United Airlines Animal Policy: Pets, Service Animals & Cargo Rules Explained

United Airlines' animal policy splits into three distinct tracks: in-cabin pets (cats and dogs, $150 each way), trained service dogs (fly free with required federal paperwork), and cargo transport, which United has not offered to the general public since 2018. Emotional support animals no longer receive service-animal status and must fly as paid pets. This guide explains each category using United's published rules and the federal regulations that govern them, as of September 2026.

United Airlines Animal Policy at a Glance

United Airlines carries animals under separate rules depending on whether the animal is a pet, a working service dog, or cargo. The table below summarizes the current framework.

In-Cabin Pet Policy: Fees, Carriers, and Limits

United and United Express allow small, domesticated cats and dogs to travel in the cabin if the animal can fit entirely inside an airline-compliant carrier stowed under the seat in front of the traveler for the whole flight, according to United's published pet travel policy and reporting from BringFido and PetTravel.com, both of which track airline pet rules. Up to two pets are permitted per adult passenger, though a second pet requires an additional paid seat.

The standard in-cabin pet fee is $150 each way, charged per carrier rather than per animal, so two small pets sharing one approved carrier are charged once. An additional $150 typically applies when a domestic layover exceeds four hours or an international layover exceeds 24 hours. United does not carry in-cabin pets on flights to and from a number of destinations, including Australia, Hawaii, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong, because those jurisdictions impose their own animal-entry quarantine or documentation rules that conflict with in-cabin transport.

Travelers must notify United in advance that they are flying with a pet, since cabins have a limited number of pet spots per flight. This advance-notice requirement is separate from any health paperwork a destination country or state may require.

Service Animals: What United Requires Under Federal Law

United's service-animal policy follows the U.S. Department of Transportation's Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) final rule, Traveling by Air with Service Animals, which took effect January 11, 2021. Under that rule, a service animal is defined as a dog — regardless of breed — that is individually trained to do work or perform a task directly related to a person's disability. The rule explicitly removed emotional support animals, comfort animals, and species other than dogs from the service-animal category.

To fly a service dog on United, DOT rules allow the airline to require:

1. The DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form, attesting to the dog's training, health, and behavior, submitted at least 48 hours before travel when possible.
2. The DOT Service Animal Relief Attestation Form, required only for flights scheduled to last 8 hours or longer, describing how the dog will relieve itself without creating a sanitation issue.

Note that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), enforced by the U.S. Department of Justice, does not apply to commercial airlines — air travel is governed separately by the ACAA and the Department of Transportation, per the ADA.gov service animal FAQ. United can deny boarding to a service dog that behaves aggressively or is not housebroken, consistent with DOT guidance.

Why United Ended Its Public Cargo Pet Program

United suspended its PetSafe cargo pet program on March 20, 2018, after a string of incidents that made national news, including a dog that died after a flight attendant required its carrier be placed in an overhead bin, and separate cases of pets misrouted to the wrong cities, according to contemporaneous reporting from ABC News and CBS News. United later confirmed that, as of July 2020, cargo transport would not resume for the general public. As of September 2026, United Cargo carries pets only for active-duty U.S. military personnel and U.S. State Department Foreign Service personnel under Permanent Change of Station orders, primarily on the Guam–Honolulu route through the Military Pet Program.

Civilians who need to ship a pet that is too large for the cabin must use a licensed third-party pet shipping company operating under IATA's Live Animals Regulations (LAR), the global standard for humane, species-specific containers and handling procedures for animals moved by air, maintained by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Banned Breeds Under the Former Cargo Policy

When United still operated PetSafe, it banned 22 dog and cat breeds from the cargo hold, prompted by evidence that brachycephalic (snub-nosed) animals face elevated respiratory risk in pressurized cargo compartments, as reported by NPR and CBS News in 2018. Banned breeds included Bulldogs, Boxers, Pugs, Boston Terriers, Pekingese dogs, and Persian and Himalayan cats, along with pit bull-type breeds such as American Pit Bull Terriers and American Staffordshire Terriers. Because the cargo program itself is closed to the public, these breed bans currently apply only to the military/State Department cargo pathway — brachycephalic pets can still fly in the cabin on United if they meet the standard carrier-size rules.

