Delta Air Lines Pet Policy: In-Cabin Fees, Kennels & Cargo Embargo

As of September 2026, the Delta Air Lines pet policy lets small dogs, cats, and (on domestic U.S. flights) household birds travel in the cabin for a one-way fee collected at check-in—typically $150 USD/CAD within the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands for tickets issued on or after April 8, 2025, and $200 internationally—while Delta generally does not accept pets as ordinary checked baggage and Delta Cargo maintains a temporary global embargo on most household pet shipments. Delta Air Lines pet policy is the airline’s set of rules for in-cabin pets, military hold exceptions, cargo restrictions, kennel standards, and destination limits. Space is first-come, first-served; call Delta Reservations early with kennel dimensions.

This guide is published by Animal Passport for travelers and animal-identity readers in the Airlines & Flying With Pets cluster. It summarizes official Delta, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) requirements so you can plan documents and booking steps—not veterinary diagnosis or legal advice. Animal Passport’s digital livestock identity product is separate from airline pet rules and from EU pet passports; that distinction is explained below.

What the Delta Air Lines pet policy covers

Under Delta’s Pet Travel Overview, eligible small companion animals may fly in the passenger cabin if they meet age, health, size, and kennel rules and if space remains on the flight. Dog or cat travel outside the contiguous United States is allowed only when the customer holds all required entry and return documentation and still meets those cabin rules. Pets must stay secured in the kennel in the airport, boarding areas, Delta Sky Club® lounges, and onboard; Delta states that failure to keep a pet kennelled as required may result in loss of future pet-travel privileges.

Emotional support animals are not treated as service animals under Delta’s trained service animal rules. Trained service dogs follow a separate U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) form process and are not charged the in-cabin pet fee; pets travel under the pet policy instead.

In-cabin pet fees (as of September 2026)

Delta collects the in-cabin pet fee at airport check-in. According to Delta Air Lines’ Pet Travel Overview (fees tied to the contract of carriage at ticket issuance):

• U.S. / Canada / Puerto Rico / U.S. Virgin Islands: $95 USD/CAD for tickets issued before April 8, 2025; $150 USD/CAD for tickets issued on or after April 8, 2025.
• International: $200 USD/CAD/EUR (CAD when exiting Canada; EUR when exiting Europe).
• Brazil: $75 for tickets issued before April 8, 2025; $200 USD for tickets issued on or after April 8, 2025.

Confirm the amount for your ticket date when you book; Delta’s consumer page and older mirror pages have shown different legacy fee tables over time, so treat the current Pet Travel Overview as authoritative for your itinerary.

Which pets can fly in the cabin

• Small dogs and cats that fit comfortably in an approved under-seat kennel.
• Household birds on domestic U.S. flights only, per Delta’s agency Pet Policies page.
• One kennel per customer; the kennel counts as a carry-on, and you may still bring one personal item or one carry-on bag in addition.

Age minimums stated on Delta’s Pet Travel Overview:

• At least 8 weeks old for domestic travel.
• Dogs traveling to the U.S. from another country: at least 6 months old; cats: at least 16 weeks old.
• Travel to the European Union: at least 15 weeks old.

Exceptions for litter mates (domestic rules): one female cat or dog may travel with her un-weaned litter between 8 weeks and 6 months if all fit safely; or two pets of the same breed and size between 8 weeks and 6 months may share one kennel if compatible and charged as one pet.

How many pets are allowed per cabin

Delta accepts pets on a first-come, first-served basis and caps totals by cabin product (Delta Pet Travel Overview):

Customers with in-cabin pets may not select bulkhead seats, emergency exit rows, “no stowage” seats, flat-bed or Delta One seats, certain A330 row ranges, or center seats on the B757-200, among other limits listed by Delta.

Kennel requirements

Delta requires the pet to fit comfortably with room to move without protruding from the kennel, and the kennel must fit fully under the seat in front of you. Soft-sided kennels must be leak-proof with ventilation on three sides for domestic travel and four sides for international travel. Delta recommends a soft-sided kennel up to about 18″ × 11″ × 11″ because that size fits most aircraft; maximum dimensions still depend on the specific aircraft’s under-seat space, so verify when you call Reservations.

At the airport, check in at the Special Service Counter so an agent can inspect the pet and kennel and collect the fee. At TSA security you must remove the pet from the kennel briefly; afterward the animal must remain kennelled except in designated relief areas.

Destinations where in-cabin pets are not allowed

Delta’s Pet Travel Overview states pets are not permitted in the cabin for travel to or from Australia, Barbados, Hong Kong, Iceland, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. Additional limits include: pets not allowed on flights to Hawaii; and pet travel not allowed for pets originating in Brazil, Colombia, or the Dominican Republic. Delta’s agency Pet Policies page also lists Ireland among destinations where cabin pets are not accepted—if your itinerary involves Ireland, confirm with Delta Reservations before you buy nonrefundable tickets.

