Pet Travel

Vacation and Leisure Travel In cabin and excess baggage pet travel

• Please book vacation or leisure travel for you and your pet directly with the airlines. You may be able to travel with your small pet in the cabin if you have a health certificate and you have an approved pet carrier. Please see our helpful chart of airline pet travel programs and links.
• Airlines limit the numbers and types of animals permitted to travel in cabin or as excess baggage. Ask your air carrier for their rules before booking your flight.
• If your vacation takes you overseas, please check our resources menu for the country you plan to visit. Entry requirements and documents vary widely. You may need to move your pet as manifest cargo. That's our specialty!
• If you are relocating across the U.S., to one of the U.S. territories or around the world with your pets and your family, Air Animal can de-stress the process by handling all the details. Learn more

Service and Support Animals

The Americans with Disabilities Act protects your rights to legally travel with your service animal in the cabin of a passenger airline. These animals are trained to assist people with visual impairments, deafness or hearing impairments, diabetes, seizures, mobility limitations or other needs. Each airline has special rules and regulations that cover service animals. If you're traveling overseas, the destination country's rules govern your ability to bring your service animal into the country. Many countries outside the U.S. do not recognize legal rights to be accompanied by a service animal. Our resources menu has basic information on the most popular destinations.

Emotional support and psychiatric service animals assist people with emotional, psychiatric, cognitive or psychological disabilities. These animals are not protected under the ADA. Airlines reserve the right to refuse space to any emotional support animal. Documents signed by your physician are often required.

Helpful links to service and support animal policies:

• Alaska Airlines
• Allegiant Airlines
• American Airlines

• Delta Air Lines
• Jet Blue
• Southwest

• Spirit Airlines
• United Airlines
• Virgin America

Service Animal Relief Areas (SARAs)

Many U.S. airports now have Service Animal Relief Areas which passengers traveling with service and emotional support animals may use during layovers. Walter M. Woolf, VMD, Air Animal's founder and CEO, was a member of the National Academy of Sciences work group reviewing how SARAs function across the United States. Before your flight, check your departure, layover and arrival airport website for information.

Pet Passports

Pet passports are documents that officially record information related to a specific animal. They are used by citizens of EU countries to simplify travel and transport of animals. The Cayman Islands now have pet passports as well.

Cruise Ships & Pets

Cruise lines make accommodations for guests traveling with trained service animals. They have strict service animal guidelines which generally ban emotional support animals. Service animals may not be permitted to leave the ship at ports of call outside the U.S. unless the import requirements of the country are followed. Our resources menu has basic information on the most popular destinations. A health certificate and import documents will likely be required.