Carry On Pet on Delta: Fees, Carrier Size and Rules for 2026

A carry on pet on Delta is a small dog, cat or household bird that flies in the passenger cabin inside a ventilated kennel stowed under the seat in front of you. As of October 2026, Delta Air Lines charges $150 each way on U.S. and Canada routes and $200 each way internationally, recommends a soft-sided kennel no larger than 18 x 11 x 11 inches, and requires pets to be at least 8 weeks old for domestic flights. You must book the pet by phone because cabin space is limited.

This guide is written by the Animal Passport editorial team and is built only from primary sources: Delta's own consumer and travel-agent pet pages, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the European Commission's Your Europe portal. Where those sources disagree, we say so. For more travel and animal-identity explainers, browse the Animal Passport blog.

Delta carry-on pet policy at a glance (October 2026)

The table below summarizes the rules that most often decide whether a pet is accepted at the Delta Special Service Counter. Each figure comes from the Delta Air Lines Pet Travel Overview page unless noted.

How much does it cost to bring a carry-on pet on Delta?

Delta charges a one-way pet fee collected at check-in, not at booking. According to the Delta Air Lines Pet Travel Overview (2026), the fee is $150 USD/CAD each way for travel to or from the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on tickets issued on or after April 8, 2025. Tickets issued before that date keep the older $95 fee.

International in-cabin travel costs $200 USD/CAD/EUR each way, per Delta (2026). Delta notes the CAD amount is charged when exiting Canada and the EUR amount when exiting Europe, and that the fee is set by the contract of carriage in effect when your ticket was issued. A round trip within the U.S. therefore costs $300 in pet fees on a ticket bought today.

Be careful with older pages. Some Delta pages that still appear in search results list different figures from the current overview page, and third-party blogs sometimes repeat outdated numbers. The current Delta Pet Travel Overview page is the one to trust, and Delta Reservations can confirm the fee for your specific ticket.

What size carrier does Delta allow in the cabin?

Delta does not publish one fixed maximum. The Delta Pet Travel Overview (2026) states that the maximum in-cabin kennel dimensions are determined by the under-seat space of your aircraft, and recommends a soft-sided kennel of up to 18 x 11 x 11 inches because it fits most aircraft types.

Kennel requirements Delta checks at the counter

• The kennel must fit fully under the seat directly in front of you.
• Your pet must be able to move around without touching or sticking out of the sides.
• The kennel must be leak-proof and ventilated.
• Only one pet kennel is allowed per passenger, and it counts alongside one personal item or one carry-on bag.
• Your pet must stay inside the closed kennel in the airport, during boarding and deplaning, in a Delta Sky Club and on board.

Where Delta's own pages disagree: the consumer Pet Travel Overview (2026) says soft-sided kennels need ventilation openings on 3 sides for domestic travel and 4 sides for international travel. Delta's travel-agent site, Delta Professional, says soft- or hard-sided kennels must be ventilated on at least 2 sides. To be safe, choose a carrier ventilated on 4 sides, which satisfies both versions.

Delta also does not list a weight limit on its overview page. In practice, the size of the carrier, and whether your pet can stand and turn around inside it, decides acceptance.

Which pets can fly in the cabin on Delta?

Delta accepts small dogs, cats and household birds in the cabin. Delta Professional (2026) clarifies that household birds may travel in the cabin on domestic U.S. flights only. For travel outside the contiguous U.S., Delta requires you to carry every document needed for the pet to enter the destination and, if applicable, return home.

Age minimums

• At least 8 weeks old for domestic travel (Delta, 2026).
• At least 15 weeks old when traveling to the European Union (Delta, 2026).
• Dogs must be at least 6 months old and cats at least 16 weeks old when traveling to the U.S. from another country (Delta, 2026).

One pet per kennel, with two exceptions

Delta (2026) allows one pet per kennel, except that a female cat or dog may travel with her un-weaned litter aged 8 weeks to 6 months, and two compatible pets of the same breed and size aged 8 weeks to 6 months may share one kennel and be charged as one pet.

How to book a carry-on pet on Delta: step by step

1. Book your own ticket first. Delta adds pets to an existing reservation.
2. Measure your carrier. Write down length, width and height; Delta Reservations asks for these when you call.
3. Call Delta Reservations as soon as possible. Delta uses a first-come, first-served policy with a per-flight cap on pets, so space can sell out.
4. Choose an eligible seat. Delta does not allow cabin pets in bulkhead seats, emergency exit rows, seats marked no stowage, flat-bed or Delta One seats, rows 46 to 51 on the A330-200, rows 54 to 59 on the A330-300, or center seats on the B757-200.
5. Prepare documents. Domestic trips may need a state health certificate; international trips need destination paperwork arranged with a USDA-accredited veterinarian.
6. Check in at the Special Service Counter. Delta says an agent will inspect the pet and kennel and collect the fee, so allow extra time.
7. Clear TSA screening. You will take your pet out of the carrier at the checkpoint (see below).

How does TSA security work with a pet?

