Delta Airlines Pet Fee: Cost, Rules & How to Book in 2026

The Delta Airlines pet fee is $150 each way to bring a small dog, cat, or household bird in the cabin on domestic routes (U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands), and $200 each way on international routes, according to Delta Air Lines' official pet travel page. Fully trained service dogs are exempt from this fee. As of August 2026, this is the current published rate, and it applies per direction, not per round trip.

Delta Airlines Pet Fee at a Glance

Delta raised its in-cabin pet fees for tickets issued on or after April 8, 2025. The table below summarizes the current published rates from Delta's official pet travel page.

How Much Does It Cost to Fly with a Pet on Delta?

Delta Air Lines collects the in-cabin pet fee at check-in, and it is charged separately from your own ticket. For domestic itineraries within the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the fee is $150 USD or CAD each way. For international itineraries, including most routes outside North America, the fee is $200 USD, CAD, or EUR each way. Brazil-bound or Brazil-originating pet itineraries also carry the $200 international rate, up sharply from the $75 fee that applied before April 8, 2025 (Delta Air Lines, 2025). Because the fee is per direction, a round-trip domestic pet costs $300 total in fees alone, separate from your airfare.

What Pets Qualify for Delta's In-Cabin Program?

Delta's in-cabin pet program is limited to small dogs, cats, and household birds that fit comfortably in an approved carrier for the full flight. Delta requires pets to be at least 8 weeks old for domestic travel; dogs entering the U.S. from abroad must generally be at least 6 months old, and cats entering the U.S. must be at least 16 weeks old, per Delta's published age requirements. Pets bound for the European Union must be at least 15 weeks old to meet EU entry rules.

Delta generally allows one pet per kennel, with two narrow exceptions: a nursing mother traveling with her litter (pets aged 8 weeks to 6 months), or a compatible same-breed pair of pets both under 6 months old sharing one carrier.

Cabin Space Limits by Class

• Delta First (domestic): up to 2 pets permitted
• Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin: up to 4 pets permitted, subject to route
• Delta One / Business: pets are not permitted

Because each cabin section has a hard cap, Delta advises booking your pet's spot as early as possible — space is first-come, first-served and cannot be guaranteed after your own ticket is issued.

Carrier and Kennel Requirements

Delta recommends a soft-sided kennel no larger than 18 x 11 x 11 inches so it fits fully under the seat in front of you; Delta notes that under-seat space varies by aircraft, so this dimension is a recommendation rather than a guarantee on every plane. The carrier must be leak-proof and ventilated on at least three sides for domestic travel, or four sides for international travel, per Delta's carrier specifications. These standards line up with the broader industry framework: the International Air Transport Association's Live Animals Regulations (IATA, 2026 edition, effective January 1, 2026) call for containers that let a pet turn around, stand fully, and lie in a natural position, while leaving each airline to set its own specific cabin rules on top of that baseline.

Where You Can't Fly with a Pet In-Cabin on Delta

Delta's pet travel page lists a number of destinations where in-cabin pets are not accepted, including Australia, Barbados, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Iceland, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. Delta also does not accept carry-on pets on any long-haul international flight with a scheduled block time longer than eight hours, regardless of destination. If your trip touches any of these routes, Delta's cargo options are currently limited (see below), so confirm feasibility with Delta before booking.

How to Book a Pet on a Delta Flight

1. Book your own airline ticket first, on Delta.com or through a travel agent.
2. Call Delta Reservations directly — pets cannot be added to a booking online.
3. Have your carrier's exact dimensions ready so the agent can confirm it meets Delta's under-seat requirements.
4. Confirm your route is eligible for in-cabin pets and is not on Delta's restricted-destination list.
5. Pay the pet fee, which Delta collects at check-in ($150 domestic or $200 international, each way).
6. Arrive early on travel day, since gate agents may re-check that your carrier fits under the seat on your specific aircraft.

