Flying With a Pet on Delta in 2026: Fees, Kennel Rules, Banned Routes and Cargo Status

Flying with a pet on Delta means taking a small dog, cat or household bird on board a Delta Air Lines flight in a soft-sided, leak-proof carrier that fits under the seat in front of you. As of September 2026, Delta charges $150 each way on U.S. and Canadian routes and $200 each way on international routes. You book the pet by calling Delta Reservations. Delta Cargo pet shipping is paused for the general public until further notice.

This guide explains every rule on Delta's official pet travel pages, including age limits, carrier size, seat restrictions, banned destinations, fees and the cargo embargo. It also covers the government paperwork that often matters more than the airline's own rules. We link to each primary source so you can check for changes before you fly. Written by the Animal Passport editorial team; last updated September 29, 2026.

What is Delta's pet policy in 2026?

Delta Air Lines' in-cabin pet policy lets small dogs, cats and household birds that meet age, health, size and kennel requirements travel in the cabin for a one-way fee collected at check-in, according to Delta's Pet Travel Overview page (2026). Outside the contiguous United States, dog or cat travel is allowed only if you hold all the documents your pet needs to enter the destination and, if applicable, to return home.

There are three ways an animal can fly with Delta today:

• In-cabin pet: the standard option for pets small enough to ride under the seat.
• Cargo shipment: currently open only to active U.S. military and U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) on permanent change of station (PCS) orders.
• Trained service dog: covered by a separate policy with no fee, and it requires U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) forms.

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

Delta's in-cabin pet fee is charged each way, and the price depends on when your ticket was issued. The table below reproduces Delta's published fee schedule, which Delta says is set by the contract of carriage in effect when the ticket is issued (Delta Air Lines, 2026).

According to Delta, the Canadian-dollar amount applies when you leave Canada, and the euro amount applies when you leave Europe. The fee is paid at the airport, not when you book. Some third-party summaries still list older numbers, including $200 for domestic travel, so rely on Delta's own fee table.

Which pets can fly in the cabin on Delta?

Species and age requirements

Delta accepts dogs, cats and household birds in the cabin. Delta's 2026 minimum ages are:

• 8 weeks for U.S. domestic travel.
• 15 weeks for travel to the European Union.
• 6 months for dogs, and 16 weeks for cats, entering the United States from another country.

The United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) uses its own definition of a pet. On its Travel With a Pet page (last modified March 2026), APHIS says a pet is a privately owned companion animal not intended for research or resale. Animals considered livestock or poultry, such as pigs, chickens, ducks and pigeons, fall under separate import and export rules, not pet travel rules.

How many pets per carrier?

Delta allows one pet per kennel, with two exceptions. A mother cat or dog may travel with her un-weaned litter if the litter is between 8 weeks and 6 months old. Two pets of the same breed and size, aged 8 weeks to 6 months, may share one kennel if they fit and get along, and Delta charges them as one pet.

Delta pet carrier size and kennel requirements

Delta does not publish one fixed maximum carrier size, because under-seat space varies by aircraft. Delta recommends a soft-sided kennel no larger than 18 x 11 x 11 inches because that size fits most aircraft types (Delta Air Lines, 2026). The kennel must meet these rules:

• It must fit fully under the seat directly in front of you.
• Your pet must be able to move around inside without touching or sticking out of the sides.
• It must be leak-proof, with ventilation openings on 3 sides for domestic flights and 4 sides for international flights.
• You may bring one kennel on board, plus one personal item or one carry-on bag.
• Your pet must stay inside the kennel at all times in the airport, during boarding and deplaning, in a Delta Sky Club and on the aircraft.

Delta warns that breaking its pet policies, including taking your pet out of the kennel, may cost you the ability to travel with a pet on future flights.

How to book a pet on a Delta flight: step by step

1. Book your own ticket first. Delta handles in-cabin pets on a first-come, first-served basis, with a per-flight limit.
2. Check your cabin and seat. Pets are not allowed in Delta One, Delta Premium Select or international Business Class. Domestic Delta First allows up to 2 pets, but not in cabins with flat-bed seats. Delta Main and Delta Comfort allow up to 4.
3. Call Delta Reservations as soon as possible. Have the kennel's length, width and height ready. Delta lists 800-221-1212 for general U.S. reservations and 800-241-4141 for international sales on its help center.
4. Get destination paperwork. For international trips, contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian as soon as you decide to travel, as USDA APHIS advises.
5. Check in at the Special Service Counter. An agent checks your pet and kennel, collects the fee and gives you a cabin pet tag.
6. Go through security. You must take your pet out of the kennel at the checkpoint. After that, the pet stays in the kennel except in designated relief areas.

Seats you cannot choose with a pet

Delta's 2026 policy bars passengers with in-cabin pets from bulkhead seats, emergency exit rows, seats marked "no stowage," flat-bed or Delta One seats, rows 46–51 on the A330-200, rows 54–59 on the A330-300, and center seats on the B757-200. Delta's travel-agent pet policy page also lists Row 1 and window seats in First Class as unavailable because they have no under-seat stowage.

Where Delta does not allow pets in the cabin

According to Delta's Pet Travel Overview (2026), pets are not allowed in the cabin on any flight to or from these destinations:

• Australia
• Barbados
• Brazil, Colombia and the Dominican Republic (for pets originating in those countries)
• Hawaii (on flights to Hawaii)
• Hong Kong
• Iceland
• Jamaica
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• United Kingdom
• United Arab Emirates

Many of these destinations have strict rabies-control or quarantine systems. Delta's international pet travel page says, for example, that Hong Kong requires a special import or quarantine permit and that animals must arrive as cargo on an air waybill. Delta also allows travel to other destinations it serves only if you hold all the documents the destination requires.