How This Differs From True Livestock or Exotic Animal Transport

United's animal policy, like that of other U.S. passenger carriers, covers companion pets and service dogs — not livestock, poultry, or research animals. Movement of agricultural animals is instead governed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and, internationally, by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and IATA's Live Animals Regulations. USDA APHIS explicitly separates “privately owned companion animals not intended for research or resale” (pets) from livestock species such as poultry, which fall outside standard pet-travel rules.

This distinction matters for identity and paperwork, too. A government-issued pet health certificate or an EU pet passport is a travel document tied to a specific animal's vaccination and microchip record, issued by a veterinarian or an EU member-state authority. It is not the same thing as Animal Passport's biometric identity record, which uses a phone-captured muzzle (nose-print) photo — unique to each animal, similar to a human fingerprint — along with a dental-photo age estimate and a 1–5 body condition score, to create a durable ID for livestock and working animals. Animal Passport's tool was built for herd and farm identity use cases, such as helping Pakistani farmers reclaim livestock after paper ear tags washed away in the August 2025 floods, not for airline check-in or government customs clearance. Airline and government animal-travel paperwork should always be sourced from the airline or the relevant government agency directly; see more on identity tracking for animals on the Animal Passport blog.

Emotional Support Animals: A Separate, Paid Category

Since the DOT's January 2021 rule change, emotional support animals no longer qualify for fee-free, service-animal treatment on United or any other U.S. airline. An emotional support animal traveling with United must meet the standard in-cabin pet requirements: it must be a cat or dog, fit in an approved carrier under the seat, and the owner pays the standard $150 each-way pet fee. Airlines are permitted, but not required, to accommodate emotional support animals beyond the pet policy, and United's current policy does not extend service-animal privileges to them.

Step-by-Step: Booking an Animal on United

1. Identify which category your animal falls into: in-cabin pet, trained service dog, or (if military/State Department) cargo.
2. For pets: confirm your route is not on United's in-cabin embargo list (e.g., Australia, Hawaii, UK, Hong Kong) and that your carrier meets United's under-seat size limits.
3. Notify United of the pet when booking, since cabin pet spots are limited per flight.
4. For service dogs: download and submit the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form at least 48 hours before departure; add the Relief Attestation Form for flights of 8+ hours.
5. Pay the applicable fee at check-in or booking (waived for qualifying service dogs).
6. Arrive early, since gate agents may review documentation and carrier compliance before boarding.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is United Airlines' animal policy?

United Airlines' animal policy allows small cats and dogs to fly in the cabin for a $150 each-way fee, allows trained service dogs to fly free with DOT paperwork, and does not accept pets in cargo from the general public — cargo is limited to active-duty military and State Department personnel.

Does United Airlines still offer pet cargo shipping?

No. United suspended its PetSafe cargo program for the general public in March 2018 after safety incidents, and as of September 2026 it has not been reopened to civilians; cargo transport is limited to military and Foreign Service personnel under official orders.

Are emotional support animals allowed on United flights?

Emotional support animals may fly on United, but only as standard paid in-cabin pets. Since the DOT's January 2021 rule, emotional support animals no longer qualify for the fee-free service-animal category.

What documents does United require for a service dog?

United may require the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form for all service-dog travel, and additionally the DOT Service Animal Relief Attestation Form for flights scheduled at 8 hours or longer, per U.S. Department of Transportation rules.

How much does it cost to fly a pet on United Airlines?

The standard in-cabin pet fee is $150 each way per carrier. An extra $150 may apply for long layovers, and trained service dogs are exempt from this fee.

Which dog breeds are banned on United?

United's former cargo program banned 22 breeds, including brachycephalic (snub-nosed) breeds like Bulldogs and Pugs and pit bull-type breeds. Since the cargo program is closed to the public, this list currently applies only to the military/State Department cargo pathway, not to in-cabin pet travel.

Is a pet passport the same as an airline pet policy document?

No. A pet passport or health certificate is a government or veterinary travel document tied to vaccination and microchip records; it is separate from an airline's own booking and carrier rules, and separate from Animal Passport's biometric livestock ID product, which is designed for farm and herd identity rather than airline or customs paperwork.

Can I bring more than one pet on a United flight?

United allows up to two pets per adult passenger in the cabin, but the second pet requires its own paid adjacent seat in addition to the pet fee.

Last updated September 2026 by Animal Passport. This article summarizes publicly available airline and federal regulatory information; always confirm current fees and documentation directly with United Airlines and the U.S. Department of Transportation before booking.