American Airlines Pet Policy: Flying With a Dog or Cat in 2026

Pets in the Cabin

American Airlines allows dogs and cats in the cabin, though a fixed weight limit is not published in the terms we could verify. Official aa.com page (confirmed via indexed quotes) does not display a numeric fee or weight limit in the content we could retrieve. Third-party aggregators (not independently verified against aa.com) commonly cite ~$125-150 one-way and a combined pet+carrier weight around 9 kg (20 lb), with hard-sided carrier near 19x13x9 in and soft-sided slightly larger. Treat all numbers here as UNCONFIRMED. Add pet to a booked passenger ticket; cabin space limited per flight (one pet carrier per customer; third-party reports ~7 in-cabin pets/flight cap, unconfirmed on official page).

• Pets allowed carry-on on most flights up to 12 hours between/within continental US, Canada, Mexico, Alaska, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands. 'You cannot travel with a carry-on pet when traveling to/from Hawaii' (official quote). No checked pet to/from UK or Ireland (exception: AA Cargo can still ship dogs/cats to London LHR and Manchester MAN).

Pets in the Hold

American Airlines does not transport pets in the cargo hold. Official quote: 'We only accept checked pets at the ticket counter for active-duty U.S. Military and U.S. State Department Foreign Service personnel traveling on official orders.' General passengers cannot check a pet as baggage; non-military/non-Foreign-Service pets that don't qualify for cabin must travel via American Airlines Cargo as manifest cargo on eligible routes (e.g., to LHR/MAN).

• Airbus A321: American Airlines Cargo's aircraft-compatibility guidance (2021 edition) lists the A321 family (A321, A321S, A321H) among the Airbus narrowbody types on which warm-blooded live animals are NOT accepted in the hold -- only non-warm-blooded cargo (e.g. tropical fish) is carried on those tails. Treat as dated; confirm the current list before relying on it.
• Airbus A321neo: American Airlines Cargo's 2021 aircraft-compatibility guidance also lists the A321neo/A321NX among Airbus narrowbody types where warm-blooded live animals are not accepted in the hold. Treat as dated.

Service Dogs

American Airlines accepts trained service dogs in the cabin, free of charge. Documents typically needed: U.S. DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form (required by carrier as condition of cabin travel); U.S. DOT Service Animal Relief Attestation Form (only if flight segment is scheduled 8 hours or more). Notify the airline at least 48 hours before departure. Emotional support animals (ESA) are not treated as service animals — since 2021, US DOT rules no longer require it, and an ESA flies under ordinary pet rules here. US DOT 14 CFR Part 382 (Air Carrier Access Act rules) applies on all flights to/from/within the United States, for US and foreign carriers alike; max 2 service animals per passenger; no breed-based refusal permitted. aa.com confirms: 'Fully-trained service dogs may fly in the cabin at no charge if they meet the requirements.'

Aircraft-Specific Notes

American's official pet page restricts certain premium-cabin seats on the 787-8 for in-cabin pet carriers because of limited under-seat storage in those cabins. American's official pet page restricts certain premium-cabin seats on the 787-9 for in-cabin pet carriers because of limited under-seat storage in those cabins.