Frontier Airlines Animal Policy 2026: Pets, Service Dogs, Fees and Carrier Rules

Frontier Airlines animal policy, in short: as of October 2026, Frontier carries small domesticated pets (dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and small household birds) in the cabin only, on flights within the United States. The fee is $149 per pet, each way. Pets must stay in an under-seat carrier no larger than 18 x 14 x 8 inches (hard-sided) or 18 x 14 x 11 inches (soft-sided). There are no checked or cargo pets and no new international pets. Trained service dogs fly free of the pet charge if the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) form is submitted 48 hours before departure.

The Frontier Airlines animal policy is the set of rules the ultra-low-cost U.S. carrier uses to decide which animals may board, where they ride, what they cost, and what documents they need. It covers three groups that are treated very differently: paid pets, trained service dogs, and emotional support animals, which Frontier no longer accepts as service animals.

This guide is published by Animal Passport. It is built from Frontier's own policy pages, the DOT service animal rule, and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS). Airline fees change often, so check the figures against Frontier's live pages before you book.

What animals does Frontier Airlines allow on board?

According to Frontier's Family & Pets page (2026), the airline accepts domesticated dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and small household birds on flights within the United States. Frontier's help center (2026) says pets travel in the cabin with their owner and that the airline does not carry pets in the cargo hold.

Animals Frontier never accepts

Frontier's Family & Pets page (2026) lists these species as never accepted:

• Large birds, such as parrots, macaws, cockatoos and birds of prey
• Rodents other than hamsters and guinea pigs, including mice, rats and squirrels
• Beavers and ferrets
• Reptiles (including snakes) and amphibians
• Spiders and insects

Livestock and poultry are not on Frontier's accepted list either. USDA APHIS's pet travel guidance (last modified March 20, 2026) says animals considered livestock or poultry, such as pigs or chickens, do not qualify for pet travel and fall under separate import and export regulations.

Age and number limits

• Minimum age: pets must be at least 8 weeks old, according to Frontier's pet FAQ (2026).
• One pet per passenger: each passenger may travel with one pet in the cabin, according to Frontier's pet FAQ (2026).
• One adult dog or cat per carrier: Frontier allows only one adult dog or cat in each container.
• Service dog plus pet: Frontier says a passenger traveling with a trained service dog may also bring one pet in the cabin, as long as both sets of rules are met.

How much does Frontier charge for pets in 2026?

Frontier's Optional Services page (2026) lists the Pet Charge at $149 per pet, per direction, non-refundable. A round trip with one pet therefore costs $298 in pet charges, on top of the fare.

Frontier says you can pay the pet charge in advance during booking. If you do not prepay, you pay when you check in your pet at the airport. The pet carrier does not replace your bag allowance. Frontier's Family & Pets page (2026) says you may still bring either one personal item (8 x 14 x 18 inches) or one paid carry-on bag (10 x 16 x 24 inches) alongside the pet carrier.

How to add a pet to a Frontier booking

1. Check that your animal is an accepted species, is at least 8 weeks old, and fits a compliant carrier.
2. While booking on flyfrontier.com, choose Cabin Pet in the Passenger Info section. For an existing trip, open Manage Trip and select Add Pet in Cabin, as described in Frontier's pet FAQ (2026).
3. Pay the $149 one-way pet charge online, or pay it at airport check-in.
4. Check the animal-entry rules for your destination state or territory, and get a health certificate if one is required (see below).
5. On travel day, avoid row one and exit rows. Keep the pet in its carrier from the gate to the destination.

Frontier pet carrier size and in-cabin rules

Frontier's pet FAQ (2026) sets these maximum carrier dimensions:

• Hard-sided carrier: 18 inches long x 14 inches wide x 8 inches high
• Soft-sided carrier: 18 inches long x 14 inches wide x 11 inches high

The carrier must let the animal stand, turn around and lie down naturally, and it must fit under the seat in front of you. Frontier recommends soft-sided carriers. It also warns that some seats cannot fit a pet container and says staff will help find a seat that can.

Rules once you are on the plane

Frontier's Family & Pets page (2026) sets the following onboard rules:

• You may not sit in row one or an exit row with a pet.
• The pet must stay in its carrier at all times, even if it is upset.
• Frontier asks owners not to give food or water during the flight. It recommends no food or water for four hours before departure.
• Frontier notes that most veterinarians advise against sedating pets for air travel because the effects at altitude are unpredictable.
• No oxygen will be given to a pet in an emergency.
• The pet must be harmless, not disruptive, odorless, and need no attention during the flight.

These are Frontier's operating rules, not veterinary advice. Talk to your own veterinarian about whether your animal is fit to fly.

Does Frontier require a health certificate for pets?

For domestic in-cabin pets, Frontier does not require a health certificate itself. Its Family & Pets page (2026) says the USDA regulates pet transport within the United States, and the state you land in may require a certificate on arrival. Frontier makes the owner responsible for meeting destination rules.

Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands rules

U.S. territories have stricter entry rules, which Frontier summarizes on its Family & Pets page (2026):

• Puerto Rico: an official health certificate valid for 30 days, signed by an accredited veterinarian and stating that the animal did not come from a rabies-quarantined area; rabies vaccination within six months for pets over four months old; external parasite treatment within 72 hours before entry; and official identification (a microchip or a collar with a metal ID tag). This also applies to service animals.
• U.S. Virgin Islands: a health certificate stating that the animal did not come from a rabies-quarantined area, plus rabies vaccination within six months before travel, except for dogs and cats under 12 weeks old.

