American Airlines Pet Policy

American Airlines is a pet-friendly airline and permits pet travel in-cabin with passengers. You are required to comply with certain health and safety mandates, as well as the rules of the airline itself to fly with your pet.

Pet Transport as a Carry On

Depending on the pet’s size and breed, they can travel as a carry-on or be transported through American Airlines Cargo. Carry-on pets are limited to cats and dogs that meet the existing size, age and destination requirements.

On American Airlines flights, you can bring 1 kennel as your carry-on bag if:

1. You pay the pet carry-on fee.
2. Your pet stays within the kennel and under the seat in front of yours throughout the flight.
   
   

You may travel with your pet carrier and one personal item, but you will not be permitted to bring a carry-on bag in addition to a pet carrier and personal item. The kennel will replace your carry-on bag in that case. If your pet is too large to fly in the cabin, it must travel with American Airlines Cargo.

Guidelines for Kennels for Carry-On Pets

American Airlines assumes no liability for the health or well-being of carry-on pets. These rules are enforced:

• Pets must be small enough to fit comfortably inside the closed / zipped carrier.
• Non-collapsible kennels can’t exceed the under-seat dimensions of any aircraft included in your journey. Please contact reservations to verify maximum dimensions.
• Soft-sided collapsible kennels are recommended and can be slightly larger but still need to fit under the seat without having to excessively collapse the kennel. They must be secure, padded, made of water-repellant material, and have nylon mesh ventilation on 3 or more sides.

Dimensional Guidelines for Carry-on kennel

Hard-sided kennel

• Mainline flights on American: 19 x 13 x 9 inches / 48 x 33 x 22 centimeters (length + width + height)
• Regional flights on American Eagle: 16 x 12 x 8 inches / 40 x 30 x 20 centimeters (length + width + height)

Soft-sided kennel (recommended)

• 18 x 11 x 11 inches / 46 x 28 x 28 centimeters (length + width + height)

Adding a Cary-On Pet to Your Itinerary

To add a carry-on pet to your trip, follow these steps:

• Find your trip on aa.com or the American app.
• In the Special Services section, select ‘Add carry-on pets’.
• Review and agree to the carry-on pet requirements.
• Select the flights that you want your pet to travel on
• Confirm your carry-on pet to complete the changes.

Pet Transport as Checked Pets

American Airlines only accepts checked pets for active-duty U.S. military and U.S. State Department Foreign Service personnel traveling on official orders. Up to 2 pets may be checked and they must meet the minimum age and health requirements of the destination. Since capacity is limited, they accept checked pets on a first-come basis.

Transportation Fees

A good vet is necessary for your pet’s health and well-being. Remember to always choose a vet based on the care required by your pet and the professionals who can best satisfy it. Remember that some pets are rare or exotic and require extra authorization to deal with their care and transportation. Make sure you have a reliable vet you can turn to if you have an exotic pet, especially if you embark on frequent pet travel, and make sure you get in touch with a vet in your destination country before embarking on an international pet relocation.

You can pay your pet travel fee at the airport or at a travel center with a credit card or paper voucher if you’re flying with American. Cash or cheques are not accepted for payment.
American Airlines doesn’t collect pet fees for other operating airlines on your trip (even if it has an American flight number). You’ll need to check in with each airline and pay your fees at check-in. To find out if you’re on a partner airline, look for the words, “Operated by” on your ticket.

Service Type	Region	Fee*
Checked pet for Active-duty U.S. Military and State Department personnel only*	Within and between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean, Europe and from the United Kingdom	$200 per kennel $150 to/from Brazil
Cargo pet	Varies	Varies, Fees will be confirmed at the time of booking.
Carry-on pet	Within and between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean (based on specific country’s entry policy)	$125 per kennel
Service animals	Service animals	Service animals

*Note: Fees shown apply for each destination without a voluntary stopover / connection of 4 hours or more. If your trip includes a voluntary stopover / connection of more than 4 hours, fees apply for each connection segment. All pet fees are non-refundable and apply per kennel, each way. Fees for transporting your pet with American Airlines Cargo may vary depending on the trip details and size of the animal and kennel.

Temperature Restrictions

1. You cannot travel with a pet if the current or forecasted temperature is above 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29.4 degrees C) at any location on the itinerary.
2. Pets not traveling in cabin cannot travel to / through / from Phoenix (PHX), Tucson (TUS), Las Vegas (LAS) or Palm Springs (PSP) May 1 – September 30.