Do you want to take your lovely pet on a trip? But you are confused about how you can take your pet on an American Airlines flight. You will find its solution here.

This policy allows you to carry your pets in a cabin or checked or checked cargo as well as service dogs. But you should also know that American Airlines' pet policy has some guidelines and restrictions as well.

American Airlines Pet Policy And Travel

Below are the details for pets for American Airlines: 

Pets in Cabin

• American Airlines allows you to fly with your pet in the cabin.
• Only small dogs and cats are allowed to travel in the aircraft cabin.
• In addition, you need to pick up a kennel in which your pet will sit during the trip.
• Only one pet is allowed with one carrier per passenger and the number of pets is limited to 7, which includes American Airlines flights and 5 American Eagle flights.

Cabin Carrier Requirements

• American Airlines strictly mandates that your pet must be in its carrier or kennel at all times during travel.
•   In addition, you may not place a kennel or pet on any aircraft seat, even if the seat is vacant.
• The carrier should be small enough to fit under the seat in front of the passenger. Secondly, the carrier should be big enough for your pet to sit and walk comfortably in it.
• American Airlines recommends that pet owners carry a soft-sided kennel with them for their travel in the cabin with maximum dimensions of 18 x 11 x 11 inches / 46 x 28 x 28 centimeters (length + width + height).
• Plus, if you have a rigged kennel the airline doesn't prohibit you from taking it. But for American Airlines flights, the maximum dimensions should not exceed 19 x 13 x 9 inches / 48 x 33 x 22 centimeters (length + width + height).
• 16 x 12 x 8 inches / 40 x 30 x 20 centimeters (length + width + height) for flights with American Eagle.
• The maximum permitted combined weight of the pet and kennel shall not exceed 20 pounds or 9.07 kg.
• Maximum dimensions and weights may vary, with the airline recommending you contact the reservation department for exact information.

Pets in Hold as Checked Baggage For American Airlines

• Pet Policy American Airlines does not allow pets as checked baggage on its aircraft with the exception of US military personnel and US State Department foreign service personnel traveling with pets on active duty on official orders given.
• American Airlines only accepts 2 pets and they must also meet destination, health, and minimum age requirements.
• To make reservations for these pets, you must contact the American Reservations Department at least 48 hours prior to your flight.
• If you have a connecting flight your pet will only be allowed if your connection is between cities and airports such as:- Charlotte (CLT), Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Dallas / Fort Worth (DFW), and Los Angeles (LAX).

Checked Baggage Carrier Requirements

The Carrier requirements for the pets to travel as checked baggage are:-

• The pet carrier must be made with materials like metal, wood, plastic, or other similar materials, and the pet carrier door must be made up of cast or welded material.
• The kennel must have good ventilation on 3 or 4 sides at least and your pet must feel comfortable in the kennel and could move properly in it.
• Now comes the maximum weight and dimension of the carrier then the maximum allowed weight of the animal and the kennel is 100 pounds or  45 kilograms. The maximum dimension varies on the different aircraft as mentioned in the given table:

American Airlines Aircraft	Maximum Kennel Height
A321T	46 inches / 117 cm
B737-800	28 inches / 71.12 cm
B777-200 / 300	40 inches / 105 cm
B787-800 / 900	40 inches / 102 cm

Pets in American Airlines Cargo (Checked Baggage)

Pets that are not permitted in the American Airlines cabin for their size, weight, or any other reason.

They may be allowed to travel in cargo service as per American Airlines' pet policy as checked baggage.

There may also be some specific restrictions for pets to travel in cargo, along with some rules and regulations.

Cargo Restrictions

• First, make sure you arrive at your American Airlines domestic and international airports at least 3 hours and 4 hours in advance, respectively.
• If you have a domestic flight your pet will be available for pickup at the arrival destination airport after 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Pickup times can be up to 2 hours if your flight is from NYC, Miami, and Honolulu.
• And for international arrivals, it will need to clear customs which can take up to 4 hours to pick up your pet.
• Your pet will not be allowed to travel in cargo if the temperature is above 85°F or below 20°F.
• If you have cold-blooded animals, you can carry them in American Airlines cargo with no temperature restrictions. But you have to make sure that they should be packed as per IATA Live Animal Regulation.
• American Airlines also has some breed restrictions in place for the safety of the animals. All brachycephalic and snub-nosed dogs and cats, as well as their mixed breeds, are not permitted for American Airlines pet travel on cargo planes.
• American Airlines will not accept dogs and cats that are sedated or sedated to calm them down. and if you have other animals that have been sedated or tranquilized, you will need to bring them to the check-in counter with information such as drug name, the amount administered, the amount administered and time, manufacturer description, lot, batch, or Must have a serial number

Cargo Carrier Requirements

American Airlines Cargo has the following very important guidelines and requirements for carriers:-

• Kennels for pets in cargo should not be made of cardboard or materials such as welded mesh, wire mesh, or wicker.
• The kennel should not have doors made of plastic material, should be metal and there should be no door on the top side of the kennel.
• Kennels with wheels will be accepted only if they are retractable, removable, taped, or non-removable, except that the pet carrier must have no wheels.
• There is no specific weight for kennels and pets.

American Airlines Service Pets Facility

American Airlines Pet Policy only accepts Dogs as service animals and if they are fully trained to help the needy person. You are allowed to take service animals in training, emotional support animals, and comfort animals but they will not be considered as Service animals.

Passengers can take a service animal free of cost if they have issues such as:-

• Physical disability
• Sensory disability
• Psychiatric disability
• Intellectual disability
• Mental disability
• Visual impairments
• Deafness
• Seizures
• Mobility impairments

Service Pets Travel Requirements

If you are traveling with your service animal there are some guidelines and requirements that you must meet.

• Each passenger is allowed to carry 2 service animals and they must be clean and well trained.
• Service animals are not obligated to be in a pet carrier.
• Animals may be allowed at the airport only after a thorough check if they are safe to travel.
• Large service dogs may be carried with cargo if they do not meet the guidelines for cabin travel.

Pets Destination Allowance and Restrictions

• Pets are fully permitted to travel on American Airlines if they are traveling within and between the 48 contiguous United States as well as Alaska and Puerto Rico. But Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands have some restrictions.
• In some countries and regions, cabin pets are not allowed, with some regions only allowing service animals. You may need to show multiple travel documents depending on the region or country you are traveling to with your pet.
• That's why you need to visit the official website or call American Airlines' reservation department directly to get accurate information for your pet's travel.
• Pets are allowed to travel on International American Airlines flights to regions such as Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and other countries in the American continent, except Jamaica.

Destination Required Documentation

If you are traveling with your pet on American Airlines then you may be required to present any or all of these documents:-

• Acknowledgment form in English or Spanish
• Acclimation letter
• Health Certificate
• Breed verification form
• Commercial shipper vet form
• International shipper certificate

American Airlines Pet Fee

Now comes the most important part, the American Airlines Pet Fee Structure. We have compiled all the fee data in the given table so that you can have a clear & better understanding of the fee for different pets' travel.

Pet Travel Type	Destination	Approx. Fee (one-way)
Carry-on Pet	Based on the specific country's entry policy	$125 USD
Checked Pet	Almost all the destinations in the American Continents and Europe	$200 USD, $150 USD (If traveling to/from Brazil)
Cargo Pet	May Vary	Fee May Vary
Service Animals	All Regions	Free of cost

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