Delta Airlines Pet Policy Fee: What You Pay in 2026

As of September 2026, the Delta Airlines pet policy fee for an in-cabin pet is $150 USD/CAD each way for travel within the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands when the passenger ticket was issued on or after April 8, 2025, according to Delta Air Lines’ Pet Travel Overview. International in-cabin pet travel is $200 USD/CAD/EUR each way, and Brazil is $200 USD for tickets issued on or after that same date. The fee is collected at airport check-in, not at online booking, and applies only if your dog, cat, or (on domestic U.S. flights) household bird meets Delta’s size, kennel, age, and destination rules.

The Delta Airlines pet policy fee is the one-way charge Delta Air Lines collects when a qualifying small pet travels in the passenger cabin under the airline’s Pets in Cabin (PETC) rules. It is separate from ticket price, baggage allowances, and government import paperwork from agencies such as 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).

This guide is published by Animal Passport for travelers researching airline fees and rules. Animal Passport’s product is a digital animal and livestock identity record based on muzzle biometrics—not an airline ticket, not a CDC Dog Import Form, and not a government-issued EU pet passport. For more field reporting on animal identity, see Animal Passport blogs.

Current Delta in-cabin pet fees (September 2026)

Delta Air Lines states on its Pet Travel Overview that in-cabin pet fees are set by the contract of carriage in effect when the passenger ticket is issued, and that currency charged can vary by exit point (CAD when exiting Canada; EUR when exiting Europe).

Source for the table: Delta Air Lines, Pet Travel Overview (fees page section, accessed for this article in September 2026).

Important source conflict: An older Delta page titled “Pet Travel Options” still lists different cabin fees (for example $125 USD/CAD for U.S./Canada and $125 for Puerto Rico). Those figures do not match the April 8, 2025 fee schedule on Delta’s Pet Travel Overview. For planning, treat the Pet Travel Overview fee table as the current consumer source, and confirm the amount with Delta Reservations when you add the pet to your booking.

What the fee covers—and what it does not

According to Delta Air Lines’ Pet Travel Overview and agency Pet Policies materials:

• The fee is charged each way and collected when you check in with the pet at the Special Service Counter.
• Fees can be assessed again at stopover points when the pet is re-checked; Delta notes exceptions may apply on routings with connections longer than six hours (described in Delta’s military checked-pet fee rules and agency materials).
• The pet kennel does not replace your free baggage allowance; Delta states animals are not included in free baggage allowances, including Delta American Express card free-bag benefits.
• You may still bring one personal item or one carry-on in addition to the pet kennel, per Delta’s cabin kennel section.

The fee does not buy you a reserved under-seat slot by itself. Delta says cabin pets are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis with a flight-level limit, and you must contact Delta Reservations after you have a passenger reservation to book the pet.

How many pets Delta allows per cabin

Delta Air Lines publishes these in-cabin pet limits on its Pet Travel Overview:

• Delta First (domestic), including Canada, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam: up to 2 pets—not allowed in cabins with flat-bed seats.
• Business Class (international), Delta One (domestic and international), Delta Premium (domestic and international): 0 pets (service animals excluded from this ban).
• Delta Comfort / Delta Main (domestic and international): up to 4 pets, with possible further restrictions.

Customers with cabin pets may not select bulkhead seats, emergency exit rows, “no stowage” seats, flat-bed or Delta One seats, certain A330 row blocks, or center seats on the B757-200, according to the same Delta overview.

Kennel size, ventilation, and under-seat fit

Delta does not publish one universal hard maximum for every aircraft. Instead, Delta Air Lines recommends a soft-sided kennel with maximum dimensions of 18″ × 11″ × 11″ because that size fits most aircraft types, and says actual under-seat space varies by aircraft—confirm dimensions with Reservations.

Additional kennel rules from Delta’s Pet Travel Overview:

• One pet kennel per customer.
• The pet must fit comfortably, able to move without touching or protruding from the sides.
• The kennel must fit fully under the seat in front of you.
• Soft-sided kennels must be leak-proof and ventilated on 3 sides for domestic travel and 4 sides for international travel.
• The pet must remain secured in the kennel in the airport, Delta Sky Club®, and onboard (except when TSA requires removal at the security checkpoint).

Delta’s separate Pet Travel Requirements page also discusses hard- and soft-sided cabin kennels ventilated on at least two sides; when pages differ on detail, follow the more specific Pet Travel Overview guidance for soft-sided ventilation and the recommended 18″ × 11″ × 11″ size, and verify with Delta before travel.

