Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines is a major American airline based out of Atlanta. Pets can travel in the cabin and as cargo on select flights with Delta Air Lines. Visit Website

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Pet Reservations

Delta Air Lines limits the number of pets per flight to 2 in first class, 2 in business class, and 4 in the main cabin.

Pets in the Cabin

Delta Air Lines welcomes passengers with small pets (dogs, cats, and household birds) in the cabin on select flights within the United States, Canada, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Pets are not permitted on flights to Hawaii. To qualify for travel in the cabin, your pet must be small enough to fit comfortably in a carrier under the seat in front of you. Pets must be at least 10 weeks old for domestic travel, 16 weeks old if traveling to the USA from elsewhere, and 15 weeks old for European Union travel. Passengers can bring 1 pet in each carrier, except on domestic flights in the USA where a female cat or dog may travel with her litter if they are 10 weeks to 6 months old. There is no limit on the number of animals in the litter. Fees for taking your pet in the cabin vary depending on your travel plans. Flights to/from the U.S.A, Canada, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands incur a pet fee of $95, flights outside the U.S. incur a pet fee of $200; and flights to Brazil incur a pet fee of $75.

Pets in Checked Baggage

Unfortunately, Delta Air Lines does not allow pets to travel as checked baggage.

Pets in Cargo

Animals who are too large to be taken in the cabin, or are being transported separately from their owner, can be shipped as cargo through Delta Cargo. Pets shipped domestically via Delta Cargo cannot be booked until 14 days prior to departure, pets are not guaranteed to be shipped on the same flight as their owner. Shipping a pet requires dropping it off at a Delta Cargo location at least 3 hours before departure.

Carrier Guidelines

For pets traveling in the cabin, maximum carry-on kennel dimensions are determined by your flight. You must contact Delta Reservations to determine the appropriate kennel size. However, a soft-sided carrier with dimensions of 18” x 11” x 11” (45 cm x 28 cm x 28 cm) is recommended as this will fit on most Delta aircrafts. Pets must remain inside the carrier while in the airport boarding area, during boarding, as well as throughout the duration of each flight. For pets traveling with Delta Cargo, carriers can have any of the following dimensions (as long as pets fit comfortably inside): 27" x 20" x 19" (68 cm x 50 cm x 48 cm); 32" x 22" x 23" (81 cm x 55 cm x 58 cm); 36" x 24" x 26" (91 cm x 61 cm x 66 cm); 40" x 27" x 30" (101 cm x 68 cm x 76 cm); and 48" x 32" x 35" (122 cm x 81 cm x 89 cm). Kennels must be rigid with a solid top, have proper ventilation on at least 3 sides domestically or 4 on international flights, have a solid door, and nuts and bolts securing loose parts. The kennel should be large enough for animals to stand, turn around, and lie down comfortably. Carriers must include food and water dishes clipped securely inside and absorbent material on the bottom.

Other Restrictions

Delta does not accept brachycephalic breeds, including American Bulldog, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, Boston Terrier, Boxer, Brussels Griffin, Bulldog, Chinese Pug, Chow Chow, Dutch Pug, English Bulldog, English Toy Spaniel, French Bulldog, Lhasa Apso, Japanese Boxer, Japanese Pug, Japanese Spaniel (Chin), Mastiff (all breeds), Pekinese, Pit Bull, Pug, Shar Pei, Shih Tzu, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Tibetan Spaniel; and cats, such as Burmese, Exotic, Himalayan, and Persian.

Reviews

BringFido Guest Rating

Delta Air Lines has received a rating of 3.0 out of 5 bones by 21 canine critics on BringFido.

  • Sara
    Jan 17, 2024
    Do Not Fly Delta With In Cabin Dog!

