The Best Airlines for Flying With Pets in 2026
We analyzed nine major carriers to find which ones actually make pet travel manageable.
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Updated · 4 min read
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Flying with a pet is stressful under the best of circumstances. Your dog or cat gets stuffed under the seat in front of you for hours, trapped in a carrier while strangers shuffle past them and engines roar.
Typically, you're paying $100 or more for the privilege — and that's assuming the airline even allows pets on your route in your aircraft type during that season.
We analyzed pet policies across major U.S. airlines to identify carriers that make the difficult experience of flying with a pet at least somewhat manageable.
How we named the best airlines for pets
We evaluated nine major U.S. carriers: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines.
To qualify for analysis, airlines had to operate a meaningful domestic U.S. network, allow pets on regularly scheduled passenger flights (not just charter or cargo-only service) and maintain publicly documented pet policies online. We excluded service animals from scoring since they're governed by separate federal regulations under the Air Carrier Access Act.
This guide focuses on typical pet owners traveling with small dogs or cats in the main cabin — not breeders, commercial transporters or owners of large animals that must fly cargo.
Learn more in our methodology.
The best airline for pets: Alaska Airlines
Why it won: Competitive fees, accepts multiple species and clear cargo options.
Alaska Airlines earned the highest score in our testing — 57 out of a possible 60 points — for reasons including clear policies, reasonable fees and a booking process that typically doesn't require multiple phone calls.
Alaska’s pet fee starts at $100 each way for pets in the cabin, among the lowest fees of the major carriers we reviewed. That makes the pet fee $200 for a domestic round-trip flight, compared to $300 on Delta, American or United. Over multiple trips per year, that could be hundreds of dollars in savings.
The airline accepts dogs, cats and rabbits in the cabin, as long as they fit in a carrier that slides under the seat (maximum dimensions: 17" long x 11" wide x 9.5" high). Two pets of the same species and similar size may travel together in the same carrier if they fit comfortably.
And Alaska lets you travel with a maximum of two pet carriers in the main cabin (though if you do that, you must purchase a second ticket with an adjacent seat). Still, it’s an option for owners of multiple pets.
Alaska does have capacity limits on its flights (three pet carriers maximum in first class and eight in the main cabin), so book early to secure a reservation for you and your pet.
For larger dogs or other pets that aren’t allowed in the main cabin (including non-poisonous reptiles and pot-bellied pigs), Alaska has other options. Pets up to 150 pounds can travel in the climate-controlled baggage and cargo compartments for $200 each way. There’s a separate service called Pet Connect Animal Travel which can work for larger animals or pets not traveling with a human.
The one area where Alaska fell short: You must call Alaska reservations or use the chat function to book pet travel. Other airlines make the process easier by allowing you to book space for your pets online.
A close second: Hawaiian Airlines
Why it won: The rare airline that lowered one of its fees this year.
Hawaiian Airlines has similar policies to Alaska Airlines, which isn’t surprising since the two airlines merged in 2024. However, because Hawaiian doesn’t operate as many flights as other major U.S. airlines and Hawaii has strict laws that limit the pets that are allowed onto the islands, this airline’s flexible pet policies only really apply to Hawaii residents.
Hawaiian charges $100 each way for cabin pets (or $35 for travel within Hawaii). That’s down from $125 last year.
Hawaiian does have some additional limitations that Alaska doesn’t have. For example, each ticketed guest is only allowed to travel with one pet carrier in the cabin, and each carrier can only contain one adult pet (or two puppies, kittens or rabbits).
Like Alaska, Hawaiian requires calling to book pet travel rather than offering online booking during the initial purchase. Hawaiian also offers the option for pets to travel as checked baggage, something you don’t typically find with other airlines.
Budget pick: Frontier Airlines
Why it won: The lowest fees we found, with straightforward policies and online booking capability.
Frontier Airlines charges $99 each way for pets in the cabin. That’s the lowest of any of the airlines we reviewed (well, it’s $1 less than Alaska and Hawaiian). But for a budget airline, a low fee is refreshing.
Frontier accepts dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and small household birds in carriers that fit under the seat — which is a far greater variety than most other airlines allow.
Frontier allows you to add pets during initial booking or when managing an existing reservation online. That’s a significant advantage over carriers requiring phone calls (including our top pick, Alaska).
Note that we’ve reviewed the best airline for pets, not for their humans. Frontier is notorious for its upcharges, including extra fees for nonalcoholic drinks served onboard and even fees to speak to an airport agent.
Frontier also doesn't offer cargo pet transport. If you have a larger dog that can't fit under the seat, you'll need to fly a different airline.
Other tips when traveling with a pet
Confirm that the species or breed is accepted: Many airlines restrict certain animals or breeds. It’s fairly common for airlines to restrict certain brachycephalic (short-nosed) breeds such as pugs and bulldogs from flying in the baggage compartment due to respiratory risks.
Most airlines still allow these breeds in the cabin since they’re under the passenger's continuous care, though many veterinarians still advise caution when flying with any brachycephalic pet for their health.
Temperature restrictions may ground your pet: Nearly all airlines impose temperature-based travel restrictions to protect pets from heat stress or cold exposure. Exact restrictions vary by carrier but generally prohibit pet travel when temperatures exceed 85°F or drop below 20°F at origin, destination or connection points. Prepare a backup plan if you’re going to a cold or hot-weather destination.
Book early (and then call again before your flight to confirm): Because so many airlines limit the number of pets allowed on a flight, capacity can fill up quickly. Check before booking your own seat that there will be space for your pet.
And even with a confirmed pet reservation, call a few days out to verify capacity hasn't changed due to aircraft swaps, or that temperature restrictions won't prevent travel.
Measure your pet carrier: Each aircraft has its own size restrictions, which can typically be found on a Pet FAQ page of that carrier’s website. Measure carefully; often, a carrier that’s just one inch too big might mean your pet can’t board — and a carrier that worked on one airline may not work on another.
Ask your veterinarian about best practices: Some common best practices for flying with a pet include limiting water to reduce the likelihood of accidents in the carrier and avoiding sedating your pet (some airlines won’t even accept sedated pets). Most experts agree the best way to keep animals calm is to put items in their carrier that they’re familiar with, such as blankets or toys.
Methodology
We scored airlines on five factors. Each factor had a set amount of points it could receive, with a perfect score across all five being 60 points.
Pet transport availability (15 points): Does the airline actually allow pets in the cabin on most domestic routes? Some carriers severely restrict pet travel by aircraft type or destination. We also evaluated whether airlines offer cargo/checked baggage options with clearly documented policies.
Fees (15 points): We calculated the cost of flying one small dog cross-country, round-trip, in the cabin. We also evaluated cargo pricing transparency for airlines offering that service.
Species acceptance (10 points): Dogs are the baseline. Airlines earned moderate points for accepting cats, and maximum points for welcoming other small domesticated animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters or household birds.
Policy clarity and consistency (10 points): Are the rules the same across domestic routes and aircraft types? Or do policies vary so much that you need to research every individual flight?
Capacity and booking experience (10 points): How many pets can you bring per carrier? How many total pets does the airline allow per flight? Are these limits clearly disclosed? Can you book pet travel online, or must you call?
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