American Airlines

American Airlines Hub Airports
Dallas
Chicago

For The Full American Airlines Policy: American  Airlines Complete Pet Travel Information

Carry-on pets

When traveling on an American Airlines flight, you can bring one pet kennel as your carry-on bag if:

    You pay the carry-on pet charge
    Your pet is at least 8 weeks old
    Your pet stays in their kennel and under the seat in front of you for the entire flight

If all your travel is on American Airlines we can only accept up to 7 kennels each flight (not including service animals). When traveling on an American Eagle flight, we can accept up to 5 kennels per flight (with a maximum of 1 in first class). You’ll need to contact Reservations to make arrangements in advance.

Reservations and ticket changes
Kennel guidelines for carry-on pets

When carrying on your pet, you’ll need to make sure that they can stand up, turn around and lie down in a natural position in their kennel. Non-collapsible kennels can be a maximum of 19in x 13in x 9in.

Soft-sided collapsible kennels such as Sherpa bags can be larger if they're made of water-repellant material, are padded or have nylon mesh ventilation on 2 or more sides.

*American Airlines assumes no liability for the health or well-being of carry-on pets.
Checked pets

You can travel with up to 2 checked pets that are at least 8 weeks old. Please note that as capacity is limited, we accept checked pets on a first-come basis. When checking a pet, you’ll need to:

    Contact Reservations at least 48 hours prior to travel
    Check in at the ticket counter
    Allow extra check-in time (can't check pets more than 4 hours before your flight)
    Complete a checklist with an agent
    Provide a health certificate

To ensure the health and safety of your pet, the health certificate you provide must be issued by a vet within:

    10 days of your travel
    60 days of your return (travel on the same ticket)
    10 days of your return (travel on a separate ticket)

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Restrictions:
Aircraft This content can be expanded
Flights with connections This content can be expanded
Kennel guidelines for checked pets This content can be expanded
Food and water This content can be expanded
Sedation This content can be expanded
Charges

If you’re traveling on an American Airlines itinerary, you can pay your charge at the airport or at a travel center by with cash, credit card and voucher.

We don’t collect pet charges for other operating airlines in your itinerary (even if it has an AA flight number). You’ll need to check in with each airline and pay your charge at check-in. To find out if you're on a partner airline, look for the words, "Operated by..." on your ticket.

Who's operating my flight?
Service  Region  Charge*
Checked pet  Within and between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean  $200 per kennel $150 to/from Brazil
Carry-on pet  Within and between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central America, Colombia and the Caribbean (based on specific country's entry policy)  $125 per kennel
Service animals  All destinations  No charge

    Traveling with a service animal
    Reservations and ticket changes

*Charges shown above apply for each destination without a voluntary stopover/connection of 4 hours or more. If your itinerary includes a voluntary stopover/connection of more than 4 hours, charges apply for each connection segment. All pet charges are non-refundable and apply per pet, each way.
Temperature restrictions

We have temperature restrictions to make sure your pet isn’t exposed to extreme heat or cold:

    In the animal holding areas
    At terminal facilities
    When moving the animals between terminal and an airplane
    On an airplane awaiting departure

Heat restrictions

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.
Cold restrictions

You cannot travel with a pet if the ground temperature is below 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7.2 degrees C) at any location on the itinerary.

We may waive the cold temperature restrictions if you have a written letter from a licensed vet that includes:

    Your name and address
    Your pet’s name
    Your vet’s name and signature
    Your vet’s accreditation date and number
    The temperature your pet is acclimated to

The letter must be dated:

    Within 10 days of the first flight your pet will be on
    Within 30 days of any other trips in the same itinerary

You may need an additional letter for lengthy trips. If the temperature is below 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-6.6 degrees C), your pet cannot be checked even with a letter from your vet.
 

Which destinations allow travel with pets?

You can travel with a pet on most flights not longer than 12 hours or flights to/from:*

• Within the 48 contiguous United States

• The U.S. and Canada

• Alaska

• Central America**

• Mexico

• Puerto Rico

• St. Croix

• St. Thomas