Delta Traveling With Pets: Cabin Fees, Kennels, and Documents

As of September 2026, Delta traveling with pets means bringing a small dog, cat, or (on U.S. domestic flights) household bird in an under-seat kennel after booking the animal with Delta Air Lines Reservations, then paying the one-way in-cabin fee at airport check-in. Delta Air Lines’ Pet Travel Overview states cabin fees of $150 USD/CAD each way for U.S./Canada/Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands tickets issued on or after April 8, 2025, and $200 USD/CAD/EUR for most international cabin routes. Household pet cargo is under a temporary global embargo for the general public; only limited military and Foreign Service exceptions apply per Delta Cargo.

Delta traveling with pets is Delta Air Lines’ set of in-cabin, cargo, and destination rules for companion animals that meet age, health, size, kennel, and documentation requirements. This guide is published by Animal Passport for informational purposes only. It is not veterinary diagnosis or legal advice. Official airline and government pages change; reconfirm before you fly.

How Delta cabin pet travel works

On domestic flights within the contiguous United States, Delta Air Lines allows small dogs, cats, and household birds that meet age, health, size, and kennel requirements to travel in the cabin for a one-way fee collected at check-in, according to the Delta Pet Travel Overview (2026). Dog or cat travel outside the contiguous U.S. is permitted only when the customer has all required documentation for entry to the destination and return (if applicable), and still meets age, health, size, and kennel rules.

Space is limited. Delta uses a first-come, first-served policy and caps the number of cabin pets per flight. After you have a passenger reservation, contact Delta Reservations as soon as possible to book the pet, and have kennel length, width, and height ready when you call.

Who can fly in the cabin

• Small dogs and cats on eligible routes when size, age, health, and kennel rules are met (Delta Pet Travel Overview).
• Household birds on domestic U.S. flights only, per Delta’s travel-agent Pet Policies page.
• One kennel per customer; the pet must fit comfortably inside without touching or protruding from the sides and must be able to move around.
• Limited litter exceptions: one female dog or cat may travel with her un-weaned litter between 8 weeks and 6 months of age if all fit safely; two pets of the same breed and size aged 8 weeks to 6 months may share one kennel if compatible and small enough, charged as one pet (Delta Pet Travel Overview).

Minimum ages (airline rules)

• At least 8 weeks old for domestic travel (Delta Pet Travel Overview).
• Dogs entering the United States must be at least 6 months old; cats at least 16 weeks old when traveling to the U.S. from another country (Delta Pet Travel Overview).
• At least 15 weeks old when traveling to the European Union (Delta Pet Travel Overview).

Government import rules can be stricter than airline cabin age rules. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dog import requirements—summarized on Delta’s Pet Travel Overview—require dogs entering the United States to appear healthy, be microchipped, be at least 6 months of age, and travel with a receipt for a completed CDC Dog Import Form, with additional documents possible after time in high-risk rabies countries.

Delta in-cabin pet fees (as of September 2026)

Fees are established by the contract of carriage in effect at ticket issuance and are collected at check-in, according to Delta Air Lines (Pet Travel Overview). CAD may be charged exiting Canada; EUR may be charged exiting Europe.

A round-trip domestic itinerary at the post–April 8, 2025 rate is typically $300 in cabin pet fees alone ($150 each way), before any international health certificates or other government costs.

Kennel and seating requirements

Delta recommends a soft-sided kennel with maximum dimensions of about 18 inches by 11 inches by 11 inches because that size fits most aircraft types, while exact under-seat space varies by aircraft (Delta Pet Travel Overview; Delta Pet Policies). Soft-sided kennels must be leak-proof and ventilated on three sides for domestic travel and four sides for international travel. The kennel must fit fully under the seat in front of you. You may bring one personal item or one carry-on in addition to the pet kennel.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) passenger guidance for dogs and cats in the cabin reinforces that animals should travel in containers meeting Live Animals Regulations standards, that unweaned animals and animals under 8 weeks must not travel, and that individual airlines may set stricter rules—so travelers should always confirm with the operating carrier.

Keep the pet secured in the kennel at all times in the airport (including boarding and deplaning), in a Delta Sky Club, and onboard. Failure to keep the pet in the kennel as required may result in loss of future pet-travel privileges, according to Delta’s Pet Travel Overview. At the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint, you must remove the pet from the kennel for screening, then return the animal to the kennel afterward except in designated relief areas.

Seats you cannot select with a cabin pet

• Bulkhead seats
• Emergency exit rows
• Seats designated as “no stowage”
• Flat-bed or Delta One seats
• Rows 46–51 on A330-200; rows 54–59 on A330-300; center seats on B757-200 (Delta Pet Travel Overview)

Cabin pet capacity by product

Destinations where cabin pets are not allowed

As of September 2026, Delta’s Pet Travel Overview lists destinations where pets are not permitted in the cabin for travel to or from: Australia; Barbados; Brazil, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic (with special origin rules—pets originating in those three countries are not allowed); Hawaii (no pet travel on flights to Hawaii); Hong Kong; Iceland; Jamaica; New Zealand; South Africa; the United Kingdom; and the United Arab Emirates. Delta’s travel-agent Pet Policies page additionally lists Ireland among destinations where cabin pets are not accepted. Where the consumer overview and agency page differ, call Delta Reservations and confirm the operating carrier’s rule for your exact itinerary.

