Dog Flights on Delta in 2026: Cabin Rules, Fees, Cargo Embargo and CDC Paperwork

Dog flights on Delta means flying your dog with Delta Air Lines. As of October 2026, small dogs can ride in the cabin in a carrier that fits under the seat. The fee is $150 each way within the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and $200 each way on international routes (Delta Air Lines, 2026). Delta Cargo is not taking pet shipments right now, except for some military and diplomatic moves. Any dog entering the U.S. also needs a CDC Dog Import Form.

This guide is written by the Animal Passport editorial team and was last updated on October 4, 2026. It brings together Delta's own pet pages, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the European Union's official Your Europe portal. Where Delta's own pages disagree with each other, we say so. Airline pet rules change often, so check again before you book.

What are Delta's options for flying with a dog?

As of October 2026, Delta Air Lines lists three ways a dog can fly. Only one of them is open to most travellers.

1. Pet in cabin. Small dogs, cats and household birds can fly in a kennel under the seat in front of you. Delta's code for this is PETC. This is the standard option for civilian travellers.
2. Checked pet in the hold. Delta's travel-agent pet policy page says Delta only accepts animals as checked baggage for active U.S. military members and active U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officers, and their spouses, who have transfer orders. Delta's code for this is AVIH.
3. Delta Cargo. Delta's "Shipping Your Pet" page says that until further notice, pet shipments are accepted only for active U.S. military or Foreign Service Officers with active permanent change of station (PCS) orders.

Trained service dogs are handled separately. They are covered in their own section below.

How much does it cost to fly a dog on Delta?

Delta's public pet travel page lists these in-cabin fees as of October 2026. You pay the fee at check-in, for each direction of travel.

Delta's travel-agent page also says pet fees are charged each time the pet is checked in, including at stopovers. Exceptions may apply to connections longer than 6 hours. Pets do not count toward your free baggage allowance, and the Delta SkyMiles American Express card's free checked bag benefit does not cover them. Delta says the fee in force when your ticket was issued is the one that applies.

Delta in-cabin dog requirements

Age

Delta Air Lines requires dogs to be at least 8 weeks old for domestic flights. A dog flying into the United States from another country must be at least 6 months old, which matches the CDC rule. For travel to the European Union, the minimum age is 15 weeks.

Kennel size and type

• The kennel must fit completely under the seat in front of you. Your dog must be able to move around without touching or poking out of the sides.
• Delta recommends a soft-sided kennel no larger than 18 x 11 x 11 inches, because that size fits most of its aircraft. The exact limit depends on the aircraft, so check yours.
• The kennel must be leak-proof and ventilated. Delta's own pages disagree on how much ventilation is needed. The public pet travel page asks for openings on 3 sides for domestic flights and 4 sides for international flights. The travel-agent page says at least 2 sides. If you buy a carrier with openings on 4 sides, it meets both.
• You can bring one pet kennel plus either one carry-on bag or one personal item.
• One pet per kennel. The exceptions are a mother with an unweaned litter, or two compatible pets of the same breed and size aged 8 weeks to 6 months. Two pets sharing a kennel are charged as one pet.

Cabin and seat limits

Delta Air Lines accepts in-cabin pets first come, first served, with a limit on how many can fly on each flight. Its public page allows up to 4 pets in Delta Comfort and Delta Main, and 2 in domestic Delta First. Pets are not allowed in Delta Premium Select or Delta One, or in international business class. Delta's travel-agent page mentions an exception for international First and Business cabins that do not have flat-bed seats. Ask Delta Reservations to confirm your specific flight.

If your dog is flying in the cabin, you cannot sit in bulkhead seats, emergency exit rows, seats marked "no stowage," or flat-bed seats. You also cannot sit in rows 46 to 51 on the A330-200, rows 54 to 59 on the A330-300, or middle seats on the B757-200.

Where Delta will not fly dogs in the cabin

As of October 2026, Delta Air Lines does not allow in-cabin pets to or from these places:

• Australia
• Barbados
• Brazil, Colombia and the Dominican Republic (pets cannot start a journey there)
• Hawaii (pets are not allowed on flights to Hawaii)
• Hong Kong
• Iceland
• Jamaica
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• United Kingdom
• United Arab Emirates

Delta's travel-agent pet policy page also lists Ireland, but the public page does not. If you are flying to Ireland, confirm with Delta Reservations before you buy a ticket.

Step by step: how to book a dog on a Delta flight

1. Check your destination's entry rules first. USDA APHIS says owners leaving the U.S. should contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian as soon as they decide to travel, because paperwork takes time.
2. Book your own ticket on a flight and in a cabin that allows pets.
3. Call Delta Reservations as soon as possible to add your dog. Delta says to have the kennel's length, width and height ready. Space is first come, first served.
4. Get your documents ready. For international trips, this can include the CDC Dog Import Form, rabies vaccination certificates, an EU animal health certificate or a New World Screwworm inspection certificate.
5. Check in at the Special Service Counter at the airport. A Delta agent will check the dog and kennel and collect the fee.
6. Take your dog out of the kennel at security. After screening, your dog must stay in the kennel except in designated animal relief areas, including in Delta Sky Club lounges and on board.

Delta's public page warns that breaking pet policies, such as letting your dog out of the kennel, "may result in losing the ability to travel with your pet on future flights."

Can large dogs fly on Delta?

