Delta Airlines Flying With Dog: Cabin Fees, Rules, and Booking Steps

As of September 2026, Delta Airlines flying with dog usually means a small dog in an under-seat kennel in the cabin for a one-way fee collected at check-in—$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, or $200 USD/CAD/EUR on most international routes, according to Delta Air Lines. Space is first-come, first-served; call Delta Reservations after you book your seat. Larger dogs generally cannot check as baggage unless you are active U.S. military or a U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officer on permanent change of station orders. Dogs entering the United States also need Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) import paperwork.

Animal Passport publishes livestock-identity guidance for travelers and producers. This guide explains Delta’s official cabin and cargo rules, then clearly separates airline pet policy, U.S. and EU government travel documents, and Animal Passport’s biometric livestock identity product—which is not a government-issued airline or border travel document.

What “Delta Airlines flying with dog” means in practice

Delta Airlines flying with dog is the set of Delta Air Lines policies that determine whether a companion dog may ride in the passenger cabin, travel as checked baggage (military and Foreign Service exceptions only), or ship through Delta Cargo under limited eligibility. As of September 2026, the default path for most civilians is in-cabin travel for dogs that fit under the seat; general-public pet cargo and checked-baggage options remain restricted, per Delta’s Shipping Your Pet and Military Pet Travel pages.

In-cabin dogs: fees, age, and kennel rules

On domestic flights within the contiguous United States, Delta states that small dogs that meet age, health, size, and kennel requirements can travel in the cabin for a one-way fee collected at check-in. Dog travel outside the contiguous U.S. is allowed only when the customer has all documentation required for the destination (and return, if applicable), and still meets those same age, health, size, and kennel rules, according to Delta’s Pet Travel Overview.

How much does it cost?

Delta publishes the following in-cabin pet fees each way (contract of carriage at ticket issuance controls the amount charged):

• 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 (Delta Air Lines, Pet Travel Overview).
• International: $200 USD/CAD/EUR (Delta Air Lines).
• Brazil: $75 for tickets issued before April 8, 2025; $200 USD for tickets issued on or after April 8, 2025 (Delta Air Lines).

CAD applies when exiting Canada; EUR applies when exiting Europe, Delta notes. Fees are paid at the Special Service Counter at the airport, not when you phone to reserve the pet spot.

Age minimums

Delta’s Pet Travel Overview (current as of this writing) sets these cabin age floors:

• At least 8 weeks old for domestic travel.
• A pet dog must be at least 6 months old when traveling to the United States from another country (cats: at least 16 weeks).
• At least 15 weeks old when traveling to the European Union.

Older Delta archive pages sometimes listed a 10-week domestic minimum; travelers should follow the live Pet Travel Overview and confirm with Reservations if an agent cites a different figure.

Kennel and seating

Delta allows one pet kennel per customer. The dog must fit comfortably with room to move without touching or sticking out of the kennel sides, and the kennel must fit fully under the seat ahead 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 of about 18″ × 11″ × 11″ because that size fits most aircraft, but under-seat space varies by plane—confirm dimensions when you call (Delta Air Lines, Pet Travel Overview and agency Pet Policies).

You may bring one personal item or one carry-on in addition to the pet kennel. Pets must stay secured in the kennel in the boarding area, Sky Club, and cabin. At Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening, you remove the dog from the kennel, then return the dog to the kennel afterward. Customers with cabin pets may not select bulkheads, exit rows, “no stowage” seats, flat-bed or Delta One seats, certain A330 rows, or center seats on the B757-200, among other exclusions listed by Delta.

How many pets per cabin?

Delta limits pets per flight and sells cabin pet space first-come, first-served. Published cabin caps include up to 2 pets in domestic Delta First (not in flat-bed First), 0 pets in international Business / Delta One / Delta Premium (service animals excluded), and up to 4 in Delta Comfort / Delta Main, with restrictions that may apply (Delta Air Lines, Pet Travel Overview).

How to book a dog on Delta (step by step)

1. Confirm your dog fits under the seat in a compliant kennel for your aircraft type.
2. Book your own ticket, then call Delta Reservations as soon as possible with confirmation number and kennel length × width × height. Delta’s overview instructs customers to contact Reservations to book the pet; agency materials and traveler guides commonly cite 800-221-1212 for U.S. callers.
3. Ask the agent to add PETC (pet in cabin) on every segment and note any partner-airline legs—partner rules may differ.
4. Assemble health and import documents for international or inbound U.S. travel (see CDC and USDA sections below).
5. Arrive early and check in at the Special Service Counter so an agent can verify the kennel and collect the fee before security.

Where cabin dogs are not allowed

As of September 2026, Delta’s Pet Travel Overview states pets are not permitted in the cabin to or from Australia, Barbados, Hawaii (no pet travel on flights to Hawaii), Hong Kong, Iceland, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. For Brazil, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, Delta states pet travel is not allowed for pets originating in those countries. Delta’s travel-agency Pet Policies page also documents Pets in Cabin embargoes for flights originating in the Dominican Republic (effective January 24, 2025) and for Brazil/Colombia under earlier 2021 purchase/travel rules, with return-leg exceptions when travel originated in the U.S. and CDC rules are met. Because embargo lists can differ slightly across Delta properties, confirm your exact itinerary with Reservations before you buy nonrefundable tickets.

