Airline pet policy changes: what changed, and when
5 cabin-pet rule changes across the 77 airlines we track, each quoted from the airline's own page. The most recent dated one: Contour Airlines, in-cabin pet fee, from July 1, 2026.
Rules the airlines changed
| Airline | When | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contour Airlines | July 1, 2026 airline's date | In-cabin pet fee: No charge → $150 each way "Effective July 1, 2026, Pets will incur a $150 fee, each way" | official page read 2026-08-25 |
| Delta Air Lines | April 8, 2025 airline's date | In-cabin pet fee (US, Canada, Puerto Rico, USVI): $150 each way "$150 USD/CAD* for tickets issued on/after April 8, 2025" | official page read 2026-09-24 |
| Icelandair | November 1, 2024 airline's date | Pets in the hold on international flights: Accepted → Not accepted (domestic routes only) "Due to changes to our fleet, we are unable to transport animals in the hold on international flights from November 1, 2024" | official page read 2026-10-03 |
| United Airlines | No date given on the page when we read it 2026-09-24 | Checked pets (PetSafe cargo program): PetSafe → Ended: pets fly in cargo only with certain active-duty military or State Department staff "We no longer let you check your pets through the PetSafe program." | official page read 2026-09-24 |
| JetBlue | No date given JetBlue's page said Core when we read it on 2026-07-03 and Main on 2026-09-06 | Name of the cabin pets travel in: Core → Main (not Mint) "Pets travel in Main (not Mint)" | official page read 2026-09-06 |
Corrections to our own records
These rules may not have changed at all. Our record was wrong, and we fixed it after re-reading the airline's page. We list them so that anyone who used an older figure from this site can see what changed and why.
| Airline | Corrected | Our record said → the airline says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mokulele Airlines | 2026-10-03 | Weight limit: 16 lb pet + carrier cap → No cap: 16 lb is the line between a $35 lap pet and a pet that pays the standard fare "Small/Lap Pets & Wikiwiki Animals (under 16 lbs): $35 per animal Large Pets (16 lbs or more): Charged at the standard fare" | official page read 2026-10-03 |
| American Eagle (regional, incl. Republic Airways) | 2026-09-24 | Largest carrier: 16 × 12 × 8 in for every carrier → Soft carriers 18 × 11 × 11 in; 16 × 12 × 8 in applies to hard-sided carriers "Soft-sided (recommended) All flights 18 x 11 x 11 inches / 46 x 28 x 28 centimeters" | official page read 2026-09-24 |
| Finnair | 2026-09-24 | Largest carrier: 35 × 30 × 20 cm for every carrier (the hard-carrier limit) → Soft carriers 55 × 40 × 20 cm (Norra) to 55 × 40 × 23 cm (Finnair); hard carriers 35 × 30 × 20 cm "Soft pet carriers 55 x 40 x 23 cm (21.7 x 15.7 x 9.1 in) / 55 x 40 x 20 cm (21.7 x 15.7 x 7.9 in); Hard pet carriers 35 x 30 x 20 cm" | official page read 2026-09-24 |
| Frontier Airlines | 2026-09-24 | In-cabin pet fee: $99 each way → $149 per pet, each way "Pet Charge: $149 per pet, per direction (Non-Refundable)" | official page read 2026-09-24 |
| Southwest Airlines | 2026-09-24 | Largest carrier: 18.5 × 13.5 × 8.5 in → 18 × 10.5 × 10 in "Other pet carriers with maximum dimensions of 18" (L) x 10.5" (W) x 10" (H)." | official page read 2026-09-24 |
Current rules side by side: in-cabin pet fees by airline · weight limits · all airline policies
Which carrier fits your airline?
Every airline sets its own under-seat size, so the right carrier depends on who you fly. Pick yours for the carriers that clear its published limit: Southwest Airlines · American Airlines · Delta Air Lines · United Airlines · Alaska Airlines · JetBlue · Frontier Airlines · Air Canada · WestJet · all airlines →
Flying over Thanksgiving or Christmas? Read the holiday pet-travel guide →
Carriers that clear the most airlines
Ranked by how many of the 58 airlines with a published cabin limit each one clears at its published size — the same computation behind every fit verdict on this site.
Affiliate link — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes our specs or which carriers we list.
Mr. Peanut's Gold Series Mini (Low-Profile)Petmate Soft-Sided Kennel Cab (Medium)Mr. Peanut's Gold Series Standard (Expandable)Common questions
Which airlines changed their pet policy recently?
In the 77 airlines we track: Contour Airlines (in-cabin pet fee, from July 1, 2026); Delta Air Lines (in-cabin pet fee (us, canada, puerto rico, usvi), from April 8, 2025); Icelandair (pets in the hold on international flights, from November 1, 2024); United Airlines (checked pets (petsafe cargo program)); JetBlue (name of the cabin pets travel in). Each is quoted from the airline's own page.
When did Contour start charging for pets?
On July 1, 2026. Contour's own page: "Effective July 1, 2026, Pets will incur a $150 fee, each way". Before that, pets flew in the cabin at no charge.