In the cabin: small cats and dogs
Delta's own rules, in plain English. Confirm the current details at delta.com.
The pet has to be small enough to fit comfortably in its carrier and move around without touching the sides. Household birds are accepted too, but only on flights within the contiguous U.S. (the lower 48), not to Hawaii, Alaska or on any international route. The pet must be at least 10 weeks old for domestic travel.
You may bring one pet kennel, and it must fit fully under the seat in front of you. Delta recommends a soft-sided carrier around 18 x 11 x 11 inches, which fits most aircraft. The kennel counts as your carry-on bag, so plan the rest of your hand luggage around it.
Each flight takes only a handful of in-cabin pets, and a pet can't be added at the airport. This is why you reserve the pet spot when you book, not later, a flight can be wide open for people and already full for pets.
Delta charges an in-cabin pet fee each direction, currently $150 within the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, and $200 internationally, for tickets issued on or after 8 April 2025. Delta sets the fee by the contract of carriage in force when your ticket is issued, so a ticket bought earlier can still carry an older price. Confirm the current amount at delta.com, fees change. We check it, the carrier size and your route before anything is booked, call and we'll lock it in.
The destinations that get a pet refused
This is the part most people miss, and it's the one that ends a trip at the counter.
Delta does not carry pets in the cabin to or from Hawaii. It catches people off guard because it's a US flight, but Hawaii's strict animal-quarantine regime means the cabin option simply isn't there.
Three destinations many of our travelers actually fly to. Delta will not take a pet in the cabin to or from Colombia, Brazil or the Dominican Republic. (Worth knowing: some other airlines do carry pets to Colombia, if your pet has to come, the airline choice matters, and that's exactly the call to make with us.)
Live animals are not accepted on Delta flights operating outside the United States, except Canada. So an in-cabin pet works on US domestic routes and to/from Canada, but not on Delta's other international flying.
Brachycephalic (snub-nosed) dogs and cats and their mixes, think bulldogs, pugs, Persian cats, are not accepted, because the cabin pressure and stress carry real health risks for these breeds.
No checked pets, it's the cabin or Delta Cargo
Where Delta differs from what many people assume, and where we won't guess.
Delta does not accept pets as checked baggage. There's no "check the dog at the counter" option the way there used to be. For a passenger, the only in-person option is a small pet in the cabin. A larger animal has to travel separately as freight through Delta Cargo, on eligible routing, which is its own booking with its own requirements, and rules there change, so we don't state them as fact here.
If your dog is too big for the cabin, that's the call to make before you buy anything: tell us the animal, the weight and the full routing, and we'll check what's genuinely possible, including whether a different date, airline or a specialist pet-shipping service makes more sense than forcing it onto Delta.
Delta Cargo options and availability are set by Delta and change; confirm current possibilities at delta.com or with Delta Cargo before you rely on them.
Bringing a dog back into the US, the return-trip trap
Not Delta's rule, the US government's, and it strands people on the way home.
If you're flying a dog into the United States from abroad, federal rules apply no matter which airline you fly. The CDC requires a US import form and a valid rabies vaccination for dogs entering the country, and the USDA requires a screwworm certificate for dogs coming from a country where screwworm exists, which includes many countries in Latin America. Miss one of these and the dog can be refused entry on arrival, after you've already flown.
These requirements change and depend on where the dog has been, so check the current rules at cdc.gov well before you travel. We'll flag it when your routing needs it, but the paperwork itself is between you, your vet and the US government.
Service dogs vs. emotional-support dogs, a critical difference
These are NOT pets, and the two are treated very differently. Getting them confused is a serious mistake.
A trained service dog rides in the cabin at no charge, even if a mobility device has to be checked. Delta requires the US DOT service-animal forms, submitted in advance. There is no pet fee and it isn't counted against the pet limit. Don't let anyone reclassify a genuine service dog as a "pet".
Since the 2021 DOT rule change, Delta does not recognise emotional-support animals as service animals. An ESA travels as a pet, same carrier, same fee, same route restrictions, including the no-pet destinations above.
Full rules and forms are on our special assistance guide. Service-animal rules are set by Delta and US DOT and change; confirm current requirements at delta.com.
Before you book, the checklist
Thirty seconds now saves a ruined trip at the counter.
- Is your route clear of Hawaii, Colombia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Australia, Barbados, Hong Kong, Iceland, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates? Those are no-pet destinations in the cabin
- Will the carrier fit under the seat? Aim for a soft-sided carrier around 18 x 11 x 11 in, it's your carry-on
- Is your dog or cat a snub-nosed breed? If so, Delta won't accept it
- Coming back into the US? Line up the CDC rabies form and USDA screwworm certificate early
Check the destination before you check the carrier. The single most common way a Delta pet trip falls apart is booking to a no-pet city. Hawaii especially, because people assume a domestic flight is fine. Tell us the route first and we'll confirm Delta can carry your pet at all, then build the trip around it.
Frequently asked
Can my dog or cat fly in the cabin on Delta?+
Can I take my pet to Hawaii, Colombia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Australia, Barbados, Hong Kong, Iceland, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom or United Arab Emirates on Delta?+
Can a large dog travel in the hold on Delta?+
What do I need to bring my dog back into the US?+
Contact options
Reach Delta directly, or let us confirm your pet and book the spot.
Contact Delta Air Lines directly
The airline's own official channels, free.
These are Delta's own channels; confirm current pet rules at delta.com.
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Related guides.