Service Animals vs. Emotional Support Animals on Delta

Fully trained service dogs travel free of Delta's pet fee and are not subject to the carrier-size rules that apply to pets. Delta limits passengers to one service dog each, and since July 10, 2024, Delta has not accepted pit bull-type dogs as service or support animals. Delta stopped accepting new bookings for emotional support animals following the U.S. Department of Transportation's 2020 final rule (14 CFR Part 382), which allows airlines to treat emotional support animals as pets rather than service animals; travelers hoping to fly with an ESA on Delta today must book and pay under the standard in-cabin pet program described above.

Shipping a Pet as Cargo on Delta

Delta's shipping page states plainly: "Until further notice, we are only allowing the shipment of pets for active U.S. Military or U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officers (FSO)" traveling under permanent change of station orders (Delta Air Lines). That means Delta Cargo is not currently accepting general household pet shipments from the public. If your pet is too large for an in-cabin carrier and you are not active-duty military or FSO personnel with PCS orders, Delta is not a viable option for that trip in 2026; you would need to look at a specialized pet relocation service or another carrier that still offers checked or cargo pet transport.

Delta's Pet Fee vs. a Digital Pet ID: Two Different Things

Delta's pet fee and carrier rules govern whether your pet can board a specific flight — they are not a form of identification or a travel document. Animal Passport is a separate, unrelated product: a phone-based digital identity record that uses a photo of an animal's muzzle print, which is unique like a human fingerprint, to bind an owner's record to that individual animal, along with breed, an estimated age from a dental photo with a confidence score, a body condition score from a side-profile photo, and vaccination history. It was used during livestock flood rescue efforts in Pakistan in August 2025, helping farmers reclaim animals after paper ear tags were washed away.

Animal Passport is not a government-issued pet passport, does not replace Delta's required health paperwork or USDA-endorsed international health certificates, and does not constitute veterinary diagnosis or legal advice. If you're comparing it to the European Union's official pet passport scheme for travel, note that those are different systems entirely — see the Animal Passport blog for more on how digital identity and official travel documents differ.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Delta charge to fly with a pet?

Delta charges $150 each way for small pets flying in-cabin on domestic routes (U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, USVI) and $200 each way on international routes, per Delta's official pet travel page. The fee is collected at check-in, per direction.

Can I bring my dog on Delta for free?

Only fully trained service dogs travel free of Delta's pet fee. Pets, including well-behaved companion dogs, are charged the standard $150 domestic or $200 international in-cabin fee.

What size carrier does Delta allow for pets?

Delta recommends a soft-sided carrier no larger than 18 x 11 x 11 inches that fits fully under the seat in front of you, with ventilation on at least three sides domestically and four sides internationally. Actual under-seat space can vary by aircraft, so Delta treats this as a recommendation, not a guarantee.

Does Delta still ship pets as cargo?

No, not for the general public. Delta's shipping page currently limits pet cargo shipments to active U.S. military members and State Department Foreign Service Officers traveling under permanent change of station orders.

Can service dogs fly free on Delta?

Yes. Fully trained service dogs are exempt from Delta's in-cabin pet fee, though Delta limits passengers to one service dog each and does not accept pit bull-type dogs as service animals as of July 10, 2024.

Where can't you bring a pet in the cabin on Delta?

Delta does not accept in-cabin pets on flights to and from Australia, Barbados, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Iceland, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates, or on any nonstop flight with a scheduled block time over eight hours.

How do I book a pet on a Delta flight?

You must book your own ticket first, then call Delta Reservations directly to add your pet, since pet bookings cannot be completed online. Space is limited per cabin and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Is an emotional support animal allowed on Delta?

No. Delta no longer accepts emotional support animal bookings, following the U.S. Department of Transportation's 2020 rule change that lets airlines classify ESAs as pets rather than service animals. An ESA traveling with you today must be booked and paid for as a standard in-cabin pet.