Avianca Pet Policy 2026: Cabin and Hold Limits, Booking Off the Website and Flying a Dog to the US

Avianca Pet Policy at a Glance

Source: Avianca's official pet policy, checked October 11, 2026.

What Most Sites Get Wrong

• "Carrier up to 56 x 36 x 25 cm (22 x 14 x 10 in)."Avianca's limit is 55 x 35 x 25 cm. A bag bought to the rounded-up inch numbers can be a centimeter too big.
• "Add the pet on avianca.com."You can't. Pets are booked through the Contact Center, a travel agency, an Avianca sales point or the airport. The website takes only service dogs.
• "A US dog just needs the CDC form to come home from Colombia."Colombia is CDC high-risk. A US-vaccinated dog also needs the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination, endorsed by USDA before it leaves the US. And Avianca only flies these dogs into Los Angeles, Miami, New York or Washington.
• "Avianca charges USD 125 to the US, COP 25,000 in Colombia."Avianca's pet page doesn't publish amounts; figures on third-party sites aren't Avianca's. Get the price from the Contact Center when you book.
• "Emotional support dogs must ride in a carrier."An ESA dog up to 10 kg with its carrier rides in the cabin; a heavier one, up to 70 kg, flies in the hold.

Source: Avianca's official pet policy, checked October 11, 2026.

Cabin Rules and Carrier Size

• Dogs and cats, 10 kg (22 lb) maximum with the carrier.
• Flexible carrier up to 55 x 35 x 25 cm, under the seat in front of you.
• Pet no taller than 20 cm (about 8 in); it must stand and turn around without touching the top or sides.
• Ventilation openings and a waste collection system. The pet stays inside the whole flight.
• One cabin pet per passenger.
• No cabin pets in Business Class on the Boeing 787.

Avianca doesn't publish a per-flight cabin cap [VERIFY: number of cabin pets allowed per Avianca flight]. Space depends on availability, so book early.

Source: Avianca's official pet policy, checked October 11, 2026.

Hold Rules and Strong Breeds

• Up to 70 kg (154 lb) including the crate. Each pet travels in its own crate.
• Rigid crate you supply: clean, leak-proof and lockable. Wheels locked.
• Food and water containers empty, separate, fixed inside and reachable from outside.
• Ventilation openings small or covered with mesh. No welded or wire-mesh crates; damaged crates are refused.

Strong breeds

American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, Presa Canario, Dobermann, Dogo Argentino, Dogue de Bordeaux, Fila Brasileiro, Neapolitan Mastiff, Pit Bull Terrier, Rottweiler and Japanese Tosa can travel in a metal-walled crate, or in a plastic crate wearing a basket muzzle. A large or aggressive dog needs a wooden or metal crate with two locks on each side of the door.

Snub-nosed breeds

Avianca's current pet page doesn't mention brachycephalic breeds [VERIFY: whether Avianca bars snub-nosed dogs and cats from the hold]. Ask the Contact Center before booking a Pug, French Bulldog or Persian in the hold.

Source: Avianca's official pet policy, checked October 11, 2026.

What It Costs

Avianca charges an additional fee for both cabin and hold pets but doesn't list the amounts on its pet page. The Contact Center or travel agency quotes the price when it books the pet [VERIFY: Avianca pet fees for US routes, other international routes and domestic Colombia, cabin and hold].

Budget separately for the paperwork. A dog vaccinated outside the US may need a rabies titer test or a 28-day stay at a CDC-registered facility to enter the US, which can cost more than the flight. For a US dog, the USDA-endorsed certification before departure avoids that.

Source: Avianca's official pet policy, checked October 11, 2026.

Where Pets Can't Fly

• Business Class on the Boeing 787 (cabin pets).
• The Galapagos Islands: no live animals.
• The United Kingdom.
• Aruba and Curaçao, except a permanent move to Curaçao with authorization.
• Bookings with partner, codeshare or affiliated airlines.

Source: Avianca's official pet policy, checked October 11, 2026.

Flying a Dog to the US

Most of Avianca's network to the US starts in countries on the CDC high-risk list for dog rabies, including Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil. Avianca accepts dogs that have been in them in the last six months only to Los Angeles, Miami, New York or Washington. The dog must be at least 6 months old, microchipped before its rabies vaccine and have a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. The rest depends on where it was vaccinated:

• Vaccinated in the US (a dog on a round trip): a Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination, completed by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed by USDA before the dog leaves the US. It's reusable while the vaccine is valid.
• Vaccinated abroad (or a US dog without that certification): a rabies certificate endorsed by an official veterinarian, a valid rabies titer or a 28-day quarantine reservation at a CDC-registered facility, and the CDC form done 2 to 10 days before arrival.

Avianca also asks for the pet's vaccination card and a vet health certificate. Our pet travel to Colombia guide covers the ICA side of the trip, and the entry rules guides cover other countries.

Source: Avianca's official pet policy, CDC rules for U.S.-vaccinated dogs, CDC high-risk list for dog rabies, checked October 11, 2026.

How to Book Your Pet

1. 1
   Check the route. No B787 Business, Galapagos, UK, Aruba, Curaçao or partner flights. For a dog to the US, land at LAX, Miami, New York or Washington.
2. 2
   Book your ticket, then book the pet through the Contact Center, a travel agency, an Avianca sales point or the airport, at least 48 hours before departure. Ask for the fee then.
3. 3
   Get the right carrier: flexible and within 55 x 35 x 25 cm for the cabin, rigid and non-wire for the hold.
4. 4
   Print the pet transport form (or pick it up at the counter) and bring the vaccination card, vet certificate and entry documents.
5. 5
   Arrive at least 2 hours before departure.

Source: Avianca's official pet policy, checked October 11, 2026.

Service Dogs and Emotional Support Dogs

• Service dogs: accepted regardless of size if they don't block evacuation, no container needed, up to two per passenger, and they can be added on avianca.com. On US flights they also need the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form and the Service Animal Relief Attestation Form.
• Emotional support dogs: one per passenger, with a certificate from a mental health professional. Up to 10 kg with carrier in the cabin, up to 70 kg in the hold.

Whether an ESA dog flies free or pays the pet fee isn't stated on the page [VERIFY: whether Avianca charges a fee for emotional support dogs].

Source: Avianca's official pet policy, checked October 11, 2026.

Avianca vs American vs Delta vs JetBlue

Between the US and Colombia, Avianca is the practical choice for anyone flying with a pet, and the only one of the four that lets a big dog travel on your flight.

Sources: Avianca's official pet policy, American's official pet policy, Delta's official pet policy, JetBlue's official pet policy, checked October 11, 2026.

Avianca Pet Policy FAQ

Avianca Pet Travel Checklist

• Dog or cat over 4 months (2 months domestic Colombia, 6 months for a dog to the US)
• Cabin: 10 kg or less with carrier, carrier within 55 x 35 x 25 cm, pet under 20 cm tall
• Hold: rigid, non-wire crate, 70 kg or less in total; metal crate or basket muzzle for strong breeds
• Route allowed: no B787 Business, Galapagos, UK, Aruba, Curaçao or partner flights
• Pet booked by phone, agency or airport at least 48 hours ahead, fee confirmed
• Pet transport form, vaccination card and vet certificate
• Dog to the US: CDC form; US dogs need the USDA-endorsed rabies certification before leaving the US; land at LAX, Miami, New York or Washington
• At the airport 2 hours before departure

Every rule on this page was checked against Avianca's official pet policy on October 11, 2026. Airlines change pet rules without notice, so check the official page again in the week you fly.