Delta Airlines Pet Policy 2026: Fees, Kennels, Birds and Where Pets Can’t Fly

Delta Pet Policy at a Glance

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

What Most Sites Get Wrong

Delta's pet rules are spread over three pages, and most guides pick up only one of them. These are the errors that cost people a seat or a trip.

• "Pets can fly in Business and first class."Not in Delta One, Delta Premium or international Business, where the limit is zero. Domestic Delta First takes up to 2 pets, but not in cabins with flat-bed seats.
• "The kennel doesn't count against your carry-on."It does. Besides the kennel you can bring one personal item or one carry-on bag, not both.
• "No pets to Ireland."Ireland isn't on Delta's no-cabin list. You do have to notify Ireland's Department of Agriculture in advance at petmove@agriculture.gov.ie. The UK is the one that's closed: Delta won't carry any live animals to or from it, in the cabin or as baggage.
• "Big dogs can go as cargo."Delta Cargo has a temporary global embargo on household pet shipments. The only exception is for active U.S. military and Foreign Service Officers on permanent change of station orders.
• "Snub-nosed breeds can't fly in the cabin."Delta's cabin rules don't restrict breeds. Its restricted-breed list applies to Delta Cargo, which is closed to household pets anyway.
• "Brazil and Colombia are banned."Delta's list bans pets originating in Brazil, Colombia and the Dominican Republic, and it publishes a $200 fee for Brazil. So the restriction is on the trip out of those countries [VERIFY: whether Delta accepts cabin pets on flights from the U.S. to Brazil, Colombia and the Dominican Republic].
• "Any seat with floor space works."No bulkhead, exit row, no-stowage or Delta One seats. Also off limits: rows 46 to 51 on the A330-200, rows 54 to 59 on the A330-300, and middle seats on the 757-200.

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

Fees

A round trip within the U.S. costs $300. The fee is collected at the Special Service Counter when you check in, not when you book. The amount is set by the contract of carriage in force when your ticket was issued.

For checked pets (military and Foreign Service only), Delta charges the fee each time the pet is checked in and at each stopover. [VERIFY: whether a stopover or long connection triggers a second cabin pet fee]

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

Kennel Size and What Else You Can Bring

Delta has no single maximum kennel size. The limit is the under-seat space on your aircraft, and Delta tells you to check your flight's aircraft dimensions. It recommends a soft-sided kennel no larger than 18 x 11 x 11 inches, which fits most of its aircraft.

• One kennel per passenger, fully under the seat in front of you.
• Soft-sided kennels must be leak-proof, with ventilation on 3 sides for domestic flights and 4 sides for international flights.
• Your pet has to fit comfortably and move around without touching or sticking out of the sides.
• One pet per kennel, with two exceptions: a mother cat or dog with her unweaned litter aged 8 weeks to 6 months, or two pets of the same breed and size aged 8 weeks to 6 months. Two young pets sharing a kennel are charged as one.
• Besides the kennel, you can bring one personal item or one carry-on bag.

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

Pets per Cabin and Seats You Can't Pick

Seats off limits with a pet

• Bulkhead seats and emergency exit rows
• Seats marked "no stowage"
• Flat-bed and Delta One seats
• Rows 46 to 51 on the A330-200 and rows 54 to 59 on the A330-300
• Middle seats on the 757-200

On flights operated by Delta's partner airlines, the partner's own pet policy applies.

Source: Delta's official pet policy, Delta international and connection pet travel, checked October 11, 2026.

Where Delta Won't Fly Your Pet

SkyWest and Endeavor flights carry no live animals outside the U.S., except to Canada. For Canada, see our Canada pet entry guide.

Source: Delta's official pet policy, Delta international and connection pet travel, checked October 11, 2026.

