Delta Pet Fees: What Cabin Travel Costs and How the Rules Work

As of September 2026, delta pet fees for in-cabin travel are $150 USD/CAD each way for U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands tickets issued on or after April 8, 2025, and $200 USD/CAD/EUR each way for most international cabin routes, according to Delta Air Lines’ Pet Travel Overview. Older tickets keep prior rates ($95 domestic-region or $75 Brazil). Fees are collected at airport check-in; cargo pet shipping is restricted to eligible military and Foreign Service travelers.

Delta pet fees are the one-way charges Delta Air Lines assesses when a qualifying small dog, cat, or (on domestic U.S. flights) household bird travels in the passenger cabin in an approved kennel. This guide summarizes official cabin fees, booking limits, destination bans, military checked-baggage rates, and federal dog-entry rules—and clearly separates airline travel charges from biometric livestock identity tools such as Animal Passport.

Current Delta in-cabin pet fees (by destination)

Delta publishes in-cabin pet fees on its Pet Travel Overview page. As of September 2026, the airline states that fees follow the contract of carriage in effect when the passenger ticket was issued. Canadian-dollar amounts apply when exiting Canada; euro amounts apply when exiting Europe, per Delta Air Lines (2025 fee update language on that page).

Source: Delta Air Lines, Pet Travel Overview (fee table retrieved for this article). Some older Delta pages still list legacy amounts such as $125 for U.S./Canada cabin pets; when sources disagree, treat the live Pet Travel Overview fee table as authoritative and confirm at booking.

What you get for the fee—and what you still pay separately

The cabin pet fee covers carriage of one approved pet kennel in the cabin under Delta’s pet policy. It does not replace airfare, destination entry paperwork, veterinary exams, or microchipping. Delta states that animals are not included in free baggage allowance or Delta SkyMiles American Express free-bag benefits, and that no excess size or weight fees apply on top of the published animal fee for eligible checked military pets.

At the airport, travelers with cabin pets must check in at the Special Service Counter. A Delta agent verifies the pet and kennel and collects the fee before issuing a cabin pet tag, according to Delta Air Lines’ Pet Travel Overview. Plan extra time; after security screening (when the pet must briefly leave the kennel), the animal must remain secured in the kennel in the airport, Sky Club, and cabin unless in a designated relief area.

How to book a cabin pet on Delta (step by step)

1. Confirm species and route eligibility. Small dogs and cats may travel in cabin when size, age, health, and kennel rules are met; household birds are limited to domestic U.S. flights, per Delta Air Lines.
2. Call Delta Reservations early. Cabin pets are first-come, first-served with a per-flight cap. Have kennel length, width, and height ready when you call.
3. Choose an allowable seat. Pets are barred from bulkheads, exit rows, “no stowage” seats, flat-bed/Delta One seats, and certain aircraft rows listed on Delta’s overview.
4. Use a compliant kennel. Delta recommends a soft-sided kennel up to about 18″ × 11″ × 11″ because under-seat space varies by aircraft. Soft-sided kennels need leak-proof construction and ventilation on three sides for domestic travel and four sides for international travel.
5. Gather federal and destination documents. For dogs entering the United States, complete the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Dog Import Form and meet CDC age, health, and microchip rules. For export or third-country entry, start with a USDA-accredited veterinarian via the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) Travel With a Pet guidance.
6. Pay the pet fee at check-in. Cabin fees are collected at the Special Service Counter, not automatically with online ticket purchase.

Cabin limits: how many pets per flight and per kennel

Delta limits how many cabin pets may fly in each cabin product. On domestic Delta First (including Canada, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam), up to two pets may be allowed when flat-bed seats are not involved. Business Class (international), Delta One (domestic and international), and Delta Premium (domestic and international) allow zero cabin pets except trained service animals. Delta Comfort and Delta Main allow up to four cabin pets, with restrictions that may apply, according to Delta Air Lines’ Pet Travel Overview seating table.

One kennel per customer is the standard rule. Exceptions include a female dog or cat traveling with her unweaned litter (litter aged 8 weeks to 6 months, if they fit safely) and two same-breed, same-size pets aged 8 weeks to 6 months in one kennel when compatible—charged as one pet if accepted, per Delta Air Lines.

Minimum ages for cabin pets

• Domestic travel: pet must be at least 8 weeks old (Delta Air Lines Pet Travel Overview).
• Dogs entering the U.S. from another country: dog must be at least 6 months old (aligned with CDC import rules Delta cites).
• Cats arriving from another country: at least 16 weeks old (Delta).
• Travel to the European Union: pet must be at least 15 weeks old (Delta).

Where Delta does not allow pets in the cabin

Delta’s Pet Travel Overview lists destinations where pets are not permitted in the cabin for travel to or from those places, including Australia, Barbados, Hawaii (no 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 is permitted only when the customer holds all required entry documents for the final destination.

Delta’s agency pet-policy materials also describe separate Pets in Cabin (PETC) embargoes for travel originating in Brazil and Colombia (tickets purchased on or after June 7, 2021) and for flights originating in the Dominican Republic effective January 24, 2025, while still allowing trained service animals under stated conditions. Always re-check the live policy before purchase; embargo lists change.

