BargainAirTicket is an independent travel agency, we are not Southwest Airlines and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by Southwest Airlines. Pet rules are set by Southwest and can change; you can add your pet to your booking yourself at southwest.com at no cost. If you'd rather we confirm your pet is accepted and lock in the booking, our agents assist for a service fee, quoted before you're charged.

Flying with a pet on Southwest

Southwest's pet program is narrower than a lot of flyers expect: small vaccinated cats and dogs only, cabin-only with no checked or cargo option for anyone, and a blanket ban on international pet travel that catches people planning a Mexico or Caribbean trip completely off guard. Here's exactly what fits, what doesn't, and where people get turned away.

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    First question: is your pet a small, vaccinated cat or dog, and is your entire itinerary inside the US?

    Small, vaccinated, and flying domestic, cabin, Southwest's only option

    Small vaccinated cats and dogs, at least 8 weeks old, in an approved carrier that fits in the cabin. Nothing else about Southwest's pet program matters until this fits, and until your route is entirely within the US.

    Too big, too young, or any leg international? No Southwest option at all

    Southwest has no checked or cargo-pet program, for anyone, and pets are banned on every international itinerary. There's no fee, upgrade, or exception that gets around either limit.

    Small vaccinated cats & dogs in the cabin. Southwest's only pet option No checked or cargo pets, ever. Southwest has never operated a cargo-pet program, for anyone No pets on any international itinerary, a blanket ban, not a country-by-country list Emotional-support animals are not accepted as service animals, an ESA flies as an ordinary pet, under these same rules 1 carrier per ticketed customer, up to 2 same-species pets may share it Pet fee is $125 one-way (US mainland), or $35 one-way within Hawaii, each way, not round trip Pet must be at least 8 weeks old. Southwest does not board younger pets An unaccompanied minor may not travel with a pet

    Southwest bans pets on every international itinerary, no country list, no exceptions.

    Some other US airlines allow pet travel to select international destinations with the right vaccination and health paperwork. Southwest doesn't publish a country-by-country list at all, it simply excludes every international itinerary from pet travel, full stop. If your trip touches Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America or anywhere else outside the US, your cat or dog isn't flying with you on Southwest, regardless of paperwork or how much you're willing to pay.
    The pet-travel timeline
    When you book

    Confirm your pet is a small, vaccinated cat or dog at least 8 weeks old, decide whether one carrier will hold both pets if you're travelling with two, and budget $125 one-way ($35 if you're flying entirely within Hawaii).

    Before you fly

    Double-check your itinerary doesn't touch any international leg, the ban applies to the whole trip, not just the destination, and reconfirm your pet's vaccination paperwork with Southwest.

    At the airport

    Bring your pet already settled into its carrier. Only one carrier per ticketed customer is allowed, though up to two same-species pets can share it if they both fit comfortably.

    In the cabin: what Southwest actually accepts

    Southwest's own rules, in plain English. Confirm the current details at southwest.com.

    Small, vaccinated domestic cats and dogs only:

    Southwest's pet program is limited to small vaccinated domestic cats and dogs travelling in the cabin, in an approved carrier. There is no cargo alternative for a pet that doesn't fit, the cabin is the whole program.

    Minimum age: 8 weeks:

    Southwest requires a pet be at least 8 weeks old before it can travel. This is one of the few hard age rules Southwest publishes, so confirm your pet clears it before you book.

    Sedation, not published:

    Southwest doesn't publish a sedation policy for travelling pets, so we won't invent one. If sedation is something you're considering for a nervous flyer, that's a conversation for your vet, and worth confirming directly with Southwest before travel day.

    No checked or cargo pets, for anyone

    Southwest has never operated a cargo-pet program, and it's the single biggest way a pet trip falls apart before it starts.

    No cargo-pet program of any kind:

    Unlike some legacy carriers that still ship larger pets as cargo for military or State Department personnel on official orders, Southwest does not transport pets as cargo or checked baggage, for anyone, under any circumstances. Cabin is it.

    No counter check-in for pets either:

    There's no "check your dog like a bag" option at a Southwest counter, pets aren't handled as checked baggage. If it doesn't fit as an in-cabin pet, it doesn't fly with Southwest.

    Plan an alternative early:

    If your pet is too large for Southwest's cabin program, decide on another carrier or a ground-transport option well before your travel date, this isn't something that gets resolved at the airport.

    Bringing a 2nd pet, one carrier, not two seats

    Different from a lot of other airlines, and easy to get wrong if you're used to their rules.

    Southwest allows one pet carrier per ticketed customer, but up to two same-species pets (two cats, or two dogs) may share that single carrier, as long as both animals fit and can move comfortably inside it. That's a real difference from airlines that require a second purchased seat and a second carrier for a second pet: on Southwest, it's still one carrier and, per Southwest's fee schedule, one pet fee covers the carrier. Mixing species in one carrier, a cat and a dog together, isn't allowed, and a pet that's grown too large to share comfortably needs its own separate booking.

    The pet fee, $125 one-way, $35 within Hawaii

    One of the few numbers Southwest puts in writing. Confirm it hasn't changed before you book.

    Southwest charges $125 one-way for an in-cabin pet on any itinerary touching the US mainland. If your entire trip stays within Hawaii, inter-island only, the fee drops to $35 one-way. Either way, it's charged per direction, not per round trip, so a there-and-back trip means paying it twice.