    On our flight we had our two dogs and the way we were treated was extremely disrespectful. It was our dogs first flight so they were a little scared and we were delayed waiting for de-icing. The dogs whined a bit and couple little barks and the flight attendants approached us right away to get them “under control”. A couple minutes later the next flight attendant came and threaten to de-board us because our dogs whined a couple times. They did not ask if we needed anything. No one on the plane was complaining. It was extremely stressful for us and the dogs. I felt extremely uncomfortable and unwelcome and was very anxious for the whole flight after that. When gearing up for landing the flight attendant came by and rudely said “you know they have to go under the seat for landing.” Acting as if we were dumb and knew nothing. No one else around us was told to put their bags under the seats. I felt extremely targeted and bullied once I stepped foot on the flight with my dogs.
    We put a complaint in with customer care and they pretty much did nothing. They offered us $50 vouchers that can only be used on another flight within the year. I will never fly with them again with our dogs. Awful airline.

  • Pablo
    Sep 12, 2023
    Some unnecessary attitude from attendant.

    We flew our 12 lb maltipoo from LAX to Orlando, Tofu had just arrived from a long flight from China and he was quite scared about everything happening around him. He never barks or makes any sound all he needed was to stick out his little head to see us and feel safe. Most of the staff even came to say hi but this dog hating attendant started raising her voice to us that he had to be completely inside the carrier. As I tried to put him back in he was resisting and she was waiting there to see me push him in, I just said I was trying as he was resisting a bit to bend down and then she raised her voice to us and started scolding me for having opened the top zip in the first instance. In the end she made her little scene and got her dose of attention of course but quite unnecessary in my opinion. My wife and I were the only passengers seating in that row she made sure we felt as if we committed a big crime and something serious would await us after landing. Nothing happened in the end but the attitude and lack of empathy towards the dog made us conclude we’ll look for other airlines in the future.

  • Courtney
    Jul 5, 2023
    Don’t go through LAX with your pet unless VERY small

    Recently we had a trip booked from LAX to EWR. Originally I booked on United but after seeing all the reviews we canceled our United flight and booked through Delta, choosing to instead go to JFK, even though it was out of the way, but wanted to make sure we had no issues. Most all of the reviews I read for Delta, people had no issues, but of course after switching our flight, I started hearing about how some people had issues specifically flying out of LAX on Delta, and that proved to be true. My puppy is only 13 pounds, and had a carrier that was rated up to 25 pounds. He can move around it with zero issues and has tons of space. He likes to lean on the side though and the Delta agent immediately decided he was too big. She called over her manager who did let us fly, but not without a big lecture first, which frankly was obnoxious. Our return flight on Delta, out of BTV, we had zero issues. The agent just asked us a few questions and sent us along our way. Needless to say we will never fly Delta out of LAX again and unless you have a very small dog I definitely don’t recommend trying. The manager said she turns away multiple dogs a day.

  • Marta
    Jun 13, 2023
    Depends on Agent

    Overall, Delta has been fairly travel-friendly for my 18 lb mini-goldendoodle. She was a pandemic puppy (now 3.5 years old) and has been traveling since she was 12 weeks long distances (predominantly Boston - Seattle). She's the most well-behaved, calm pup and LOVES her carrier - jumps into it by herself and her carrier fits fine on most Delta aircraft (including the smaller embraer 170/175s that go between Boston - NYC). I travel a lot for work and typically don't have problems, but have definitely run into a handful of instances where the agent thinks my dog is too big. As someone else said, it's really about the agent you get - some don't even look, others bring other people over and tell me she's too large (she's tall and fluffy, but can absolutely move around comfortably in her carrier). It's frustrating because you never know who you'll get and how the experience will be. Additionally, calling to add the pet to the reservation is a pain - I typically just use the Delta app to message an agent and copy/paste the save verbiage that they always require (size, breed, age, carrier dimensions, etc). It's also helpful to look at your aircraft in advance so you can ensure your carrier will fit depending on the plane/class you're in.

  • Sandee
    Aug 31, 2022
    No problems

    I recently flew roundtrip on Delta from Boston to Kalispell, MT and I did not have any problems bringing my dog on board. The ticket agent gave me a tag for my carrier and did not ask to look at my pet. The last time I flew American, they asked to see my dog and then they didn't want to let me board the flight because they said my dog could not walk around comfortably in the carrier. I recommend Delta for traveling with pets on board, they are easy going and welcoming to pets.

