The Delta pet policy comes down to one measurement: 18 by 11 by 11 inches. If your pet and a soft carrier fit inside that, and the carrier fits fully under the seat in front of you, Delta will fly your animal. If they do not, Delta will not, and no fee, no phone call and no doctor’s letter changes that.

That is the part the airline’s own pages take a while to get to, because the checked baggage and cargo sections read as though they are open. They are not. Both have been closed to the general public for years, and are available only to active US military and State Department Foreign Service Officers with transfer orders.

Here is the whole policy, with the figures Delta publishes and the dates they took effect.

In the Cabin, and the Kennel That Has to Fit

Delta accepts small dogs, cats and household birds in the cabin, with birds limited to domestic US flights. The animal travels in a soft-sided kennel with maximum dimensions of 18 by 11 by 11 inches, and the kennel has to fit fully underneath the seat directly in front of you.

Read “fully” literally. The kennel is measured against the underseat space, not against a published allowance, and underseat space differs by aircraft and by seat. A carrier that cleared on the outbound narrowbody can fail on a regional jet home.

The pet stays in the kennel for the entire flight, including boarding and deplaning. One pet per kennel is the rule, with two exceptions: a nursing mother with her young, and compatible littermates.

An 18 by 11 by 11 inch soft carrier suits a cat, a small terrier, a dachshund, a toy or miniature breed. It does not suit a beagle, a cocker spaniel or anything larger, whatever the animal’s temperament or training.

What Delta Charges

The carry-on pet fee is one way, collected at check-in, and it is per direction rather than per booking. On tickets issued on or after 8 April 2025, which is every ticket being sold now, the figures are:

Within the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands: $150 USD or CAD each way. International: $200 USD, CAD or EUR each way. Brazil: $200 USD each way.

A round trip within the United States therefore costs $300 for the pet, on top of your own fare. That is worth knowing before you compare a cabin booking against a ground transport quote, because on a short domestic move the two numbers land closer together than the headline fare suggests.

Three Different Age Minimums, and They Are Not Interchangeable

Delta publishes three age floors, and which one applies depends on where the flight lands.

For domestic travel the animal must be at least 8 weeks old. For a flight arriving in the United States from another country a dog must be 6 months old and a cat at least 16 weeks. For travel to the European Union the animal must be at least 16 weeks old.

The last two are not Delta’s inventions. The six month floor for dogs entering the United States is the CDC’s rule and applies on any carrier. The 16 week floor for the European Union follows from the rabies vaccination timetable there: the vaccine cannot be given before 12 weeks and does not take effect for another 21 days, which puts the earliest compliant animal just over 15 weeks old.

Checked Baggage Is Closed Unless You Have Orders

Delta lists an embargo on pets as checked baggage. The only customers who can book it are active US military and active US State Department Foreign Service Officers, along with their spouses and dependents, traveling on active transfer orders.

For those who qualify, the fee is $200 USD each way within the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, and $200 USD, CAD or EUR each way to Canada or the Caribbean. Two crates are allowed per flight, the booking has to be made at least 48 hours before departure, and the total flight time has to be under 12 hours.

The crate specification is strict and is where bookings most often come apart at the counter. Delta requires an IATA-compliant container built of rigid plastic, wood, metal or material of comparable strength, with a solid roof. Ventilation on three sides. Functional exterior handles. Live Animal labels in one-inch letters. Upright arrow markings. Bedding. Two dishes attached inside and reachable without opening the door.

Crates made entirely of welded mesh, wire mesh, wicker, cardboard or collapsible material are prohibited outright, as are crates whose latches are plastic without hardware. A pet store crate that satisfies a road trip usually fails at least two of those tests.

Delta Cargo Is Closed to the Public Too

The obvious next question is whether a large dog can go as cargo instead, booked separately from the passenger. On Delta, no. Delta Cargo states that it is “only allowing the shipment of pets for active U.S. Military or U.S. State Department Foreign Service Offices (FSO) traveling with active permanent change of station orders.”

For those who do qualify, the process runs through the Delta Cargo Customer Service Center on 1-800-352-2746, with a copy of the change of station orders. The pet booking is separate from the passenger reservation and cannot be made until 14 days before departure. Drop-off and collection happen at a Delta Cargo facility rather than passenger check-in, 4 to 6 hours before a domestic flight and 6 hours before an international one, with acceptance cut-offs of 2.5 hours domestic and 4 hours international. Delta does not guarantee the animal travels on the same flight as its owner. Sedation of household dogs and cats is not permitted, and a health certificate issued within 10 days of travel is required.

So the practical summary for everyone else is short. On Delta, a pet either fits under the seat or it does not fly.

Breed and Temperature Restrictions

Delta does not accept snub-nosed or pug-nosed dogs and cats as checked baggage or cargo. Among the dogs it names bulldogs, French bulldogs, pugs, boxers, Boston terriers, Shih Tzus and mastiffs, and among the cats Persian, Himalayan and exotic shorthair. The reason is the one every carrier gives: flattened airways cope badly with heat and stress, and the fatality rate in cargo reflects it. These breeds can still travel in the cabin if they fit the carrier.