    Fees like this change, so treat these figures as a starting point, confirm the current amount at southwest.com, or call us and we'll verify it before anything is booked. One piece of good news: the pet fee is refundable if you cancel your pet's travel.

    Pets are banned on every international itinerary

    The rule that surprises people planning a trip to Mexico, the Caribbean or beyond.

    This is the fact that trips up the most travelers: Southwest does not allow pets, cabin-eligible or not, on any international itinerary. It's a blanket rule, not a list of banned or allowed countries, and it doesn't matter how small your cat or dog is or how well it fits its carrier. If any leg of your trip crosses an international border, Southwest simply isn't an option for travelling with your pet on that trip, plan a domestic-only Southwest itinerary for your pet, or look at another carrier for the international portion.

    Emotional-support animals are not service animals here

    A distinction that matters for both the rules and the fee.

    Southwest does not recognize emotional-support animals as service animals. If you're travelling with an ESA, it flies under the ordinary pet rules on this page, same carrier requirement, same cabin-only limit, same $125 one-way fee, not under any disability accommodation. A genuinely trained service animal follows a separate policy from pets, with its own documentation and no pet fee; tell us your situation and we'll route it correctly rather than treating a service animal like an ordinary pet.

    Unaccompanied minors and pets don't mix

    A gotcha that catches families off guard at the gate.

    An unaccompanied minor, a child flying alone under Southwest's program, may not travel with a pet. If a teenager or younger child is booked as an unaccompanied minor, the family pet needs to fly with an accompanying adult instead, or on a separate booking entirely. This isn't negotiable at the counter, so plan around it before travel day rather than finding out at check-in.

    Before you book, the checklist

    A few minutes now avoids a pet turned away at the gate.

    • Is your pet a small, vaccinated cat or dog? Southwest's cabin program is the only option, no cargo alternative exists
    • Is your pet at least 8 weeks old? Southwest does not board younger pets
    • Does your itinerary stay entirely inside the US? Every international leg is excluded, no exceptions
    • Bringing a 2nd same-species pet? It can share your one carrier, it doesn't need its own seat
    • Budgeted for the pet fee? $125 one-way mainland, $35 one-way within Hawaii, confirm at southwest.com before you fly

    Don't book a Southwest pet trip with any international leg, it will not be honored. The ban covers the whole itinerary, not just the final destination, and there's no fee or paperwork that changes it. And remember: if your pet is too large for the cabin, Southwest has no checked or cargo option at any price. Tell us your pet's size, age, route and whether you're travelling with a second pet, and we'll confirm what's possible before you book anything.

    Frequently asked

    Can my cat or dog fly in the cabin with me on Southwest?+
    If it's a small, vaccinated domestic cat or dog that fits in an approved carrier, yes, cabin is Southwest's only pet option. There's no minimum weight published, but Southwest does require your pet be at least 8 weeks old. Tell us your pet's details and route and we'll confirm before you book.
    Can I check my pet as baggage or ship it as cargo on Southwest?+
    No. Southwest has never operated a cargo-pet program, it does not transport pets as checked baggage or cargo for anyone, under any circumstances. If your pet can't travel in the cabin, Southwest isn't an option for that trip.
    How much does it cost to bring a pet on Southwest?+
    Southwest's in-cabin pet fee is $125 one-way for flights touching the US mainland, and a lower $35 one-way if your entire itinerary stays within Hawaii. Confirm the current amount at southwest.com, since fees like this can change. The fee is refundable if you cancel.
    Can I bring two pets on the same flight?+
    Southwest allows one pet carrier per ticketed customer, but up to two same-species pets, two cats, or two dogs, may share that single carrier if they both fit comfortably. It isn't two separate carriers or two separate seats; it's one carrier, one fee, up to two same-species animals.
    Can I fly with my pet to Mexico, the Caribbean, or anywhere outside the US?+
    No. Southwest bans pets, including cats and dogs otherwise eligible for the cabin, on every international itinerary. This is a blanket rule, not a country-by-country list, so there's no destination where an exception applies. If your trip includes any international leg, Southwest isn't a pet-travel option for it.
    Is my emotional-support animal accepted as a service animal on Southwest?+
    No. Southwest does not recognize emotional-support animals as service animals. An ESA can still fly with you, but only under the ordinary pet-in-cabin rules above, same carrier requirement, same fee, same cabin-only limits, not under any service-animal accommodation.

    Contact options

    Reach Southwest directly, or let us confirm your pet and book the trip.

    Contact Southwest Airlines directly

    The airline's own official channels, free.

    Websitesouthwest.com
    Reservations1-800-435-9792
    AppSouthwest app

    These are Southwest's own channels; confirm current pet rules at southwest.com.

    Or let a BargainAirTicket agent do it

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    BargainAirTicket is an independent travel marketplace operated by Bookmecheapest LLC, not an airline and not a representative of Southwest Airlines or any airline. "Southwest Airlines" and related marks are trademarks of their respective owners, used here only to describe the ticketing support we offer. Pet, carrier and fee rules are set by Southwest and change frequently, always confirm current requirements at southwest.com. We assist with bookings on any airline for a service fee, quoted before you're charged.

    Policies last verified July 20, 2026 against Southwest Airlines' own website. Airlines change these rules often, and we confirm current terms on every call.

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