Age, species, and litter rules

Delta Air Lines’ Pet Travel Overview states:

• Pets must be at least 8 weeks old for domestic travel.
• Dogs entering the U.S. from another country must be at least 6 months old; cats at least 16 weeks.
• Pets traveling to the European Union must be at least 15 weeks old.
• Household birds are allowed in cabin on domestic U.S. flights only.
• Generally one pet per kennel, with litter and young-pair exceptions (unweaned litter with the dam; or two same-breed, same-size pets ages 8 weeks to 6 months in one kennel if they fit and are compatible)—charged as one pet when allowed in one kennel.

Again, note a conflict: Delta’s older Pet Travel Options page lists a 10-week domestic minimum. Prefer the Pet Travel Overview’s 8-week figure and confirm with Delta Reservations.

Where cabin pets are not allowed

Delta Air Lines lists destinations where pets are not permitted in the cabin, including Australia, Barbados, Hawaii (no cabin pets 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. International travel to other Delta destinations may still be possible if you hold all required entry documents.

Delta’s 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 origin travel under earlier 2021 ticket rules—another reason to verify route eligibility when you book.

Checked baggage and cargo: who can still ship

For most travelers, Delta does not accept pets as checked baggage. Delta Air Lines’ Shipping Your Pet page states that, until further notice, pet shipment via Delta Cargo is limited to active U.S. Military or U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officers traveling with active permanent change of station (PCS) orders.

Military / FSO checked-pet fees on Delta’s Military Pet Travel page (September 2026 reading) are generally $200 each way for U.S./U.S. Virgin Islands/Puerto Rico and for international/Canada/Caribbean routes, with Brazil at $150 for tickets issued before April 8, 2025 and $200 thereafter. Those checked fees are distinct from the in-cabin PETC fee schedule.

Government paperwork beyond the airline fee

Paying Delta’s pet fee does not satisfy U.S. import rules. The CDC’s dog importation FAQ (updated August 27, 2026) states that all dogs entering or returning to the United States must be accompanied by a CDC Dog Import Form receipt; dogs that have been only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries for the past six months generally need that form plus appearance of health, a microchip, and a minimum age of six months, while dogs from high-risk rabies countries need additional documents and, in some cases, a CDC-registered animal care facility reservation.

Delta’s Pet Travel Overview separately warns that dogs entering the U.S. must appear healthy, be microchipped, be at least six months of age, and carry the CDC Dog Import Form receipt, with possible New World Screwworm inspection certificates for Mexico travel (effective August 3, 2026 per Delta’s summary of USDA-accredited veterinarian certificates) and for arrivals from screwworm-affected countries.

For destination-country health certificates and USDA endorsement workflows, the U.S. Department of State’s Pets and International Travel guidance directs the public to USDA APHIS country requirements and notes that many destinations require a federally accredited veterinarian and USDA endorsement of small-animal health certificates. Always confirm current destination rules with a USDA-accredited veterinarian—this article is not legal or veterinary advice.

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

1. Confirm your pet’s species, age, and destination are allowed under Delta’s Pet Travel Overview.
2. Buy or hold your own passenger ticket first.
3. Call Delta Reservations promptly with kennel length, width, and height to reserve the limited cabin pet space.
4. Choose a soft-sided kennel that fits under your aircraft’s seat (Delta’s recommended maximum is often 18″ × 11″ × 11″).
5. Gather CDC, USDA APHIS, and destination documents early—especially for international or U.S.-entry dogs.
6. At the airport, check in at the Special Service Counter; Delta collects the pet fee there and issues a cabin pet tag.
7. At security, remove the pet from the kennel as directed, then return the animal to the secured kennel for the rest of the airport journey and flight.

Animal Passport vs. airline and government travel documents

Animal Passport is a digital animal and livestock passport that uses muzzle biometrics (a nose print unique like a fingerprint), captured by phone. A 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 when paper tags washed away.

That product is not a substitute for Delta’s PETC reservation, the airline pet fee, a CDC Dog Import Form, a USDA-endorsed health certificate, or an EU pet passport under official travel schemes. If you are flying with a companion dog or cat, follow Delta, CDC, and USDA APHIS rules; if you need durable livestock identity after disasters or for farm records, Animal Passport addresses a different problem—biometric identity continuity, not airline carriage.

Practical checklist before you pay the fee

• Is cabin space still available on your exact flight?
• Does your kennel match the aircraft under-seat space Delta confirms for your itinerary?
• Is your route on Delta’s cabin-pet exception list (Hawaii outbound, UK, Australia, and others)?
• For dogs entering the U.S., do you have a valid CDC Dog Import Form receipt and any high-risk-country extras?
• Have you budgeted the one-way fee twice for a round trip ($150 × 2 domestically under the post–April 8, 2025 ticket schedule, or $200 × 2 internationally)?

Last updated September 2026 by Animal Passport. Airline and government rules change; verify fees and documents on Delta Air Lines, CDC, and USDA APHIS primary pages before you travel.