Here Are the Rules for Flying with Service Animals

The Department of Transportation (DOT) rules allow dogs, regardless of breed or type, to be considered service animals if they are “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability, including physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.”

Emotional support animals, comfort animals, companion animals, and service animals in training do not qualify as service animals, and those who fall into those categories have to travel as pets. Airlines are also able to deny transport to a service animal if it violates safety requirements (too large or too heavy), is causing significant disruption in the cabin or gate areas, or violates health requirements.

Ultimately, it’s the airlines who govern these rules and the cabin crew who approve or disapprove service animals for boarding. And, while the rules may differ by airline, most require those using a service animal to fill out two DOT forms located here and here.

Here is what each major U.S. carrier has to say about flying with service animals. 

Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines only allows service dogs onboard, and they must be “trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability,” which includes psychiatric service animals.

Alaska only allows two service dogs per guest, and “the size or your service animals must not exceed the footprint of personal space of your seat or foot area during the entire flight.”

To get approved, flyers need to complete a request with Alaska at least 48 hours prior to a flight and the carrier recommends starting the process at least five days in advance. Alaska runs its request system through Service Animal Travel Solution.

American Airlines
American Airlines allows full-trained service dogs to fly in the cabin at no charge. However, the dogs must meet certain requirements.

“A service animal is defined as a dog that’s individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.”

That includes visual impairments, deafness, seizures, mobility impairments, and PTSD.

“Our team members are trained to ask certain questions to determine if your animal is a service animal acceptable for travel,” American says in its rules.

Any service animals in training, emotional support animals, or comfort animals have to travel as pets and not as service animals. Small pets can usually be carried on, for a fee, and placed under the seat in front of you for the entire flight. Right now, American is not accepting checked pets except for active-duty U.S. Military and U.S. State Department Foreign Service personnel traveling on official orders.

Delta Air Lines
Delta, like American, accepts only trained service animals that are dogs. Any service animals traveling on Delta have to be seated in the floor space below a customer’s seat or seated in a customer’s lap—Delta does not allow service animals to occupy seats.

Delta’s rules for service animals include the following:

• Trained service animals must be cleaned and “must not have a foul order.”
• Must be current on all vaccinations (including a minimum of 30 days from receiving a rabies vaccine).
• Must not engage in “disruptive or aggressive behavior including growling, biting jumping on customers, barking excessively. etc.
• Animals must remain with the customer at all times.
• Animals may not extend into the foot space of another customer who does not wish to share foot space with them.
• Flyers can travel with a maximum of two service dogs.

JetBlue Airways
JetBlue says it “accepts trained service dogs only” who are “under the control of the handler at all times.” All required documentation has to be submitted 48 hours prior to departure.

The carrier’s staff will assess the behavior of all service animals at the airport prior to approving them for travel. JetBlue does not allow service animals that are “in training,” either.

On a plane, just like other carriers, JetBlue requires animals to fit in the “footprint of the seat you have purchased.” No service animal is allowed to occupy a seat on JetBlue.

Southwest
“Trained service animals traveling with and providing assistance to a Customer with a disability are accepted in the aircraft cabin on flights to/from all domestic destinations provided the Customer supplies the appropriate documentation,” Southwest says in its guidelines for service animals.

Just like other carriers, Southwest only accepts dogs as trained service animals.

United Airlines
For United Airlines, all service dogs must be older than four months and be “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.”

Just like other carriers, United requires service animals to sit in the floor space in front of their assigned seat or use an in-cabin kennel if the dog is small enough.

It also only allows for two service dogs per person.