  • Michelle
    Jul 4, 2022
    Delta - 2022 Pet Fee DECREASED!!!

    I have to travel from Daytona Beach to LGA with my dog. GOOD NEWS - Delta has lowered their pet fee from $125 to $95. I booked my flight then I had to call to confirm a spot a spot for my dog. (this is the reason for 4 bones instead of 5; United allows you to reserve a spot for your pet online along with you ticket). I only waited about a minuted for an agent even though the recording said I would be waiting a long time.

  • Davis
    Jun 22, 2022
    French Bulldog to Nashville

    At the time of our trip, my French Bulldog was six months and 28lbs. He was a big boy...I disclosed this with the reservation agent that added my frenchie to my reservation - something you need to do prior to your flight since it's first come first serve and there's a limit to the number of pets allowed per flight. At six months, my frenchie had been riding around in his carrier for three months and was very comfortable. I have a large Sherpa brand soft carrier that met the max size allowable. Cut to the chase, I get to the counter, the agent asked me to place my frenchie and carrier on the scale. She then asked me to unzip the bag...upon seeing my frenchie, she told me that he was too big although he was laying comfortably in the bag. She asked two red coats for their opinion - they also said he was too big. After more pleading the two red coats asked three more red coats...the three red coats all said YES. It was an anxiety filled experience. Their main complaint was that my frenchie couldn't stand in his carrier to which I answered, he doesn't stand in his carrier, he lays down and sleeps! Anyway, once we got through my frenchie slept through the entire flight. On the return trip, the agent didn't even ask to see my pup. All she asked for was his health certificate, which I had along with all his vaccination paperwork. Seems it really is about who you get at the counter. Would I do it again? I'm not sure...wish they had a way to prescreen prior to arriving to the airport to reduce the anxiety because once you're at the airport, what do you do if you're denied?

  • Cheryl
    Apr 23, 2022
    Doesn’t allow 2 dogs next to each other

    Delta doesn’t allow 2 dogs to sit next to each other. I could understand this if they are dogs that don’t know each other. But I’m not sure of the reason when they’re dogs from the same family. Haven’t run into this with other airlines. Anyone have a logical reason for this?

    Side note: it is harder to fit carrier under delta seats compared to other airlines.

  • Alexander
    Mar 1, 2022
    Carrier doesn’t fit.

    Flew on Delta, in a Boeing 717-200 and 737-900ER. My dog carrier won’t fit under the seat… it’s a standard soft sided carrier that works great with other airlines. The life jacket compartment under the seat is what is blocking the space needed. You will have the best luck with an aisle seat, the carrier only sticks out a little so at least you have some legroom. This is was a basic ticket, 1st class might have more room for a carrier as well. I’ve personally had the best fit with Allegiant flights, usually the carrier will fit sideways completely under the middle seat. I’ll add a photo so you can see what I’m talking about, no legroom. For $125 each way, you’d expect that they would actually fit in the seat…

  • Michelle
    Feb 6, 2022
    Horrible

    Nowhere in the pet section says that I have to be in the main cabin to fly with a pet. When I tried to add my dog to the flight, they told me that I needed to upgrade my ticket to the main cabin, which is the more than what I paid for the original ticket. This was an "upgrade fee" on top of the pet fee and the original price I paid. Please state that we have to be in the main cabin on your website instead of surprising people when they get to the airport.

  • Cassidy
    Dec 23, 2021
    I was happy

    Not only did I bring my sweet baby angel (a 5 lb chiweenie) in cabin, but they also allowed me to let her sit in my lap—rather than in the crate—for all of the flight. The flight attendant even came over and took her up to the rest of the flight attendants to show her off.

