Alaska Airlines

Or call (800) 252-7522 for more information. You can use BringFido to find a pet friendly place to stay at your destination.

Alaska Airlines allows small pets (dogs, cats, rabbits, and household birds) to travel in the cabin if the combined weight of the pet and carrier does not exceed 20 lbs (9 kg). Pets must be at least 8 weeks old. Each passenger can travel with a maximum of 2 pets, as long as 2 seats are purchased. Up to 2 pets of the same breed may travel in the same carrier. Alaska Airlines can accommodate 1 pet in first class and 5 in the main cabin. Pets must stay completely inside the carrier at all times in the boarding area, Alaska Lounge, and while onboard the aircraft. Passengers must be 18 years old to travel with a pet in the cabin. The fee for pets traveling in the cabin is $100 each way. For flights departing from Canada, the fee is $105 each way.

Alaska Airlines allows small domestic animals like cats, dogs, ferrets, guinea pigs, hamsters, household birds, non-poisonous reptiles, pot bellied pigs, rabbits, and tropical fish to travel as checked baggage if the combined weight of the pet and carrier does not exceed 150 lbs (68 kg). Other pets may be accepted with approval. Dogs and cats must be at least 8 weeks old to travel as checked baggage. Only 1 adult pet is allowed in each carrier, or 2 live puppies or kittens that weight less than 20 lbs each (9 kg). The fee for pets traveling as checked baggage is $100 each way. Due to the extreme temperatures that may be experienced in the cargo area, Alaska Air may decline pets if they deem the weather too unsafe.

Pets who exceed the weight limits to travel in the cabin or as checked baggage or require transportation alone may be accepted as cargo through Pet Connect air cargo. For more information, contact the Cargo Call Center at (800) 225-2752.

For pets traveling in the cabin, hard-sided carriers must not exceed 17" x 11" x 7.5" (43 cm x 28 cm x 19 cm) and soft-sided carriers must not exceed 17" x 11" x 9.5" (43 cm x 28 cm x 48 cm). Carriers must be leak-proof, have adequate ventilation, and be lined with absorbent bedding. For pets traveling in the hold, carriers must not exceed the dimensions 30" x 27" x 40" (76 cm x 68 cm x 101 cm). Carriers must be solid, have handles, adequate air ventilation, and a sturdy roof. Pets must be provided with food and water bowls attached to the interior.

Brachycephalic (short-nosed) dogs and cats are not accepted for travel as checked baggage with Alaska Airlines, including Boston Terrier, Boxer (all breeds), Bull dog (all breeds), Bull Terrier, Brussels Griffon, Chow Chow, English Toy Spaniel, Japanese Spaniel/Japanese Chin, Mastiff (all breeds), Pekingese, Pit Bull (all breeds), Pug (all breeds), Shih Tzu, Staffordshire Terrier; cat breeds are Burmese, Exotic Shorthair, Himalayan, and Persian.

• Shell y
  Mar 23, 2024
  Nothing but Praise

  We have a 55 pound dog which can not fly in the cabin. We investigated and found AA and Delta would transport him but in cargo which could not be scheduled till 14 days before the flight. In addition cargo charges were based on weight and distance well over 500 dollars. Alaska adds your dog the same time you make your reservations and you pay 150 when you check the dog in no matter the distance so long as kennel and dog weight less than a 100 pounds. Once the dog is boarded they give you a card indicating the dog is on board. One of our flights the plane was changed and not all planes have room. Alaska helped us reschedule route to Puerto Vallarta. I have found their customer service excellent. We have made 4 trips with our dog in baggage with out incident. So glad we found Alaska we were AA customers but not any more.

• Chapin
  Dec 24, 2022
  Smooth travel

  Flew alone with 3 dogs as checked baggage across the country. Check in personnel were quick, competent and friendly in both directions. $100 per dog each direction is very reasonable. No hassles. No surprises. Very happy with the process.

• Daniel
  Sep 12, 2022
  Hassel-free

  Have flown a few times on Alaska with dachshund in carrier under seat. Will update this rating if we experience problems, but so far Alaska has been great. Also, $100 is less than most other carriers charge.

• Mike
  Apr 9, 2022
  Alaska Airlines Pet Connect - Total rip off, never use again

  I had a puppy flown up from Boise to Anchorage on Alaska Airlines Pet Connect, worse experience ever! She was locked in the kennel for 12 hours (layover in Seattle) and I was charged almost double what it would have cost to fly down, pick her up and fly home. The worst part was I never knew the cost until she arrived in Anchorage. Terrible customer service and I live here, use Alaska Airlines credit card and club 49 member. The cargo department said the high cost was due to all the extra handling steps required. Apparently they take more steps then if I was on the flight with her

• Kimberly
  Oct 11, 2021
  Awful company who couldn’t care less about your dogs

  I have two lovely experiences with this awful company. The first happened in May 2021. Super thankful they were allowing people to fly with their dogs. However, once I get to my location, I find out that they put your dogs out by the baggage claim with no one watching them. My fiancé thankfully came into the airport that day to surprise me and saw our dog in a place where anyone could steal him. He literally got him out of the cage and no one stopped him from “stealing” our dog. It took me 30 minutes to get to them… I thought to myself, maybe it’s because it is a smaller airport. So return flight home, going to a big name airport and surprise, surprise, they do it again. This time I had no one to see him first, so literally anyone could have taken him. The only reason security came to us was because someone was using a lighter to take off the zip ties. They never checked to see if we were the owners.