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says you should remove your pet from its carrier and send the empty case through the X-ray machine, keep control of the pet with a leash, and remove the leash when carrying the pet through the metal detector. TSA adds that carriers undergo a visual or physical inspection.

A February 2023 TSA press release is blunt: never place a pet in the X-ray tunnel. If your pet is likely to bolt, ask a TSA officer for private screening; TSA says you will be escorted to a private room with the pet still in its carrier.

Where can't you fly a carry-on pet on Delta?

Delta's Pet Travel Overview (2026) lists destinations where pets may not travel in the cabin at all: Australia, Barbados, Hong Kong, Iceland, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. Pets may not fly on flights to Hawaii, and pet travel is not allowed for pets originating in Brazil, Colombia or the Dominican Republic.

Delta Professional (2026), the travel-agent version of the policy, also lists Ireland as a no-cabin-pet destination, while the consumer overview page does not. If Ireland is on your itinerary, confirm directly with Delta before you book.

Partner airlines set their own rules. Delta advises checking the policy of the operating carrier, such as Air France, KLM, Aeromexico, Korean Air, LATAM or Virgin Atlantic, when a partner operates any segment.

What documents does a carry-on pet need on Delta?

Dogs entering or returning to the U.S.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the primary authority for dog imports, according to USDA APHIS (2026). Under rules in effect since August 1, 2024, Delta Professional summarizes that every dog entering the U.S. must be at least 6 months old, microchipped, healthy-looking and accompanied by a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. CDC (2024) says further requirements depend on where the dog's rabies vaccine was given and whether the dog was in a high-risk rabies country in the previous 6 months. Unvaccinated dogs that have been in a high-risk country in that window will not be allowed to enter.

USDA APHIS (2026) adds that U.S.-vaccinated dogs returning from a high-risk country need a Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination form, submitted by a USDA-accredited veterinarian before the dog leaves the U.S.

Dogs flying to Mexico

Effective August 3, 2026, Mexico requires a New World Screwworm (NWS) Inspection Certificate for pet dogs, signed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and issued no more than 5 days before arrival, according to USDA APHIS (page updated September 2026). Delta says it will verify this certificate at check-in. USDA APHIS also notes that Mexico has been considered affected by screwworm since November 22, 2024, so dogs returning to the U.S. from Mexico must meet APHIS screwworm-freedom requirements.

Flights to the European Union

The European Commission's Your Europe portal says dogs, cats and ferrets entering the EU from a non-EU country need a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination given after microchipping, and an EU animal health certificate issued by an official state vet no more than 10 days before arrival. The first rabies vaccine must be given at 12 weeks or older, followed by a wait of at least 21 days before travel. Dogs heading to Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway or Northern Ireland also need tapeworm treatment 1 to 5 days before travel.

Carry-on pet vs. service animal on Delta

A carry-on pet is not a service animal. Delta treats trained service animals under a separate policy, and service animals are exempt from several cabin-pet restrictions; for example, Delta Professional notes that its cabin-pet embargoes on flights from Brazil, Colombia and the Dominican Republic do not apply to trained service animals. If your animal is a trained service dog, use Delta's service animal process rather than booking it as a pet.

Is Animal Passport a pet travel document for Delta?

No. This distinction matters because the word passport means different things in animal travel.

• Delta's pet rules are airline conditions of carriage: fees, kennel size, seats and routes.
• Government health documents, such as the CDC Dog Import Form receipt, USDA-endorsed health certificates, the EU animal health certificate and the European pet passport, are what border authorities check. Your Europe describes the European pet passport as an EU-standard identification document for dogs, cats and ferrets, issued by authorized vets to EU residents.
• Animal Passport is a digital animal and livestock identity record. It uses muzzle biometrics, because a nose print is unique like a fingerprint, captured on a phone. The record binds owner, breed, estimated age, body condition and vaccination history, with age estimated from a dental photograph with a confidence score and a body condition score of 1 to 5 from a side-profile photo.

Animal Passport is not issued by a government, is not a veterinary diagnosis, and does not replace a CDC form, a USDA health certificate or an EU pet passport for a Delta flight. Its field use has been in livestock: during the August 2025 floods in Pakistan, muzzle-print records helped farmers reclaim animals after paper tags washed away. For air travel with a cat or small dog, follow Delta, CDC and USDA APHIS requirements.

Practical tips before your Delta flight

• Call Delta Reservations the same day you book; cabin pet slots are capped per flight.
• Pick a carrier ventilated on 4 sides to meet both versions of Delta's kennel rule.
• Re-check fees on the live Delta Pet Travel Overview page rather than relying on blog screenshots.
• Ask a USDA-accredited veterinarian about destination paperwork as soon as you decide to travel, as USDA APHIS recommends.
• Locate pet relief areas at your connecting airports; Delta says pets must stay in the kennel everywhere else after security.
• Remember that breaking Delta's kennel rules can cost you the ability to fly with your pet on future Delta flights, according to Delta (2026).

Last updated: October 8, 2026, by Animal Passport. Airline and government pet rules change often; always confirm with Delta Air Lines, CDC and USDA APHIS before you fly.