How to Book Your Pet on Delta

1. 1
   Check the route and cabin. No destination from the list above, no Delta One or Delta Premium, and no flat-bed Delta First. If any leg is operated by a partner airline, check that airline's pet policy.
2. 2
   Book your own ticket and pick a seat that isn't bulkhead, exit row, no-stowage or one of the excluded A330 and 757 seats.
3. 3
   Call Delta Reservations as soon as possible to add the pet, with your kennel's length, width and height ready. Spots are first come, first served. [VERIFY: whether pets can now be added online or in the Fly Delta app]
4. 4
   Check the aircraft's under-seat space for every leg before you buy or bring a kennel.
5. 5
   Check in at the Special Service Counter. An agent checks the pet and kennel, collects the fee and gives you a cabin pet tag. Allow extra time. At security you take the pet out of the kennel.

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

Cargo and Checked Pets

Delta Cargo has a temporary global embargo on household pet shipments. Unless you're active U.S. military or a Foreign Service Officer with permanent change of station orders, a pet that doesn't fit under the seat can't fly Delta.

Active U.S. military and Foreign Service Officers, and their spouses, can check pets as baggage on transfer orders:

• $200 each way within the U.S., USVI and Puerto Rico, and to Canada and the Caribbean; $200 to Brazil for tickets issued on or after April 8, 2025.
• Book at least 48 hours ahead.
• No checked pets on any single Delta flight over 12 hours, or on itineraries with more than 1 connection.
• The fee is charged each time the pet is checked in, including at each stopover.
• Pets aren't part of the free baggage allowance, but no excess size or weight fees apply.

Sources: Delta Cargo pet transport, Delta military pet travel, checked October 11, 2026.

International Paperwork

• Into the U.S. with a dog: the dog must look healthy, be microchipped, be at least 6 months old, and travel with the receipt of a completed CDC Dog Import Form. More documents may be needed depending on where the rabies vaccine was given and where the dog has been in the last 6 months.
• Screwworm: dogs arriving in the U.S. from affected countries need USDA documentation, issued within 5 days of arrival, that they were inspected and are free of screwworm.
• Mexico: since August 3, 2026, every dog entering Mexico needs a New World Screwworm Inspection Certificate from a USDA-accredited vet, issued no more than 5 days before arrival. Delta checks it at check-in.
• European Union: pets must be at least 15 weeks old, microchipped, and travel with an EU veterinary certificate.
• Cats into the U.S.: at least 16 weeks old.

Source: Delta's official pet policy, Delta international and connection pet travel, checked October 11, 2026.

Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals

Trained service animals fly in the cabin free and aren't counted as pets. Under U.S. Department of Transportation rules, airlines can require the DOT service animal form, plus a relief attestation for flights of 8 hours or more. Emotional support animals aren't service animals under those rules, so on Delta they fly as pets, with the fee, kennel and route rules above.

Delta vs United vs American

Delta is the only one of the three that takes a bird, and the only one where international cabin pets cost more than domestic. For Europe it beats American, which has no cabin pets across the Atlantic. For a dog too big for the cabin, American is the only one of the three with an option.

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

Delta Pet Policy FAQ

Delta Pet Travel Checklist

• Dog or cat, or a household bird on a domestic flight within the contiguous U.S.
• At least 8 weeks old (15 weeks to the EU; dogs 6 months into the U.S.)
• No leg on Delta's no-cabin list, and the pet doesn't originate in Brazil, Colombia or the Dominican Republic
• Not in Delta One, Delta Premium, international Business or flat-bed Delta First
• Seat isn't bulkhead, exit row, no-stowage, A330 rows 46 to 51 or 54 to 59, or a 757-200 middle seat
• Pet added by calling Delta Reservations, kennel dimensions ready
• Soft kennel up to about 18 x 11 x 11 in, leak-proof, ventilated on 3 sides (4 international)
• Packed one extra item only: personal item or carry-on
• $150 each way domestic, $200 international, paid at the Special Service Counter
• Dogs to Mexico: NWS Inspection Certificate issued within 5 days
• Dogs into the U.S.: microchip, 6 months old, CDC Dog Import Form receipt

Every rule on this page was checked against Delta'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.