For most travellers, no. Large dogs that cannot fit under the seat would normally fly as checked baggage or cargo, and both are restricted as of October 2026. Delta Air Lines says Delta Cargo is only shipping pets for active U.S. military and Foreign Service Officers with PCS orders.

If you do qualify, Delta's published cargo rules require:

• A crate that meets Container Requirement #1 of the International Air Transport Association Live Animals Regulations (IATA LAR). The crate must let the dog stand, sit up, lie down and turn around.
• A health certificate from a USDA-accredited veterinarian, issued within 10 days of travel.
• A booking made no more than 14 days before departure. The dog is dropped off at a Delta Cargo facility, not at passenger check-in.
• Ground temperatures between 20°F and 80°F at every point of the trip. A Certificate of Acclimation is needed when temperatures fall between 20°F and 45°F.
• No sedation. Delta does not allow sedated or tranquilized household dogs and cats.

Delta Air Lines also says brachycephalic (snub-nosed) dogs, cats and their mixes are not permitted as cargo. Delta's travel-agent page adds that no animals are carried as checked baggage or cargo on any Delta-operated Boeing 767 or Airbus A330-200.

Service dogs and emotional support animals on Delta

Delta Air Lines only accepts trained service animals, and they must be dogs. A service dog must be fully trained to help a person with a disability, be vaccinated, be at least 4 months old, fit within your foot space and behave calmly. Service dogs fly free. Their kennels and essential supplies are not charged as baggage.

Delta requires the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Service Animal Air Transportation Form. On flights of 8 hours or more, it also requires the DOT Relief Attestation Form. Delta asks for the forms at least 48 hours before departure. DOT rules say an airline cannot require the form in advance if you booked within 48 hours of the flight. A traveller can bring a maximum of 2 service animals.

Delta's current service animal page says emotional support animals are not recognized as service animals and should travel as pets. An older Delta page that still turns up in search results describes the previous emotional support animal process. Go by the newer policy.

CDC rules for dogs flying into the United States

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the main authority for dogs entering the country, according to USDA APHIS in 2026. These rules apply to every dog arriving on Delta, including pets in the cabin, service dogs and cargo.

• CDC Dog Import Form receipt for every dog. The form is free. If your dog has only been in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries for the past 6 months, the CDC says this is the only document you need, a rule in force since August 1, 2024. The receipt is valid for 6 months for repeat entries from the same departure country.
• Microchip, minimum age and health. The dog must be at least 6 months old, have a microchip that a universal scanner can read, and appear healthy on arrival.
• Dogs that have been in high-risk countries. These dogs need more paperwork. Dogs vaccinated against rabies abroad also need a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility. Delta's travel-agent page says such dogs must first land at ATL, LAX, MIA, JFK, IAD or PHL.

The CDC updated the Dog Import Form website on February 5, 2026. It says this changed only the look of the form, not the requirements.

New World Screwworm rules for 2026

Delta Air Lines and USDA APHIS both say that from August 3, 2026, every dog entering Mexico needs a New World Screwworm Inspection Certificate. A USDA-accredited veterinarian must issue it no more than 5 days before arrival, and Delta checks it at check-in. Dogs coming into the U.S. from countries affected by screwworm also need an inspection document issued within 5 days of arrival.

Flying a dog to Europe on Delta

Delta's minimum age for dogs flying to the EU is 15 weeks. The European Union's entry rules apply on top of that. According to the EU's Your Europe portal, a dog arriving from outside the EU needs:

• A microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination
• A rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks or older, followed by a wait of at least 21 days after the first vaccination
• An EU animal health certificate issued by an official state veterinarian no more than 10 days before arrival
• Tapeworm treatment 1 to 5 days before arrival, if the destination is Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway or Northern Ireland

The EU says the European pet passport is issued only to owners who live in the EU, so a U.S.-based owner flying into Europe uses the animal health certificate instead.

Is Animal Passport a travel document for flying with a dog?

No. The word "passport" leads to some confusion here. EU pet passports, EU animal health certificates, CDC Dog Import Forms and USDA-endorsed health certificates are official documents issued under government rules. Animal Passport is a different kind of product. It is a digital animal and livestock passport that identifies animals by their muzzle print, which is unique to each animal, like a fingerprint.

With Animal Passport, the muzzle is captured on a phone. The record links the owner, breed, estimated age, body condition and vaccination history. Age is estimated from a photo of the teeth and comes with a confidence score. Body condition is scored from 1 to 5 using a side-profile photo. In August 2025, during flood rescues in Pakistan, the system helped farmers reclaim livestock after paper ear tags washed away.

Animal Passport is not a government-issued travel document. It does not replace a microchip, a rabies certificate or any form Delta or the CDC requires, and it is not veterinary or legal advice. USDA APHIS also notes that animals considered livestock, such as pigs, do not qualify for pet travel at all and fall under separate import and export rules. More on animal identification is on the Animal Passport blog.

Before you fly: a short checklist

• Confirm your route is not on Delta's no-pets-in-cabin list.
• Measure your dog and the carrier, then check the under-seat space on your aircraft.
• Call Delta Reservations early, because the number of pets per cabin is limited.
• Complete the CDC Dog Import Form before any trip that ends in the U.S.
• Plan to arrive early enough to check in at the Special Service Counter.

All fees and rules above come from Delta Air Lines, the CDC, USDA APHIS and the European Union as of October 4, 2026. Delta says its fees are subject to change, so check delta.com before you book.