  • Natalia
    Mar 12, 2019
    Unprofessional job

    I booked my fly with DElta cargo and I was late for 10 minutes. The fly was at 1:10, They want me to came at 10:40, I came at 10:50. The person who work with me take a cat to the warehouse and start doing paperwork, then he say he can't book us, we are late. He give me cat back and we residual fly for the next day. but it's ok.
    The next day when we came on time, same guy was on lunch, and another person told me this cage is not good for flying with Delta, I was shocked, because yesterday it was good and today its not good. I ask him if he can book ut for the fly, and I can go buy another cage, I just not want to be late again, he say no. I was cry and I called to customer service but nothing they can do. I have to wait when the manager ( same guy from Yesterday) will came back from his lunch to talk to him. When he came, he take the cage , he say we gonna put screw on it, but we was late for this direct fly. and the cat instead on 5 hours have to fly 11. I feel so bed for this pure kitten, but I can't came back another day again.
    I using the same cages all the time, its work perfect for Lufthansa, Turkish airlines, KLM, American Airlines, but it's not good for DELTA, how its possible????
    Very disappointed, its so stressful day for me and I'll never work with them again and newer recommend them to anybody.

  • Caroline
    Jun 11, 2018
    MEM-ATL-BRU

    After reading lots of negative reviews, I thought i might share the great experience I had this weekend travelling with my bojack terrier 18lbs. I purchased the Sherpa Delta medium bag and had all the medical records ready when checking in. The agent had a quick look at the paperwork and did not even check on my dog.
    The aircraft from Memphis to ATL was an MD88 and from ATL to BRU 767-300 (eco comfort seat) we were even allowed to pre-board as i had my dog. Again, nobody on the plane even paid attention to my dog. The bag fitted perfectly under the seats ( window seat) and we had a great trip. My dog slept through even during the landing. I hope this will motivate some of you to travel with your pet on Delta, you always need to call them before and they will check the aircraft to see if yes or no the carrier fits.
    I will report my next experience to you once i fly back from BRU to MEM.

  • Mike
    More than a year ago
    Ridiculously expensive

    Wanted to take my large dog (80 lbs) across the country BOS LAX. Our airfare round trip was going to be 600 for us both. Fee for dog to go in kennel in cargo $859 one way! Have flown AF from east coast US to Paris twice with same dog, $200 each way! Seriously, you people at Delta just don't care!

  • Sonja
    More than a year ago
    Papillon in Cabin

    I flew my papillon in cabin from RDU to BOS and back last summer, and in RDU they were great with her, but BOS was kind of weird. She's a fairly big papillon, 11 lbs and 11 inches at the shoulder, but she's got a SleepyPod Air that can shorten as needed or be extended for more comfort in the terminal. At RDU she got checked in at the counter and they loved her, and also the special services line is super quick compared to the endless bag drop lines. We went past the bomb sniffing dogs and through security no problem. The plane was half empty so other than stowing her under the seat for takeoff she was in the empty seat next to me for the whole flight. And she's a very very relaxed sort of dog, so she didn't make a peep for her entire flight. Now flying home from BOS, the check in lady was concerned she was too big for the carrier (because she's a very fluffy papillon and her fluff was everywhere) but when I told her that she was fine and the vet had approved the carrier she was okay with it. I feel like there should be some sort of way to get a vet-approved-to-fly-in-this-kennel certificate so I don't have to explain that my dog is 60% fur by volume to the lady again. Then we were in line for security and we were halfway through the line when a TSA guy looked at the bag (it looks more like a duffel bag than a dog carrier) and asked "Is that a dog?". Then he proceeded to drag us out of line, because apparently she couldn't go past their bomb sniffing dog, and scolded the ladies supervising the beginning of the line and told them that it was a dog and they put us in a special line that went right to the ticket scanners. So skipping the line was nice, but maybe if you're flying make sure to let everyone official know that you're carrying a dog. We've already booked our tickets for Christmas with Delta!