International travel to other Delta destinations is permitted only if you hold all required destination entry documents. USDA APHIS Travel With a Pet is the U.S. starting point for export paperwork planning.

Checked baggage vs. cargo: what changed

Delta does not accept pets as ordinary checked baggage for most travelers. Active U.S. military or U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officers (and eligible spouses) with permanent change of station orders may have limited hold options under separate rules and fees (for example, $200 within the U.S./Virgin Islands/Puerto Rico on the agency fee table for tickets on recent date bands)—always verify current military acceptance with Delta.

As of the Delta Cargo Pets page reviewed for this article, Delta Cargo has a temporary global embargo on household pet shipments, with a limited exception for active U.S. military or Foreign Service Officers traveling on permanent change of station orders. Even eligible military shipments must meet International Air Transport Association (IATA) Live Animals Regulations container standards, temperature limits, health certificates, and breed restrictions. Live animals must be tendered at designated Delta Cargo facilities—not airport ticket counters—and location-specific embargoes can still block certain international stations (Delta Cargo lists Amsterdam, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt, London Heathrow, Seoul Incheon, and Tokyo Haneda among stations where pet shipments are not accepted under its international embargo policy).

U.S. import rules that sit on top of Delta’s policy

Airline acceptance does not replace border rules. The CDC is the primary U.S. authority for dog imports. Per CDC guidance updated for rules taking effect August 1, 2024, dogs entering or returning to the United States must generally appear healthy, be microchipped, be at least 6 months old, and be accompanied by a CDC Dog Import Form receipt; dogs that spent time in high-risk rabies countries in the prior six months need additional rabies documentation. USDA APHIS (page last modified March 20, 2026) likewise directs dog importers to CDC requirements and reminds exporters to work with a USDA-accredited veterinarian early.

New World screwworm documentation is another layered requirement Delta highlights: for dogs entering Mexico, a New World Screwworm Inspection Certificate from a USDA-accredited veterinarian issued no more than five days before arrival is required effective August 3, 2026, and verified at check-in. Dogs arriving in the U.S. from screwworm-affected countries need comparable APHIS inspection documentation within five days of arrival.

Step-by-step: booking a cabin pet on Delta

1. Confirm your pet’s species, age, and under-seat kennel fit for the aircraft on your itinerary.
2. Buy your ticket, then call Delta Reservations promptly with kennel length, width, and height to add the pet while space remains.
3. Avoid prohibited seats and cabins (exit rows, bulkheads, Delta One / Premium / international flat-bed first/business where pets are blocked).
4. Gather destination documents early—CDC Dog Import Form for dogs entering the U.S., USDA-endorsed health certificates for many international routes, and any screwworm certificates if applicable.
5. Arrive early, check in at the Special Service Counter, pay the one-way pet fee, and keep the pet kennelled except at security screening and marked relief areas.

Airline pet rules vs. Animal Passport (biometric livestock ID)

Travelers often confuse airline pet programs, government health certificates, EU pet passports / PETS-style schemes, and commercial identity tools. Animal Passport is a digital animal and livestock passport that uses muzzle biometrics (a nose print unique like a fingerprint), captured by phone. The record can bind owner, breed, estimated age, body condition, and vaccination history; age can be estimated from a dental photograph with a confidence score, and body condition can be scored 1–5 from a side-profile photo. The system was used in livestock flood rescue in Pakistan in August 2025 so farmers could reclaim animals after paper tags washed away. It is not a Delta boarding credential, not a CDC Dog Import Form, and not a government-issued EU pet passport unless an official authority separately recognizes such a tool—which this article does not claim.

For more field notes from the Animal Passport team, see Animal Passport blogs. When your flight question is “Will Delta take my dog under the seat?”, use Delta + CDC + USDA APHIS primary pages. When your identity question is “How do I prove which animal is mine after tags fail?”, biometric livestock ID is a different problem.

Trust notes and how to double-check

Rules change with ticket issue dates, embargoes, partner-operated flights, and disease alerts. As of September 2026, re-read Delta’s Pet Travel Overview and Delta Cargo Pets page the week you fly, and validate dog entry with CDC’s Dog Importation Navigator and USDA APHIS Travel With a Pet. Partner airlines (for example Air France/KLM, Aeroméxico, Korean Air, LATAM, Virgin Atlantic on Delta’s partner list) apply their own cabin and cargo rules on flights they operate.

Primary sources for this article include Delta Air Lines Pet Travel Overview, Delta Cargo Pets, Delta agency Pet Policies, CDC dog importation guidance, and USDA APHIS Travel With a Pet—opened and reviewed for September 2026 accuracy.