For Brazil and Colombia, Delta’s Pet Policies page describes a longer-standing embargo on pets in cabin for travel originating in those countries for tickets purchased on or after June 7, 2021. For the Dominican Republic, Delta implemented a pets-in-cabin embargo on flights originating there effective January 24, 2025, with return-trip nuances described on the same page. Trained service animals follow separate Delta policies.

International paperwork: USDA APHIS and CDC

Airline acceptance is not the same as country entry clearance. The United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) advises travelers exporting a pet from the United States to contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian as soon as travel is planned. That veterinarian helps determine destination entry requirements (vaccinations, tests, treatments) and assists with a USDA-endorsed pet health certificate or other needed paperwork (APHIS, “Take a Pet From the United States to Another Country,” last modified August 14, 2026).

APHIS also notes that destination countries set entry rules that can change at any time, so requirements must be verified for every trip. Dogs returning to or entering the United States fall primarily under CDC import authority for rabies-related rules; APHIS may have separate requirements that differ from CDC’s. Delta’s Pet Travel Overview further flags New World Screwworm inspection documentation for some routes, including Mexico requirements described as effective August 3, 2026 for dogs entering Mexico with a certificate issued no more than five days before arrival.

Partner-airline segments follow the operating carrier’s pet rules. Always verify if any flight is codeshare or Delta Connection.

Cargo and checked-baggage reality check

Most leisure travelers cannot check a pet as baggage or ship a household pet as cargo on Delta as of September 2026. Delta’s “Shipping Your Pet” page states that, until further notice, pet shipment is allowed only for active U.S. Military or U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officers traveling with active permanent change of station orders. Delta Cargo’s pets product page describes a temporary global embargo on household pet shipments, with the same limited military/FSO exception, and lists additional station embargoes (including Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, London, Seoul, and Tokyo) even for those exceptions.

Where military/FSO cargo travel is allowed, Delta requires International Air Transport Association Live Animals Regulations (IATA LAR) Container Requirement #1–compliant crates for dogs and cats, a health certificate from a USDA-accredited veterinarian (or military veterinarian pathways where stated) within 10 days of travel for applicable movements, and temperature limits (forecasts between 20°F and 80°F while the animal is on the ground in Delta’s care). Sedation or tranquilization of household dogs and cats is not permitted for cargo travel, per Delta’s shipping guidance.

Airport day checklist

1. Confirm the pet is booked on the flight itinerary with Delta Reservations and that your seats allow under-seat stowage.
2. Arrive early and check in at the Special Service Counter so agents can verify the kennel and collect the pet fee (Delta Pet Travel Overview).
3. Carry government documents for international or U.S.-entry legs (USDA APHIS-endorsed certificates, CDC Dog Import Form receipt, microchip records, screwworm inspection certificates where required).
4. Remove the pet from the kennel only for TSA screening; otherwise keep the animal secured.
5. Use designated pet relief areas after security when needed; Sky Club rules still require the animal to remain in the kennel.

Animal Passport vs airline and border documents

Airline pet tags, USDA APHIS health certificates, CDC Dog Import Form receipts, and EU pet passports or PETS-scheme documents are official travel or entry instruments defined by carriers and governments. They are different from the biometric livestock-identity product published by Animal Passport.

Animal Passport is a digital animal and livestock passport that uses muzzle biometrics (a nose print unique like a fingerprint). Capture is phone-based. 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 product was used in livestock flood rescue in Pakistan in August 2025 so farmers could reclaim animals when paper tags washed away.

That field identity tool does not replace Delta kennel approval, a USDA-endorsed export certificate, a CDC import receipt, or any government-issued travel document. For related explainers on official schemes versus biometric ID, see the Animal Passport blogs.

Practical tips from planning to reclaiming identity after travel

Before booking: measure your soft carrier against Delta’s recommended 18 × 11 × 11 inch envelope and the specific aircraft under-seat dimensions for your flight. Call Reservations early—cabin pet slots fill. For international itineraries, start with a USDA-accredited veterinarian weeks ahead so endorsement timing matches departure.

After travel disruptions, lost collars, or paper tags that fail, durable identity records matter for rehoming and recovery even when they are not boarding credentials. Animal Passport’s biometric record is designed for that continuity use case; Delta still decides cabin acceptance, and border agencies still decide entry.

Byline: Animal Passport editorial. Last updated September 26, 2026. Reconfirm fees, embargoes, and government forms on delta.com, USDA APHIS, and CDC before travel.