  • Al
    More than a year ago
    Pet Cargo Staff

    We flew ourselves and our pet labrador on Delta Cargo roundtrip LAX-DTW for may years but the staff was so bad we've changed to other airlines. They're always trying to find a way to reject you for container, certificate, weather, etc. even though you are within the guidelines (and have shipped with them before.) Apparently their rule is to let the desk have wide latitude despite the written rules. They even tried to reject us on the return trip for improper water container or something when it was the thing Delta Cargo in LA had insisted on. They also used the suspicion of us being breeders as a way to delay and almost miss the plane. In Detroit, the staff went into their glass office to "inspect the paperwork". My kids were crying because Delta initially said they wouldn't take the dog. They were literally filing their nails, looking and laughing at us from in there. So not just slow and incompetent, as they are here in LA, but actually mean.

  • Brenna
    More than a year ago
    Great Experience with Delta

    After reading a lot of these reviews I was nervous about flying from Raleigh/Durham to Seattle with my cat on Delta, but I had a great experience from start to finish. It was easy to make my reservation for my cat by calling Delta, and they told me the exact specifications of the underseat area on the plane I was flying on. This allowed me to buy a cat carrier that I was sure would fit. I arrived at the airport an hour and a half before my flight, but happened to arrive at an extremely busy time with gigantic lines. I went straight to the special services line and they were able to check me and my cat in quickly and easily. I was dreading going through security with my skittish cat, but it all went very smoothly. The cat carrier I bought was a small Original Delux model from Sherpa, and it fit perfectly under the seat in front of me on the airplane. This was my first experience flying with a pet, but Delta made it all very easy.

  • Amy
    More than a year ago
    Great for shipping dogs!

    I work with rescues in Atlanta and Seattle to ship puppies and their moms from rescues in Atlanta to Seattle where they are adopted into loving homes. I have literally shipped hundreds of dogs through Delta's pet shipping program and they have all arrived safely with no problem! I even had a pilot text me once to say that he had seen my pups loaded and they were doing great! I was super impressed that he took the time to do that. They also called me once when the pups needed to be put on a later flight and explained that they were being cared for and were doing fine. Delta always treats my pups with great care and I would recommend them to anyone wanting to ship their pets.

  • Donna
    More than a year ago
    Won't do this again

    We recently moved across the country and didn't want to subject our cat to 8 days on the road, especially as he could be boarded in a familiar place and they were happy to put him on a plane for us.

    The people on the phone at Delta Cargo were really great...accommodating and helpful. The problems came when I went to pick him up. First, his flights were delayed by two hours, then four hours. Okay, not great, but I was following his progress via Flighttracker and at least I knew about it.

    The real problem came when I went to pick him up at Seatte Tacoma airport. There I was told that he had "been taken off that flight for some reason" but they couldn't say why, and he was going to be another flight two hours later. Basically their attitude was a big shrug, snottiness, and no information. I then called the national cargo people, who couldn't tell me anything either. I was really upset because he's an older cat and was terrified that he had had a health episode or some other reason.

    I wasn't the only pet owner whose pets experienced the exact same thing...there were six of us in that cargo facility waiting for our pets and getting zero help or reassurance. When he did finally arrive, he was wet with with urine and very hungry and thirsty.

    I thought it was the best of the bad choices but if I had to do it again, I woudn't.

  • Missy
    More than a year ago
    No Problems

    The breeder I bought my puppy from shipped her from Minneapolis to Tampa. I was nervous about having her shipped especially after reading all the reviews on here. My puppy arrived safe and sound and with no issues. Her flight was delayed but that was due to the weather and not the airlines fault. I had a good experience and would use this service again.

  • Sarah
    More than a year ago
    Over and Above

    Delta Cargo have our hearts! They took such amazing care of us and our two boxers as we were moving to Ecuador. Our dogs arrived safe and happy. The trip was not without glitches... They switched the aircraft 2 hours befor we left for the airport, which meant out giant crates could not be accommodated. Delta Cargoe rerouted our dogs and we have now been living life together as a family in Ecuador for six months. Thank you Delta Cargo for your care and concern. And thank you for not only learning our dogs names but also their nickname,Es so our dogs felt loved.

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