Can you fly internationally with a pet on Frontier?

No. Frontier's Family & Pets page (2026) says the airline will not accept new pets for international travel and will only accept trained service animals on international flights. Its pet FAQ (2026) also says only service dogs that meet CDC requirements are allowed on international flights.

For service dogs flying internationally, Frontier lists these requirements: a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, a microchip that a universal scanner can read, and a healthy appearance on arrival. Service dogs from countries that CDC considers high-risk for dog rabies need extra, government-endorsed veterinary paperwork.

Where the sources disagree: Frontier's Special Services page (2026) says international service dogs must be at least 6 months old, while its Family & Pets page (2026) says 4 months. For dogs entering or returning to the United States, the CDC's own rule settles it: CDC guidance (updated July 2024) requires dogs to be at least 6 months old at the time of entry. The same guidance says the CDC Dog Import Form is free and its receipt is valid for six months. Plan around the 6-month CDC minimum.

Frontier service dog policy

Frontier's service animal rules follow the DOT final rule under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), published in the Federal Register on December 10, 2020, and effective January 11, 2021. That rule defines a service animal as a dog, regardless of breed or type, that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. It lets airlines treat emotional support animals as pets and limit each passenger to two service animals.

What Frontier requires for service dogs

• Dogs only, including fully trained psychiatric service dogs. Frontier does not accept service animals in training, according to its Special Services page (2026).
• Maximum of two service dogs per passenger with a disability.
• Minimum age of 4 months for service dogs on Frontier flights.
• DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form, which attests to the dog's health, behavior and training. Submit it no later than 48 hours before departure. If you book less than 48 hours out, hand it to an agent at the airport.
• Under control with a harness, leash or tether at all times in the airport and on the aircraft.

These requirements match 14 CFR Part 382, which allows carriers to require up to 48 hours' advance notice through the DOT forms. On flight segments scheduled for 8 hours or more, the same regulation also allows carriers to require confirmation that the animal will not need to relieve itself, or can do so in a sanitary way.

Where a service dog sits

Frontier's Special Services page (2026) says a service dog may ride on the floor, or on the handler's lap if it is no larger than a child under two. It may not block the aisle, occupy an empty seat, or crowd a neighboring seat. A carrier is not required, and handlers with a service dog cannot sit in an exit row. Frontier may deny boarding to a dog that behaves disruptively, for example by growling, biting, lunging, barking excessively, or urinating in the cabin or gate area.

Emotional support animals on Frontier

According to Frontier's Special Services page, the airline has not accepted emotional support animals since February 1, 2021, following the DOT rule change. An emotional support animal can still fly if it meets the pet policy, which means an accepted species in a compliant carrier, paying the $149 one-way pet charge.

Pets vs. service dogs vs. emotional support animals on Frontier

Airline pet documents vs. Animal Passport: not the same thing

People searching for an animal passport before a flight usually mean an official travel document, such as a destination health certificate, a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, or a USDA APHIS-endorsed certificate for export. Those documents come from veterinarians and government agencies, and Frontier's rules point to them.

Animal Passport is a different kind of product. It is a digital animal and livestock identity record built on muzzle biometrics. An animal's nose print is unique, like a fingerprint, and is captured with a phone camera. Each record links the animal to its owner, breed, estimated age, body condition and vaccination history. Age is estimated from a dental photograph and comes with a confidence score. Body condition is scored from 1 to 5 using a side-profile photo.

In the field, Animal Passport was used during livestock flood rescue in Pakistan in August 2025. It helped farmers reclaim their animals after paper ear tags washed away. That is the problem it is built to solve: proving which animal belongs to whom when physical tags fail.

Animal Passport is not a government-issued travel document. It does not replace a DOT service animal form, a CDC Dog Import Form or a veterinary health certificate, and it is not a veterinary diagnosis or legal advice. Frontier does not carry livestock at all, so an airline pet booking and a livestock identity record solve separate problems. For more on biometric livestock identification, browse the Animal Passport blog.

Practical checklist before flying Frontier with an animal

1. Confirm whether your animal is a pet, a trained service dog, or an emotional support animal (which Frontier treats as a pet).
2. Measure your carrier against the 18 x 14 x 8 inch (hard) or 18 x 14 x 11 inch (soft) limits.
3. Add the pet while booking or through Manage Trip, and budget $149 per direction.
4. For service dogs, upload the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form at least 48 hours before departure and bring a copy to the airport.
5. Check the animal-entry rules for your destination state, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
6. For international trips, remember that only service dogs can fly. Complete the free CDC Dog Import Form and make sure the dog is microchipped and at least 6 months old.
7. Re-check Frontier's live fee and policy pages within a week of travel, because Frontier updates its charges often.

Bottom line: as of October 2026, Frontier is a cabin-only, domestic-only airline for pets. It charges a flat $149 each way, keeps carrier limits tight, and accepts only trained service dogs without the pet charge.

By Animal Passport. Last updated October 4, 2026. Fees and rules are quoted from Frontier Airlines, DOT, CDC and USDA APHIS pages viewed on that date.