Frontier Pet Price 2026: What It Costs to Fly Your Pet on Frontier Airlines

As of October 2026, the Frontier pet price is $149 per pet, per direction, and the fee is non-refundable, according to the Frontier Airlines Optional Services page. The Frontier pet price is the one-way charge Frontier Airlines adds for each small dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig, hamster or small household bird that rides in the cabin in an under-seat carrier on a domestic U.S. flight. A round trip with one pet costs $298 in pet fees. Frontier does not carry pets in cargo and does not accept pets on international flights.

This guide covers the full cost, the carrier size limits, which animals Frontier accepts, how to add a pet to a booking, and the paperwork rules set by federal and state agencies. It is written by the editorial team at Animal Passport, and every fee and rule below links back to the official source that published it.

How much is the Frontier pet fee in 2026?

The Frontier Airlines Optional Services page (2026) lists the pet charge as "$149 per pet, per direction (Non-Refundable)." "Per direction" means you pay once for each one-way journey, so a round trip doubles the charge.

• One way, one pet: $149
• Round trip, one pet: $298
• Round trip, two travelers each with one pet: $596

Frontier's Family & Pets page (2026) describes the fee as a "one-way, directional charge" that you can pay when you book. If you don't pay in advance, you pay it when you check in your pet.

Why some websites still say $99

Sources don't all agree on the price. Some third-party pet-travel pages still list Frontier's in-cabin fee as $99 one way. The Camli Frontier policy page, for example, showed $99 when we checked it in October 2026. Frontier's own fee page shows $149. Travel Vient's airline pet fee comparison (updated August 2026) says Frontier "raised its in-cabin pet fee to $149 in 2026." Treat the $99 figure as outdated, and check Frontier's official page before you book.

What is the real total cost of flying a pet on Frontier?

The pet charge is only part of the bill. Frontier sells most extras separately, so the total depends on what you add. The table below lists the charges a pet owner is most likely to see, using figures from the Frontier Airlines Optional Services page as of October 2026.

Two details matter here. First, the pet carrier doesn't use up your personal item allowance. Frontier's Family & Pets page (2026) says that in addition to the pet's travel container, you may bring either one personal item or one carry-on bag, and the carry-on costs extra. Second, if you pay the pet fee during booking, you don't have to sort it out at the airport.

Frontier pet carrier size limits

Frontier publishes two maximum carrier sizes on its Family & Pets page and its pet FAQ (both 2026):

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

Frontier recommends soft-sided carriers. Whatever size you use, the carrier must fit under the seat in front of you, and your pet must be able to stand, turn around and lie down in a natural position. Only one adult dog or cat is allowed per carrier. Frontier also says some seats may not have room for a pet carrier, and that it will help you find a seat that does.

Which pets can fly on Frontier?

The Frontier Airlines pet FAQ (2026) lists the animals it accepts in the cabin on flights within the United States:

• Domesticated dogs and cats (at least 8 weeks old)
• Rabbits
• Guinea pigs
• Hamsters
• Small household birds

Frontier never accepts large birds (such as parrots, macaws, cockatoos and birds of prey), rodents including mice, rats and squirrels, beavers, ferrets, reptiles including snakes, amphibians, spiders or insects. Each passenger may bring one pet in the cabin. A passenger traveling with a trained service dog may also bring one pet.

No cargo, no checked pets, no international pets

Frontier states that it does not carry pets in the cargo hold and does not accept pets as checked baggage. Its Family & Pets page (2026) also says Frontier "will not accept new pets for International Travel" and will only accept service animals on international flights. If your pet is too big for an 18 x 14 x 11 inch carrier, Frontier can't take it, and you'll need a different airline or another way to travel.

How to add a pet to a Frontier booking

The Frontier Airlines pet FAQ (2026) describes two ways to add a pet:

1. While booking: choose "Cabin Pet" in the Passenger Info section.
2. After booking: go to Manage Trip and choose "Add Pet in Cabin."
3. Pay the $149 one-way charge online if you can. Otherwise you pay it when you check in your pet.
4. Choose a seat that works with a pet. Frontier doesn't allow pet travelers in row 1 or exit rows.
5. Check your destination's paperwork rules (see below) and carry any health certificate your destination requires.

Onboard rules that affect your pet

Frontier's Family & Pets page (2026) sets these cabin rules:

• Your pet must stay in its carrier for the whole flight.
• Frontier recommends no food or water for four hours before departure, and asks that you not feed or water your pet on board.
• The animal must be "harmless, not disruptive, odorless, and require no attention during flight."
• No oxygen will be given to a pet in an emergency.
• Frontier notes that most veterinarians advise against sedating pets for flights, because the effects of tranquilizers at altitude are unpredictable. Ask your own veterinarian. This article is not veterinary advice.