Delta's own pages do not fully agree. That older international page still says Delta accepts dogs, cats and ferrets as cargo to the UK under the UK Pet Travel Scheme. Delta Cargo's current pets page, however, lists London Heathrow as embargoed for pet shipments, even for military travelers. Where the two conflict, treat the more recent Delta Cargo embargo notice as current and confirm by phone.

Can you ship a pet in cargo on Delta?

For most travelers, no. Delta Cargo says it has a temporary global embargo on household pet shipments. The only exception is active U.S. military and U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officers traveling on permanent change of station orders (Delta Cargo, 2026). Even for those travelers, Delta Cargo does not accept pets at Amsterdam (AMS), Paris (CDG), Frankfurt (FRA), London Heathrow (LHR), Seoul Incheon (ICN) or Tokyo Haneda (HND).

Delta's Shipping Your Pet page lists the rules for eligible cargo shipments:

• Bookings go through the Delta Cargo Customer Service Center at 1-800-352-2746 and cannot be made more than 14 days before departure.
• Crates must meet Container Requirement #1 of the International Air Transport Association Live Animals Regulations (IATA LAR).
• A health certificate from a USDA-accredited veterinarian must be issued within 10 days of travel.
• Brachycephalic (snub-nosed) dogs and cats and their mixes are not permitted on Delta or Delta Connection flights as cargo.
• Delta does not ship pets if the ground temperature at any point in the trip is above 80°F (27°C) or below 20°F (-7°C).
• Sedated dogs and cats are not accepted.
• International cargo customers must use a shipper approved by the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA).

In practice, if your dog is too large for an 18 x 11 x 11 inch carrier and you are not on military or diplomatic orders, Delta currently has no option for you.

Paperwork: health certificates, CDC dog rules and Mexico

Delta checks your documents, but governments write the rules. USDA APHIS says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the primary authority for dogs entering or returning to the United States. Delta's pet page summarizes the CDC rules as of 2026. Dogs entering the U.S. must appear healthy, be microchipped, be at least 6 months old and travel with a receipt for a completed CDC Dog Import Form.

APHIS adds that U.S.-vaccinated dogs that have been in a high-risk country for rabies within the past 6 months need a "Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination" form. A USDA-accredited veterinarian must submit it before the dog leaves the United States.

New rule for dogs flying to Mexico (August 2026)

New World screwworm (NWS) has been detected in the United States. As a result, USDA APHIS reports that from August 3, 2026, Mexico requires dogs to arrive with an NWS Inspection Certificate signed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian no more than 5 days before arrival (USDA APHIS, updated September 2026). Delta says it verifies this certificate at check-in. APHIS notes that pet cats still do not need a health certificate for Mexico. Pet ferrets from any U.S. state are currently barred from entering Mexico.

Pets versus service animals on Delta

Delta treats pets and service animals as separate categories. According to Delta's Trained Service Animals page (2026), a service animal must be a dog fully trained to assist a person with a disability. Emotional support animals are not recognized as service animals and must travel under the pet policy. Service dogs fly free, must be at least 4 months old and vaccinated, and need the DOT Service Animal Air Travel Form. Delta asks for the forms at least 48 hours before departure. Flights of 8 hours or more also require the DOT Relief Attestation Form.

Airline pet documents vs. Animal Passport biometric ID

People searching for pet travel often come across the word "passport," so it helps to separate three different things:

• Delta's pet booking and cabin pet tag are airline records. They are not identity or health documents.
• Official health certificates, such as USDA-endorsed international certificates, the CDC Dog Import Form receipt, and the pet passports issued under European Union rules, are government-recognized travel documents.
• Animal Passport is a digital animal and livestock identity record. It uses muzzle biometrics, the nose print that is unique to each animal like a fingerprint, captured with a phone camera. The record links the owner, breed, estimated age from a dental photo (with a confidence score), a 1–5 body condition score from a side-profile photo, and vaccination history.

Animal Passport is not a government-issued travel document. It does not replace a USDA health certificate, a CDC form, an EU pet passport or any airline requirement, and it does not provide veterinary diagnosis or legal advice. The system was used during livestock flood rescue in Pakistan in August 2025, so farmers could reclaim animals after paper tags washed away. That is a proof-of-ownership use for livestock, not a way to board a Delta flight. You can read more livestock identity coverage on the Animal Passport blog.

Practical tips before you fly with a pet on Delta

• Measure your aircraft, not only your carrier. Delta says the maximum kennel size depends on the aircraft, so check your flight's equipment before buying a carrier.
• Book early on busy routes. The 4-pet limit in Delta Main and Delta Comfort can fill quickly on holiday flights.
• Check partner airline rules. Delta says flights operated by partners have their own in-cabin animal policies.
• Allow extra time at the airport. You must check in at the Special Service Counter, not a self-service kiosk.
• Talk to your veterinarian about risks. Delta notes that age, breed and anxiety can affect how an animal copes with travel, and it does not allow sedated dogs and cats in cargo.

Rules on this page reflect Delta Air Lines, Delta Cargo and USDA APHIS sources as of September 2026. Airline policies and government import rules change often, so confirm with Delta and a USDA-accredited veterinarian before you travel.