Temperature limits apply year-round to animals in the hold. On tickets issued after 24 July 2018 Delta will not carry an animal when the forecast temperature is below 20F, which is -6.5C, or above 80F, which is 26.5C. The forecast is checked at origin, at every transit point and at destination, so a comfortable morning in one city does not help if the connecting airport is over the line at the wrong hour.

Delta also runs country-level embargoes on animals in the hold. The Dominican Republic has been embargoed since January 2025, and Brazil and Colombia since June 2021.

Where a Pet Cannot Sit

A cabin pet is not permitted in Delta One, Business Class or First Class on any international segment. On a lie-flat cabin the seat has no conforming underseat space, so the booking fails on geometry rather than on policy preference.

Pets are also excluded from bulkhead rows, emergency exit rows and flat-bed seats generally. If you hold a bulkhead seat for legroom, you will be moved, and on a full aircraft the seat you are moved to is whatever is left.

Booking Mechanics

Delta limits how many animals travel in each cabin on each flight, so a cabin pet is a reservation, not a walk-up. Add the pet to the booking as early as you can and confirm it is attached to every segment, not only the first. The fee is collected at check-in rather than at booking, which means a confirmed pet on the reservation and an unpaid fee are the normal state of things right up until the airport.

Check the aircraft type on each leg after any schedule change. Delta reschedules onto different equipment routinely, and underseat dimensions are not preserved when it does.

What We Do Differently on Delta

When a client’s animal fits the cabin rule, Delta is often the simplest answer and we say so. The work then is measuring the carrier against the actual aircraft on each leg, keeping the pet attached to the reservation through schedule changes, and getting the paperwork right for the destination.

When the animal does not fit, the answer is not to argue with Delta. It is to build the itinerary on a carrier that still accepts animals in the hold, which is a different route map and a different set of cut-offs, temperature rules and crate specifications. That decision is cheapest to make before a Delta booking exists and a travel date is committed, and most expensive after.

Pet Travel Advisors has been arranging pet relocations since 2023. We are licensed and insured, our team holds IATA Live Animals Regulations certificates, and our documentation work follows USDA APHIS requirements. Our guide to US airline pet policies compares the major carriers side by side.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Delta charge for a pet in the cabin?

On tickets issued on or after 8 April 2025, $150 USD or CAD each way within the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, and $200 USD, CAD or EUR each way on international routes, including Brazil. The fee is per direction and is collected at check-in, so a domestic round trip is $300 for the animal.

What size carrier does Delta allow in the cabin?

A soft-sided kennel with maximum dimensions of 18 by 11 by 11 inches, which must fit fully underneath the seat directly in front of you. Underseat space varies by aircraft and seat, so a carrier at the maximum can still be refused on a smaller aircraft.

Can I check my dog as baggage on Delta?

Only if you are active US military or an active US State Department Foreign Service Officer, or the spouse or dependent of one, traveling on active transfer orders. Delta has an embargo on pets as checked baggage for everyone else. Where it applies, the fee is $200 each way, two crates are allowed per flight, the booking must be made at least 48 hours ahead and the flight must be under 12 hours.

Does Delta Cargo ship pets?

Not for the general public. Delta Cargo shipments of pets are limited to active US military and US State Department Foreign Service Officers traveling on active permanent change of station orders. If your dog is too large for the cabin and you are not in one of those categories, Delta is not an option and the move needs a different carrier.

What breeds will Delta not fly?

Snub-nosed and pug-nosed dogs and cats are not accepted as checked baggage or cargo. Delta names bulldogs, French bulldogs, pugs, boxers, Boston terriers, Shih Tzus and mastiffs among the dogs, and Persian, Himalayan and exotic shorthair among the cats. Those breeds can still travel in the cabin if they and their carrier fit the size limit.

How old does a puppy have to be to fly on Delta?

At least 8 weeks for domestic travel. A dog arriving in the United States from another country must be 6 months old, which is the CDC’s rule rather than Delta’s, and a cat must be at least 16 weeks. For the European Union the minimum is 16 weeks.

Where These Rules Come From

Every figure above comes from Delta’s own published material: the pet travel overview, the shipping your pet page, the military travel with pets page, and the pet policies Delta publishes for travel agents, which is where the temperature thresholds and the embargo list are stated most precisely. The six month age floor for dogs entering the United States is the CDC’s. Figures and rules verified September 2026, and airline policies change without notice, so confirm against Delta before you book.

If your animal is too large for an under-seat carrier, the question is no longer about Delta. Our dog transport service covers the routes and carriers that still take animals in the hold, the pet shipping cost calculator gives published figures by route rather than a form to fill in, and the USDA health certificate guide explains the endorsement step that most international moves need.

Last updated 6 September 2026