United Airline

Pets are important members of the family. To ensure their safe and comfortable travel with United, be sure to review the requirements before booking. For questions, please contact the United Customer Contact Center at 1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331).

To prepare yourself and your pet for potential travel, please review the important topics below before booking.

Advance reservations for in-cabin pet travel are required and can be booked through united.com

Puppies and kittens traveling within the U.S. and Puerto Rico must be at least 2 months (8 weeks) old to be accepted for travel on United.

Puppies and kittens traveling internationally must be at least 4 months (16 weeks) of age to be accepted for travel on United.

Pets are not permitted to travel with unaccompanied minors.

In the event of an emergency, oxygen service will not be available for pets.

The customer is responsible for complying with all applicable state and country entry requirements.

Pets must travel on the same flight(s) as the customers who are responsible for them.

To prepare yourself and your pet for potential travel, please review the important topics below before booking.

Advance reservations for in-cabin pet travel are required and can be booked through united.com

Puppies and kittens traveling within the U.S. and Puerto Rico must be at least 2 months (8 weeks) old to be accepted for travel on United.

Puppies and kittens traveling internationally must be at least 4 months (16 weeks) of age to be accepted for travel on United.

Pets are not permitted to travel with unaccompanied minors.

In the event of an emergency, oxygen service will not be available for pets.

The customer is responsible for complying with all applicable state and country entry requirements.

Pets must travel on the same flight(s) as the customers who are responsible for them.

You will be prompted to see an agent at check-in to receive your pet tag.

The animal is expected to remain in the kennel while in the airport and on board the aircraft.

The kennel must remain in the floor space below your seat.

Pets must remain in kennels with the door secured at all times while in the boarding area and on board the aircraft.

United's in-cabin pet policy applies to flights operated by United and United Express® only. For codeshare flights, please check the operating carrier’s in-cabin pet policy. If you are traveling on multiple airlines, please check with each carrier individually to ensure acceptance. United can only accept your pet for flights operated by United and United Express.

PetSafe® is United’s specially designed program for transporting cats and dogs that are not eligible to travel in the aircraft cabin. United PetSafe offers airport-to-airport travel for cats and dogs traveling to approximately 300 destinations, and members of our PetSafe team are trained professionals who love animals and are dedicated to ensuring that all pets receive the best care throughout their entire journey.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) require all dogs entering the U.S., except those arriving from certain rabies-free countries, to be immunized against rabies. Vaccinations must be completed at least 30 days before arrival in the U.S. Since puppies cannot be vaccinated against rabies before 3 months of age, puppies under 4 months old will not be admitted into the U.S. unless they are arriving from a rabies-free country.

Each dog entering the U.S. must be accompanied by a valid certificate of rabies vaccination, signed by a licensed veterinarian and including the following information:

Name and address of the dog’s owner

Identifying information for the dog, including breed, sex, age, color and markings

Date of vaccination and the name of the vaccine used

Date when the vaccination expires. If no expiration date is stated, the vaccination must have been completed within 12 months before arrival in the U.S.

Visit the CDC website for more information.

Cats are not required to have proof of rabies vaccination for importation into the U.S; however, some states require vaccination of cats for rabies, so it is a good idea to check with state and local health authorities at your final destination.

A pet traveling in cabin must be carried in an approved hard-sided or soft-sided kennel. The kennel must fit completely under the seat in front of the customer and remain there at all times. The maximum dimensions for hard-sided kennels are 17.5 inches long x 12 inches wide x 7.5 inches high (44 cm x 30 cm x 19 cm). The recommended maximum dimensions for soft-sided kennels are 18 inches long x 11 inches wide x 11 inches high (46 cm x 28 cm x 28 cm). Soft-sided pet carriers may exceed these dimensions slightly, as they are collapsible and able to conform to under-seat space without blocking the aisle. On Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, soft-sided kennels must be no higher than 10 inches. With the exception of birds, there may only be one pet per kennel, and the animal must be able to stand up and turn around comfortably. Two birds may travel in the same kennel.

Breeds Not accept reservations for the following brachycephalic (or short- or snub-nosed) dogs and cats and strong-jawed dog breeds*, out of concern for higher adverse health risks:

  Dog Breeds

Affenpinscher

American Bully

American Pit Bull Terrier/Pit Bull

American Staffordshire Terrier/"Amstaff"

Belgian Malinois

Boston Terrier

Boxer

Brussels Griffon

Bulldog

American Bulldog

English Bulldog

French Bulldog

Old English Bulldogges

Shorty Bulldogs

Spanish Alano/Spanish Bulldog/Alano Espanol

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Chow Chow

English Toy Spaniel/Prince Charles Spaniel

Japanese Chin/Japanese Spaniel

Lhasa Apso

Mastiff

American Mastiff

Boerboel/South African Mastiff

Bullmastiff

Ca de Bou/Mallorquin Mastiff

Cane Corso/Italian Mastiff

Dogo Argentino/Argentinian Mastiff

Dogue de Bordeaux/French Mastiff

English Mastiff

Fila Brasileiro/Brazilian Mastiff/Cao de Fila

Indian Mastiff/Alangu

Kangal/Turkish Kangal

Neapolitan Mastiff/Mastino Napoletano

Pakastani Mastiff/Bully Kutta

Pyrenean Mastiff

Presa Canario/Perro de Presa Canario/Dogo Canario/Canary Mastiff

Spanish Mastiff / Mastin Espanol

Tibetan Mastiff

Tosa/Tosa Ken/Tosa Inu/Japanese Mastiff/Japanese Tosa

Pekingese

Pug

Dutch Pug

Japanese Pug

Shar-Pei/Chinese Shar-Pei

Shih-Tzu

Staffordshire Bull Terrier/"Staffys"

Tibetan Spaniel

Accept cats and dogs ONLY. NO other household pets or animals will be accepted as PetSafe

Allow reservations beginning July 16, 2018 for pets traveling alone or on the same flight as their pet parent or guardian for travel beginning July 30, 2018.

Weather Restrictions 

Monitor weather and assess each location's capability of handling pets during extreme temperature or other operating conditions. United may decline pet acceptance or alter the routing if temperatures are outside of a safe range.

No longer accept reservations to and from the following airports annually between May 1 and Sept. 30, due to high temperature restrictions

Las Vegas (LAS)

Palm Springs (PSP)

Phoenix (PHX)

Tucson (TUS)

Reservation Timeframe 

Accept reservations between 30 days in advance (maximum) and five (5) days (minimum) prior to travel

Require additional conditions for acceptance (see below) prior to reservation confirmation.

Additional conditions to approve pet for travel 

Require the customer to provide PetSafe with several pieces of information (e.g. documents, photos, etc.) to avoid cancellation of the pet's reservation. PetSafe Customer Service Center will be able to provide additional details of this requirement at the time of booking

Locations Served 

Not accept any reservations to and from India and Australia at this time. To confirm service in other locations, please contact the PetSafe Customer Service Center.

Flight Segments (Connections) 

Place limitations on the number of connecting cities in the routing. Please consult the PetSafe Customer Service Center for available routings.

International Routings 

Require international routing to be arranged through an International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA) pet shipper only. A list of IPATA members near you can be found at https://www.ipata.org

$125 each way (cabin), $169 - $219 or more (cargo).

Trained service animals are allowed in the cabin to accompany qualified customers with disabilities. Service animal procedures differ from standard in-cabin pet procedures.

Reservations: 800-241-6522 Petsafe: 800-575-3335