  Now, the most recent thing. Online they do mention something about restricting some flights around the holidays. So I call and ask about this and the customer service person said it was good for me to book tickets and my dogs could come with me. So I book them and then try to talk with someone else to hold my dogs’ spots. 45 minutes later she said she couldn’t do it. I had already wasted 2 hours to be told something I asked about in the beginning. I then ask to speak to someone higher up, and the lady was rude and not empathetic at all about the situation and blamed it on the company not sending out the policy yet. I got a refund from them thankfully but when I said I didn’t want to ever fly with them again, she chuckled and said okay then. So bad overall job taking care of dogs in cargo and bad customer service. Run away from this company!!!!

• Zoie
  Aug 3, 2021
  I am happy

  I filed oversea twice from States with Alaska with my husky. Can't be more happy. It's a bit sad that airline having a more strict policy towards flying pets in cabin. Since mine is medium size, he goes under. But Alaska did an amazing job. The check-in was easy, the staff was kind and they gave you the tag while they on-board your dog so you knew your ferry buddy is there with you on the same airplane.

• Poppy
  Jul 17, 2021
  Fantastic service

  We were relocating to Austin and decided our 71 pound lab will be in the hold, on the same plane as us. I also checked private pet transport and found it to be too risky. I have flown Alaska many times and found their service to be superior. Not to mention on time flights. I called customer service to check their dog policies and which planes my lab could be booked on. They were very patient and helpful and I finally got us all booked on the flight. We flew first class so we could deplane quickly and pick up our lab. I hadn't slept properly for 2 months after reading horror stories on the internet about dogs in the hold of planes. But Alaska more than delivered on their promise. My lab was treated carefully and I was thrilled to see so many dog lovers among their staff. The fantastic customer service began with the agents who checked us in at San Jose, to the stewardess on the plane who listened patiently and offered to tell the captain that there was a passenger with her lab in the hold. I saw my lab being driven in a white air conditioned van to be loaded on the plane. I received confirmation she was on the plane and she was off the plane within 5 minutes of landing. I don't know why people complain about the $100 fee for dogs on a plane, cargo or not. The alternative is private transport which is 10X or more expensive, or leaving your dog behind. If you want your dog to be well taken care of, bóok with Alaska. Your experience might not be as great as mine as a lot depends on your dog's temperament and personality, but the airline will do a great job. Thanks, Alaska, for taking such good care of my dog. Eternally grateful.

• Park
  Jan 4, 2020
  Thank you Alaska Airlines!

  Firstly, I don’t know what “Angry in Hawaii” is talking about as she doesn’t really describe the problem. Further “Hawaii is as safe as it gets” is even more confused: Alaska Airlines has and continues to accept pets for flights both to and from Hawai’i. In fact, ALASKA is the ONLY AIRLINE ACCEPTING SMALL PETS IN CARRIERS TO THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS (with restrictions and for a reasonable fee). I have found Alaska Airlines personnel to be uniformly wonderful and hope foolish, ignorant, cheap, combative or other humans with undesirable traits don’t ruin this for those of us who respect the airline’s policies and are very appreciative of the service.

• Nancy
  Mar 6, 2018
  $100 per ride is cheap

  I’m happy to pay $100 to have my elderly dog in the seat next to me. As for allergies, if you have them, don’t touch my dog. He’s in his own space, paid for, and not running around touching you. And for those of you asking about “cleanup,” if it happens it’s the owners responsibility to clean up after their pets, not the flight attendant’s. Do you think they change your baby’s dirty diapers? I don’t think so.

• Fido
  More than a year ago
  Alaska--the only way to go

  Can't believe folks whining about having to pay $100 to transport their pet. That's dirt cheap, When took my dog from St. Louis to Seattle and back again, the crew couldn't have been nicer. Both my dog and I were treated with in a welcoming and respectful manner, and it made our trip all the more enjoyable.

  I have never had a bad experience on Alaska Airlines. Just never. From check-in to deplaning, the service has always been top notch. I can't say that about any other airline, and I've flown them all. Like a lot of folks, I take whatever flight is cheapest, but I am always extremely happy when Alaska pops up as the lowest fare, and that's been happening some frequency lately.

  As for the issue of folks flying with dogs, so long as pet owners are reasonable (and I understand that can be a big if), it shouldn't be a problem. A German shepherd doesn't belong in the cabin, but no one should be upset by a pug or small poodle, so long as the dog is well behaved. If you have a dog that yaps or can't control its bowels, then you should leave it home. If folks have allergies, then they can be separated from the dog. I've never seen more than one animal on a plane, and I fly a fair amount. I'm quite certain that if someone near me had an issue with allergies, flight attendants, at least on Alaska, would have put as much distance between me and the allergic passenger as possible. Frankly, I think the issue of dogs on planes exacerbating allergies is somewhat of a red herring. I have yet to read an account of a passenger who was allergic to dogs having an issue due to a dog being on a plane, and I've read a fair amount.

• Kimberly
  More than a year ago
  Thanks Alaska Airlines!

  We flew our pup up to Alaska to be with us for two weeks and to be flower girl in our wedding. She's 60 lbs and many airlines don't allow dogs in cargo anymore. We are so happy that she could fly with us...and only $100 each way. I hope that more airlines will allow fur children on planes. I'm sad to be in FL this winter without her.

• Michelle
  More than a year ago
  great

  After using Hawaiian airlines to fly our pet and having to most horrible experience I cannot say enough good things about Alaska Airlines. we now fly our dog to Hawaii using Alaska Airlines. They treat your dog very well and keep it in its kennel for as short as time as possible. They do not put your pet in cargo they use baggage, its only $100 dollars to Hawaii for you pet versus the $816 we paid to Hawaiian Airlines. The max time my dog was in a kennel was 7 hrs. Alaska is the only way to go if you are flying your pet.

We haven‘t received any photos of dogs flying Alaska Airlines yet.

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