Comparison: cabin pet vs. military checked baggage vs. cargo

Delta’s Shipping Your Pet page states that, until further notice, pet shipment is limited to active U.S. Military or U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officers traveling with active permanent change of station orders, booked through Delta Cargo Customer Service at 1-800-352-2746 with a copy of PCS orders. Delta’s agency Pet Policies page separately describes a Pets in Hold (AVIH) embargo with no announced end date for general AVIH bookings, while still allowing qualifying military/FSO shipments on flights under 12 hours. Civilian travelers with dogs too large for the cabin typically need another airline or an International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA)–style shipper—not Delta general cargo.

Trained service dogs (not pets)

Delta accepts fully trained service dogs that assist a person with a disability; emotional support animals are not treated as service animals and must follow pet rules (Delta Air Lines, Trained Service Animals). Handlers must submit the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Service Animal Air Transportation Form, and for flights of eight hours or more the DOT Relief Attestation Form, ideally at least 48 hours before departure. Service dogs travel without pet fees, must fit in the seat footprint, and must be at least four months old with current vaccinations under Delta’s service-animal guidelines.

Entering the United States with a dog on Delta

Delta’s overview incorporates CDC rules for dogs traveling to the United States: dogs must appear healthy, be microchipped, be at least 6 months of age, and be accompanied by a receipt for a completed CDC Dog Import Form. Extra documents may apply if the dog was vaccinated abroad or spent time in a high-risk dog-rabies country in the prior six months.

The CDC states that starting August 1, 2024, dogs that have been only in dog rabies–free or low-risk countries for the past six months need the CDC Dog Import Form as the sole CDC documentation for entry or return, plus appearing healthy, being ≥6 months old, and carrying a universally readable microchip (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Entry Requirements for Dogs from Dog-Rabies Free or Low-Risk Countries). The form is free; one form per dog; the receipt can be shown on a phone. Dogs that visited high-risk countries face additional vaccination and, for some foreign-vaccinated dogs, CDC-registered animal care facility rules—use CDC’s Dog Importation Navigator before you fly.

International documentation: USDA APHIS vs. airline rules

For exports from the United States, the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) advises contacting a USDA-accredited veterinarian as soon as you decide to travel. Destination countries set health requirements; many need a health certificate that USDA must endorse through the Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS). APHIS also notes that airlines may impose additional boarding requirements beyond the destination country’s rules (USDA APHIS, Pet Travel Process Overview, last modified June 18, 2026). Delta echoes this: international cabin travel requires all entry documents for the final destination, and cargo health certificates must typically be issued within 10 days of travel by a USDA-accredited veterinarian.

Delta also flags New World Screwworm documentation for some Mexico and U.S. arrival scenarios (including Mexico inspection certificates effective August 3, 2026, on Delta’s overview). Always re-check APHIS country pages close to departure—requirements change.

EU pet passport vs. Animal Passport (do not confuse them)

If your Delta itinerary connects into the European Union, official non-commercial movement of dogs between EU countries generally requires microchip identification, valid rabies vaccination, and a European pet passport issued by an authorised veterinarian to an owner habitually resident in the EU; travelers from outside the EU typically need an EU animal health certificate instead (Your Europe / European Commission guidance). That EU pet passport is a government animal-health travel document.

Animal Passport (https://www.animalpassport.co) is a separate digital animal and livestock identity product from the publisher Animal Passport. It uses muzzle biometrics (a nose print treated as unique, like a fingerprint), phone-based capture, and a record that can bind owner, breed, estimated age, body condition, and vaccination history. Age can be estimated from a dental photograph with a confidence score; body condition can be scored 1–5 from a side-profile photo. The product was used in livestock flood rescue in Pakistan in August 2025 so farmers could reclaim animals when paper tags washed away. It does not replace Delta’s PETC reservation, a CDC Dog Import Form, a USDA-endorsed health certificate, or an EU pet passport. For trip prep, keep official airline and government papers primary; optional digital identity tools are only a personal record of ownership and vaccination history—see also Animal Passport blogs.

Practical checklist before you fly Delta with a dog

• Confirm under-seat fit and embargoes for every airport on the ticket.
• Reserve PETC by phone; do not assume the Fly Delta app added your dog.
• For U.S. entry: CDC Dog Import Form receipt, microchip, age ≥6 months, healthy appearance.
• For U.S. export: USDA-accredited vet timeline, destination-specific vaccines/tests, endorsement lead time.
• Skip sedatives: Delta Cargo guidance states sedation of household dogs and cats is not permitted for cargo moves because high-altitude effects are unpredictable—ask your veterinarian about cabin stress plans that do not rely on prohibited sedation.
• Budget the one-way pet fee for each direction and allow extra airport time at Special Services.

Bottom line

As of September 2026, Delta Airlines flying with dog is realistic for small dogs that fit under the seat if you reserve early, pay the published cabin fee, and clear destination embargoes. Large dogs are largely outside civilian Delta options while cargo and checked-baggage pet shipping remain limited to qualifying military and Foreign Service travelers. Layer CDC and USDA APHIS requirements on top of Delta’s rules for any border crossing, and treat EU pet passports and Animal Passport’s biometric livestock ID as entirely different instruments.