The main exceptions in 2026 are:

• Hawaii: no carry-on pets to or from Hawaii. Checked pets may go only via Honolulu (HNL) under Hawaii's quarantine rules, and not on nonstop flights to Maui, the Big Island or Kauai.
• South America: no carry-on pets to or from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia or Uruguay.
• Transatlantic and transpacific: no carry-on pets on either. Checked pets to the European Union need a tattoo or microchip matching the vaccination record. Pets cannot be checked to the U.K. or Ireland, but American Airlines Cargo carries dogs and cats to London Heathrow and Manchester.
• Jamaica: carry-on pets are not permitted.
• Trinidad and Tobago: pets cannot arrive before 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m.

Mexico: New World screwworm certificate for dogs

USDA APHIS reports that, effective August 3, 2026, Mexico requires an NWS Inspection Certificate for pet dogs travelling from the United States. The certificate must be signed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian no more than 5 days before entry into Mexico and does not need APHIS endorsement. American Airlines says it will verify the certificate at check-in. The rule covers service dogs as well as pets.

Pet cats do not need a health certificate or NWS document to enter Mexico, per USDA APHIS (page last modified September 21, 2026), but they are inspected on arrival. APHIS also warns that dogs returning from Mexico must meet U.S. screwworm-freedom certification on re-entry, because Mexico has been considered screwworm-affected since November 22, 2024.

Flying a dog into the United States: CDC rules

The CDC sets the requirements for every dog entering the U.S., including returning pets and service dogs, under rules that took effect on August 1, 2024. What your dog needs depends on where it was vaccinated and whether it was in a high-risk country for dog rabies during the six months before arrival. The CDC's Dog Importation Navigator shows which requirements apply.

American Airlines adds its own embargo on top of the CDC rules. It does not accept dogs as carry-on pets if they originate from, or have visited, a CDC high-risk rabies country in the six months before travel. Service dogs that meet CDC requirements are exempt. American's checked-pet rules also state that dogs from high-risk countries must be at least 16 weeks old and vaccinated against rabies before entering the U.S.

Service animals versus pets and emotional support animals

American Airlines defines a service animal as a dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. Emotional support animals, comfort animals and service animals in training travel as pets, with pet fees and rules. American recommends submitting the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form at least 48 hours before departure. Flights over 8 hours also need the DOT Service Animal Relief Attestation Form. Approved animals receive a Service Animal ID (SVAN ID) that expires when the dog's vaccination expires.

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

1. Confirm your route allows carry-on pets and check destination rules (Hawaii, South America, transatlantic and transpacific are excluded).
2. Find your trip on aa.com or in the American app.
3. In Additional Services, select Add carry-on pets.
4. Review and agree to the carry-on pet requirements.
5. Select the flights your pet will take and confirm.
6. On travel day, go to the American ticket counter to pay the $150 fee by card and have the pet and carrier checked. American does not accept cash or checks.

Where the official sources differ

American's own pages are not perfectly aligned, so confirm the details for your itinerary with American Reservations. The fee table on American's U.S. pets page lists the $200 checked-pet fee for routes including Europe and from the United Kingdom. American's optional-fees page lists only the Americas and Brazil. The pets page also says pets cannot be checked to the U.K.

Age rules also vary by channel. The passenger pets page sets 8 weeks for domestic cats and dogs, while American Airlines Cargo requires dogs to be 6 months old for international shipments. Finally, CDC and USDA APHIS rules can change at short notice. APHIS states that its Mexico page "can change without notice," so re-check government pages in the days before departure.

Airline pet paperwork vs. Animal Passport's biometric ID

Searches for pet travel often mix up airline forms, government health certificates and "pet passports." They are different things. The documents American Airlines checks are government and veterinary records: a veterinarian's health certificate, the USDA-accredited NWS certificate for Mexico, CDC dog-import documentation, and DOT service-animal forms. For the European Union, the official identification is a microchip or tattoo matching the vaccination record.

Animal Passport is something else: a digital animal and livestock identity record built on muzzle biometrics. The nose print of a cow, buffalo or other animal is unique like a fingerprint. A farmer captures it by phone, and the record binds 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 body condition is scored 1 to 5 from a side-profile photo.

In August 2025 the system was used during livestock flood rescue in Pakistan so farmers could reclaim animals after paper ear tags washed away. Animal Passport is not an airline document, not a government-issued travel passport and not a substitute for any certificate American Airlines, the CDC or USDA APHIS requires. For more on livestock identification and animal records, browse the Animal Passport blog.

Bottom line

If your cat or dog fits in an 18 x 11 x 11-inch soft carrier under the seat, the American Airlines pet travel policy is simple: book early, pay $150 per kennel each way, and avoid Hawaii, South America and long-haul ocean crossings. If your pet is larger, plan for American Airlines Cargo, temperature embargoes and breed restrictions. For international trips, the CDC, USDA APHIS and destination-country rules matter as much as the airline's.