Military and Foreign Service checked-pet fees

Delta accepts animals as checked baggage only for active U.S. Military or active U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officers (FSO) and their spouses/dependents with active transfer orders. Booked checked pets must be arranged at least 48 hours before travel. Checked pets are not accepted on any single Delta-operated flight longer than 12 hours or on itineraries with more than one connection, according to Delta’s Military Travel With Pets page.

Delta notes animal fees are charged each time the pet is checked in and may be assessed at each stopover, with possible exceptions for connections longer than six hours. Crates must meet International Air Transport Association (IATA) Live Animals Regulations container standards and USDA crate rules summarized on Delta’s military pets page (rigid construction, ventilation, “Live Animal” labels, food/water dishes accessible without opening the door, and related requirements).

Delta Cargo pet shipping: embargo status

As of the Shipping Your Pet page retrieved for this article, Delta states that until further notice it only allows pet shipment for active U.S. Military or U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officers traveling with active permanent change of station orders. Bookings go through the Delta Cargo Customer Service Center; PCS orders must be provided. Delta Cargo’s pets product page likewise describes a network-wide embargo on general household pet shipments, with that limited military/FSO exception and additional station bans even for those travelers at some international cities.

Eligible cargo shipments still require IATA-compliant crates, a health certificate from a USDA-accredited veterinarian or veterinary authority within 10 days of travel (international certificates must be signed and/or endorsed within 10 days), and temperature windows (Delta cites ground-temperature limits near 80°F / 27°C high and 20°F / −7°C low, with an acclimation certificate between roughly 20°F and 45°F). Sedation of household dogs and cats is not permitted, per Delta Air Lines.

Service animals vs. pets: fees and paperwork

Trained service animals under Delta’s accessible-travel policy are dogs fully trained to assist a person with a disability. Delta does not charge fees for transporting trained service animals or their assistive devices, and service animals do not count against carry-on allowance. Emotional support animals are not recognized as service animals; they follow pet travel rules and fees.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) requires the Service Animal Air Transportation Form for all service animals; flights of eight hours or more also require the Relief Attestation Form. Delta asks travelers to submit forms and a service request at least 48 hours before departure. Service animals must be at least four months old and fully vaccinated under Delta’s published guidelines.

Federal rules that sit beside Delta pet fees

Airline fees are only one cost layer. USDA APHIS advises travelers exporting pets from the United States to contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian early to determine destination entry requirements and obtain any USDA-endorsed health certificate. CDC is the primary U.S. authority for dog imports: as stated on CDC Dog Import Form instructions, a CDC Dog Import Form is required for each dog entering the United States. Dogs must appear healthy, be microchipped with a universally readable chip, and be at least six months old at entry. Dogs that have been only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries in the prior six months may need only that form; dogs with recent high-risk-country exposure face additional CDC documentation.

Delta’s Pet Travel Overview also flags New World Screwworm inspection documentation for certain Mexico and U.S.-arrival scenarios, including a USDA-accredited veterinarian certificate for dogs entering Mexico effective August 3, 2026, issued no more than five days before arrival. Confirm the latest USDA APHIS and CDC pages before travel; veterinary and border rules change independently of airline fee tables.

Delta pet fees vs. Animal Passport (do not confuse the two)

Airline pet fees, USDA/CDC certificates, and European Union pet passports or Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) documents are government or carrier travel instruments. Animal Passport is a different product: a digital animal and livestock identity record that uses muzzle biometrics (a nose print unique like a fingerprint), captured on a phone, binding owner, breed, estimated age, body condition, and vaccination history. Age can be estimated from a dental photograph with a confidence score, and body condition is scored 1–5 from a side-profile photo.

In August 2025 flood-rescue work in Pakistan, that biometric approach helped farmers reclaim animals after paper tags washed away—an identity use case, not an airline boarding document. Animal Passport does not replace Delta’s cabin fee, does not diagnose disease, and is not a government-issued travel passport unless an official source says otherwise. For more field notes and identity context, see the Animal Passport blog.

Practical takeaway: pay Delta’s published cabin or military checked fee at the airline counter, complete CDC/USDA destination paperwork with accredited veterinarians, and keep any digital livestock ID record separate from airline and border documents.

Quick cost scenarios

• Round-trip Atlanta–New York cabin dog on a ticket issued September 2026: expect $150 each way ($300 round trip) in pet fees, plus fare, per Delta’s post–April 8, 2025 U.S. rate.
• International cabin cat on a post–April 8, 2025 ticket: expect $200 USD/CAD/EUR each way, subject to destination acceptance and documentation.
• Large dog for a civilian household move: cabin may be impossible if the kennel will not fit under the seat; Delta Cargo’s general pet embargo means most civilians cannot rely on Delta Cargo either—confirm alternatives with other carriers or approved pet shippers.
• Trained service dog: no Delta pet fee when eligibility and DOT forms are met.

Publisher: Animal Passport. Last updated September 2026. Always verify live Delta, CDC, and USDA APHIS pages on the day you book and fly; fee tables and embargoes can change without notice.