Do you need a health certificate to fly with a pet on Frontier?

Frontier doesn't require one for domestic cabin pets, but your destination might. Frontier's Family & Pets page (2026) says the airline does not require a health certificate for pets flying in the cabin within the U.S., but that "a certificate may be required by the specific state in which you are landing."

That matches federal guidance. The United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) says on its interstate pet travel page (last modified June 2026) that "APHIS doesn't regulate the interstate movement of pets by their owners" and that requirements "are set by the receiving State or Territory." Rules differ from state to state. Some states accept the APHIS Form 7001 health certificate and some don't, so contact the state animal health official at your destination before you fly.

Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Frontier lists stricter rules for U.S. territories. For Puerto Rico, Frontier's Family & Pets page (2026) requires an official health certificate valid for 30 days, a rabies vaccination within six months for pets over four months old, treatment for external parasites within 72 hours before entry, and official identification such as a microchip or a collar with a metal ID tag. For the U.S. Virgin Islands, Frontier lists a health certificate stating the animal did not come from a rabies-quarantined area and a rabies vaccination within six months, except for dogs and cats under 12 weeks old.

Service dogs and emotional support animals on Frontier

The pet fee doesn't apply to trained service dogs, but it can apply to emotional support animals. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) final rule "Traveling by Air With Service Animals," published in the Federal Register on December 10, 2020, defines a service animal as a dog "individually trained to do work or perform tasks" for a person with a disability. The rule lets airlines recognize emotional support animals as pets.

• Trained service dog: treated as a service animal under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), not as a pet.
• Emotional support animal: may be treated as a pet, so the $149 per-direction charge and the carrier rules can apply.
• International flights: Frontier only accepts service dogs. Its Family & Pets page (2026) lists a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, a minimum age of 4 months, a microchip that a universal scanner can read, and a healthy appearance on arrival.

USDA APHIS's main pet travel page (last modified March 2026) adds that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the main authority for dogs entering or returning to the United States. Dogs coming back from countries the CDC lists as high-risk for rabies may need extra forms.

How Frontier's pet fee compares with other airlines

Frontier's fee used to be at the low end and is now close to the top. Travel Vient's review of 21 airlines' published in-cabin pet fees (updated August 2026) found one-way fees from $50 at Allegiant Air and Air Transat to $150 at Delta, American, United and JetBlue. At $149, Frontier sits just below that top group, and it no longer counts among the airlines charging under $100 one way.

Frontier does accept more kinds of animals than many airlines. Its approved list includes rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and small household birds as well as dogs and cats. If you're flying a small pet that isn't a dog or cat, check each airline's species list as well as the fee.

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

People searching for pet travel sometimes mix up three different things: airline fees, government health paperwork, and digital animal identity records. They are separate.

• The Frontier pet fee is a commercial charge set by Frontier Airlines for cabin space.
• Health certificates and import forms come from veterinarians and government bodies such as USDA APHIS, state animal health officials and the CDC.
• Animal Passport is a digital animal and livestock passport that identifies an animal by its muzzle print, a nose pattern unique to each animal, much like a fingerprint. You capture it with a phone, and the record links the owner, breed, estimated age, body condition and vaccination history.

Animal Passport is not an airline ticket, a pet fee waiver, a health certificate, or a government-issued travel document. It doesn't replace any paperwork Frontier, a state or the CDC asks for. It was built for livestock identity. In the August 2025 floods in Pakistan, it was used so farmers could reclaim animals after paper tags washed away. It can estimate age from a dental photo, with a confidence score, and give a body condition score from 1 to 5 from a side-profile photo. These are identification records, not veterinary diagnoses.

For more on animal identification, travel rules and livestock records, see the Animal Passport blog.

Checklist before you fly with a pet on Frontier

1. Confirm the current pet charge on Frontier's Optional Services page ($149 per pet, per direction as of October 2026).
2. Measure your carrier: soft-sided up to 18 x 14 x 11 inches, hard-sided up to 18 x 14 x 8 inches.
3. Check that your animal is on Frontier's approved list and at least 8 weeks old.
4. Add "Cabin Pet" when you book, or use "Add Pet in Cabin" in Manage Trip.
5. Avoid row 1 and exit-row seats.
6. Check your destination state's or territory's entry rules with its animal health official.
7. Plan food and water around Frontier's four-hour guidance, after talking to your veterinarian.

Fees and policies change. This article reflects Frontier Airlines, USDA APHIS and U.S. Department of Transportation sources checked in October 2026. Always confirm on the airline's official pages before you travel.