Delta Airlines Pet Policy | A Step by Step Guide

Table of Contents

• Carry-on pet policy:
  • Pets Traveling as Cargo
  • Pet Traveling as Checked Baggage
    • Weather Restrictions
    • Breed Restrictions
  • How may a pet be added on a Delta flight?
  • Delta Airlines In-Cabin Pet Policy
  • Delta Airlines Pet Fee
  • FAQs

You must abide by the Delta Airlines pet policy that the airline has established while traveling with pets. Here are some detailed guidelines on the airline's policies that you should be aware of to have trouble-free travel with your pets:

Carry-on pet policy:

The information on the carry-on pet policy with the airline is as follows:

• The airline allows you to take small cats, dogs, and home birds in the cabin by paying the one-way fee during check-in. Special care needs to be taken that the pet is in a ventilated kennel that would be kept beneath the seat in which you are sitting. 
• Pets of at least 8 months of age are only allowed to be taken in the cabin for domestic travel planned.
• Only one pet is allowed to be taken in a single kennel. The exception is made in the case of a dog or cat traveling with the litter, which is between 8 weeks and 6 months of age.

Pets Traveling as Cargo

If your pets will be traveling in cargo, they must fulfill certain standards. This is the policy for the same:

• Booking a pet through cargo requires making a separate reservation for the flight. The reservation for the same cannot be made less than 14 days before the flight's scheduled departure. 
• When it comes to Delta, you have to get to the cargo facility at least 4 to 6 hours before the domestic flight departure time and at least 6 hours before the international flight departure time. Pets must be checked in for a minimum of 2.5 hours for domestic travel and 4 hours for foreign travel. 
• Every pet being exported by cargo must have a health certificate from a licensed veterinarian certifying that the animal is medically fit to fly on an airplane within ten days of the specified departure date.

Further Read: Know Delta Airlines Unaccompanied Minor Policy for smooth and safe travel. 

Pet Traveling as Checked Baggage

Only passengers or spouses who are members of the US military or US State Department Foreign Service Officers (FSO) on active transfer orders are eligible to bring pets on Delta flights as checked or accompanied baggage.

Pets must be scheduled as checked baggage at least 48 hours before arrival, and there is an extra charge. Pets must still adhere to any destination regulations.

Additional prerequisites consist of:

• Two kennels maximum per flight
• Depending on the destination, only domestic birds, dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, or hamsters are allowed
• Pets must fly in kennels that meet IATA regulations.

Weather Restrictions

Pets that are transported as cargo or as accompanied baggage must travel in temperatures between 80ËšF (26.5ËšC) and 20ËšF (-6.5ËšC). Pets will not be allowed to travel if the temperature changes during their trip (at the origin, during transit, or at the destination) to any point above or below that range. An acclimation certificate is needed if the temperature is between 20ËšF (-7ËšC) and 45ËšF (7ËšC). It is imperative to acknowledge that Delta Airlines has the prerogative to refuse transportation of any live animals in cases where their welfare is in doubt or where severe weather may pose a health risk.

Breed Restrictions

Snub-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds cannot be checked as baggage on Delta flights with pets. These dog breeds include Affenpinscher, American Bully, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Boerboel, Boston Terrier, Bull Terrier, Boxer (all breeds), Brussels Griffon (Petit Brabancon), Bulldog (all breeds), Cane Corso, Chow Chow, Dogo Argentino, Dutch Pug, Dogue de Bordeaux, English Toy Spaniel, Japanese Chin (Japanese Spaniel), Lhasa Apso, Mastiff (all breeds), Pekinese, Pit Bull, Presa Canario, Pug (all breeds), Tibetan Spaniel, Shih Tzu, Shar Pei, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. 

Snub-nosed cats include British Shorthair, Burmese, Exotic Shorthair, Himalayan, Persian, and Scottish Fold.

How may a pet be added on a Delta flight?

You can travel with your pet hassle-free thanks to Delta Airlines' pet policy and procedure. You must create a separate pet reservation from the one you already made to add a pet. To make the necessary arrangements according to your pet carriage needs, call the Delta Cargo Customer Service Center at +1-802-341-3403 or 1-800-352-2746. Depending on the kind of pet you are flying with, Delta Airline may charge extra. 

Delta Airlines In-Cabin Pet Policy

Pets that fulfill the requirements listed below are permitted to travel in the passenger cabin:

• Your pet needs to be tiny enough to nestle snugly beneath the seat in front of you in a kennel. Your flight limits the size of your carry-on kennel. To find out the proper kennel size, call Delta Reservations at 1-800-222-1212.
• When at a Delta boarding area (during boarding and deplaning), a Delta airport lounge, or on an aircraft, the pet must stay in the kennel (with the door secured).
• Pets need to be eight weeks old or older.
• You are visiting the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, and the United States (except Hawaii).
• Your pet can spend the whole journey snuggled up in its kennel, beneath the seat.
• Birds, cats, and domestic dogs are the only animals permitted.
• The kennel is designed with animal carriage in mind. The type of aircraft determines the dimensions; for additional information, get in touch with Delta Air Lines.
• Your destination requires certain health documentation, which your pet possesses (see below for more details).
• It is not permitted to travel with more than one pet. AN EXCEPTION: A single kennel may contain two pets of the same kind. If they are compatible, of the same species, and the same size, they must be tiny enough to fit in one kennel and fulfill acceptance conditions.

Delta Airlines Pet Fee

Depending on the kind of pet and the destination, there are different pet fees associated with Delta. The charge varies from 95 USD to 125 USD depending on the domestic destination you choose to go to. If you are taking your dogs with you to all of the foreign places, there is a cost of USD 200. 

FAQs

Is Delta's pet policy strict?

If your pet fits inside an IATA-compliant travel carrier beneath the seat in front of you, Delta will let you take them on cabin flights with small dogs, cats, or house birds. Pets traveling with you are subject to a cost that varies depending on where you are going. Recall that your carry-on bag includes your pet's kennel as well.

What is the pet cargo temperature restriction on Delta?

Weather Conditions

This covers any time during the journey when the animal is on the ground and the temperature rises beyond 80ËšF (27ËšC) or dips below 20ËšF (-7ËšC). Pets must have a Certificate of Acclimation to travel when the temperature is between 20ËšF (-7ËšC) and 45ËšF (7ËšC).

What is the pet weight limit on Delta Airlines?

According to Delta's pet policy, If two dogs or cats are under six months old and weigh no more than twenty pounds each, Delta will allow them to travel in the same crate.

Can two pets go in a cabin on Delta?

Except for domestic flights within the United States, where a female cat or dog may travel with her litter if she is between 10 weeks and 6 months old, passengers are only permitted to bring one pet per carrier. The number of animals in the litter is not limited. Depending on your travel schedule, different fees apply to bringing your pet into the cabin.

Is pet freight available on Delta?

The only items you are allowed to carry on into the cabin are small dogs, cats, and house birds. With a few exceptions, a broad variety of species are accepted for pet cargo on Delta. That means if you want to travel with your pet chinchilla, you'll have to use Delta's pet cargo service.