At Delta, we’re here to assist all U.S. Military family members who travel, including pets. That’s why we only accept animals as checked baggage for active U.S Military or Active U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officers (FSO) and their spouses (dependents) with active transfer orders.
Military members and U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officers can check their pets as baggage for a fee, when traveling on active transfer orders. Your pets must be booked as checked baggage at least 48 hours before arrival.
Pets must comply with federal regulations, including proper documentation based on current government requirements and regulatory standards. The U.S. CDC has specific documentation requirements that apply to all dogs that are traveling to the United States. Documentation requirements for other destinations vary, visit USDA APHIS Travel With a Pet for more information.
Please keep in mind for the safety of your pet, there are some flight-level rules that apply:
| To/From Destination | Checked Pet Fee (Each Way) |
|---|---|
| U.S. / U.S. Virgin Islands / Puerto Rico | $200 USD |
| International Canada or Caribbean | $200 USD/CAD/EUR* |
| Brazil | $150 USD for tickets issued before April 8, 2025. $200 USD for tickets issued on/after April 8, 2025. |
*NOTE: CAD amount will be charged to exit Canada, while EUR amount will be charged to exit Europe. These fees are established by the contract of carriage in effect at the time of ticket issuance.
The following animals are accepted as checked baggage and you may transport two crates per flight. Giant-sized crates may only be shipped as cargo; additional restrictions apply according to aircraft and class of service.
To transport your pet as checked baggage, you must use an approved shipping crate, and it must ship in accordance with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) #1 (LAR-50-EN-Press.pdf (iata.org)). The crate must provide enough room for your pet to stand and sit erect — without the head touching the top of the container — and to turn around and lie down in a natural position.
In addition, USDA rules state that the crate must:
The following is a list of crate sizes and the types of aircraft in which each crate can fit. For the safety and comfort of your pet, there are no exceptions to these aircraft or flight-level restrictions.
| Aircraft Type | Max Kennel Size |
|---|---|
| A319 A320 A330-300 A330-900 A350 B737-800 B737-900 B757-200 B757-300 |
500 series or smaller (40 x 27 x 30) |
| A220-100 A220-300 A321 B717-200 |
400 series or smaller (36 x 24 x 26) |
| A321neo | 200 series or smaller (27 x 20 x 19) |
PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED CRATES
To keep your pet safe, we observe a few seasonal restrictions on pet travel. For your pet’s safety, we don’t accept animals as checked baggage during extreme weather. This includes if the temperature exceeds 80 ˚F (26.5 ˚C) or if the temperature falls below 20 ˚F (-6.5 ˚C) at any point during the animal’s trip (at origin, transit, or destination). A Certificate of Acclimation is required when temperatures fall between 20˚F (-7˚C) and 45˚F (7˚C).
We reserve the right to refuse travel to any live animals as checked baggage or as cargo if the animal’s health is in question, or if the health of the animal could be jeopardized by extreme conditions.
For any travel to, from, or transiting the following destination, pets are not permitted as checked baggage:
There are additional requirements or booking rules that must be followed when traveling with animals to or through some locations, including: France, the Netherlands, and countries in the European Union. Please contact the Customer Service Center (1-800-352-2746) for more information.
The CDC has specific documentation requirements that apply to all dogs, including trained service animals, that are traveling to the United States. Dogs entering the U.S. must appear healthy, be microchipped and be at least 6 months of age. All dogs must be accompanied by a receipt of a completed CDC Dog Import Form. Additional documentation may be required depending on where the dog’s rabies vaccination was administered and if, within the past 6 months, the dog has been in a high-risk country for rabies or a low-risk or rabies-free country.
International travel to any other destination is permitted only if the customer possesses all required documentation for the pet’s entry into the final destination.
Pet birds and tropical birds normally kept indoors are at risk if the temperature, at any point on the planned itinerary, is below 50˚F (10˚C). When temperatures are between 50˚F (10˚C) and 20˚F (-6.7˚C), they are transported at the risk of the shipper.
Live, wild birds will not be transported unless the person shipping the bird, or shipper's agent certifies in writing on shipper's letterhead with the air waybill, that the birds being shipped were born or bred in captivity or on special farms. Or that the birds are being shipped to or from a zoological garden, wildlife preserve, or government wildlife agency. Transportation is restricted to Delta local services.
The health requirements required to ship your pet also apply to pets traveling as checked baggage with Military or U.S. State department families. Delta does not accept snub-nosed or pug-nosed dogs and cats as checked baggage.