United Airlines Pet Policy

To be able to fly with animals on this airline, you need to know its policy. This United Airlines pet policy is designed to highlight all the conditions related to animal travel like weight restrictions and safety precautions. From approved breeds to travel documentation, it covers essential guidelines too.

Which General Conditions Outline the United Pet Policy? 

Irrespective of the type of companion you have, there are certain basic conditions that ensure safe United pet travel. 

• Animals can only be added to reservations made directly with the airline. 
• Animals can only travel inside the cabin. 
• Only cats and dogs can be brought on board. 
• They will be accommodated depending on the available space. 
• A fee will be charged for their travel. 
• You will have to register your animal in advance so that a space is booked on the flight. 
• Certain destinations will not accept animals. 
• This policy’s rules for the domestic countries prevail over the overall regulations. 
• Passengers with third-party bookings must contact the respective agents. 
• You will also be required to submit certain necessary documents. 
• The responsibility for your companion’s health lies with you. 
• Travelers will have to check in their pets within the general time limit. 

Note: If any of these guidelines are not properly followed, the airline may cancel your United booking.

What are the Rules for United Airlines Pet in Cabin? 

This carrier only accepts in-cabin pets when you meet certain requirements that ensure safety on board. 

Regarding Size

The size for in cabin pet on United depends on the type of crate:

For Weight:

No weight limit will be imposed on the transport of in-cabin animals. 

Are there United Airlines Pet Carrier Requirements?

In order for your companion carrier to be accepted on board, it should be approved under the airline’s requirements. These include: 

• Dogs should be kept in hard-sided containers.
• Soft-sided crates should be used to carry cats. 
• The container should fit in the space given under the passenger seat. 
• It should be well constructed and have enough space for the animal to sit or stand. 
• This United pet carrier should be leak-proof. 
• It needs to have proper locks and should be secure enough. 
• The animal must not be able to escape from inside. 
• Irrespective of the age/size, this airline permits only 1 animal inside 1 crate. 
• There are no exceptions to the condition above. 

What are United Airlines Pet Policy Restrictions?

This carrier does not restrict any breeds of animals to travel on board. However, there can be some conditions under which your animal might not be accepted:  

• If the animal is sick
• When its hygiene is not up to the mark
• In case it is deemed by a medical professional that it is unsafe to travel 
• Assuming that proper reports of the medical conditions cannot be submitted 

Destinations Prohibiting Animal Travel

Additionally, when you are flying to any of the following destinations, prohibitions will be imposed on United Airlines pet travel: 

• Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan)
• Palau
• Australia
• Barbados
• Cuba
• Guam 
• Sweden
• Tahiti
• Trinidad and Tobago
• The UK
• Jamaica
• Marshall Islands
• New Zealand
• Hawaii
• Hong Kong
• Iceland
• Federated States of Micronesia

Note: You can’t carry animals even if your itinerary includes these destinations as stopovers on connecting flights. 

What Documents to Submit on United When Flying with Pets? 

This airline has to make sure that it is appropriate for your animal to travel. For this, it requires the submission of the following documents: 

• Medical reports showing the:
  • Date of admission 
  • Expiration of recent vaccines 

• Legal certificates ensuring that your animal is free of diseases 
• Rabies vaccination proof in the case of dogs 
• General health reports issued by a licensed vet

To/From the US

For United pet safe travel from destinations to and from the US, you will have to mandatorily  present: 

• Rabies vaccination certificate 
• All the applicable re-vaccination certificates 
• Health certificate issued by the vet only on or before 30 days of departure 
• The credentials of the vet 

When you are flying with pets on US flights, you will have to comply with the CDC regulations without fail. Under this, the following information should be presented: 

• Breed, color, and sex of the animal
• The correct age 
• Identity markings 

Note: Other rules of the CDC will only be applicable if the United Airlines pets are traveling from a high-risk country. 

How to Book United Airlines Pet Travel? 

Depending on the time of booking, you can use the website or call option to make a United pet travel reservation. 

Method 1: From this Airline’s Website 

This website-based option can be used when you are making a reservation for your companion at least one week before the flight. 

• Search the following page on a browser:
  • “United Airlines Book a Flight”
• Fill out all the details like the:
  • Arrival and departure destinations
  • Number of passengers
  • Class of service
• Scroll down to the bottom to find the “Pets in Cabin” section. 
• Select a flight in the appropriate fields given. 
• Click on the “Find Flights” button. 
• All the available flights will now be visible. 
• Select one flight. 
• Pay the required booking fee and complete the process. 
• You will receive a confirmation mail to your registered ID. 

Adding a Pet after Making a Reservation

You may have already made a reservation with this carrier but have not registered your animal. 

In this case, on United Airlines, add a pet to reservation by following these steps: 

• Go to the “My Trips” tab on the homepage of the site. 
• Enter your booking details.
• Use the “Travel with Pets” option.
• Submit the complete details of your animal.
• Pay the necessary service fee and confirm this reservation. 

Method 2: On the Call 

When you have to make a booking for your companion at the last moment, the offline option can prove to be of great use. You will simply have to connect with the airline authorities and put forward your request for United Airlines pet booking.

Note: To obtain other phone numbers, check this operator’s website.

Does United Pet Policy Allow Service Animals? 

To facilitate comfortable travel for disabled passengers, this carrier does permit the transport of service animals. They should meet the given conditions: 

• It should be trained by a licensed professional.
• The animal should be able to offer assistance to the owner at all times.
• Service animals can be used to offer assistance for:
  • Physical disabilities 
  • Intellectual, sensory, mental, psychiatric, and other disorders 
• It should have been trained individually. 
• These types of United pets should be over 4 months of age. 

General Conditions: 

According to the United Airline pet policy, these points highlight the general conditions that apply to the transport of assistance beings: 

• Only two service dogs per passenger will be permitted. 
• The animal should be seated on the floor. 
• It cannot be seated near exit rows. 
• It cannot occupy the space of the adjacent travel or on the aisle. 
• Kennels and containers can only be used if the dog is small. 
• Medical reports are required for traveling.

Restrictions Applied: 

A few restrictions will be applicable depending on the type of service being you wish to fly with:

• Only fully trained dogs will be allowed and not those in training. 
• Therapy animals will not be considered in this category. 
• Emotional support companions cannot enjoy the benefits available to service pets. 

Tip: You may carry other animals as per the general United Airlines pet policy.

How to Add a Service Animal to Your Booking? 

It is important for you to register your service pet online in advance to avoid rejection at the last moment due to lack of space. 

To add pet to United flights: 

• Open the site of this carrier. 
• Here, go to the “My Trips” section.
• Select “My Trips” again when a menu appears. 

• Enter the details like: 
  • “Confirmation Number”
  • “Last Name”

• Your booking will be retrieved once you click on the “Search” button. 
• On your reservation, go to the “Special Accommodation” section. 
• Here, you will have the option to add your “Task Trained” dog by giving the details: 
• Your pet’s breed 
  • Weight 
  • Rabies vaccination dates 
  • Veterinary reports 
• Follow all the on-screen instructions. 
• Complete adding the service animal to your flight. 
• You will receive a confirmation mail at the end. 

Note: Online reservations for service pets cannot be made on flights booked via travel agencies. 

In case you wish to make a reservation for the service animal through the help desk, you can: 

• Reach out to the United Accessibility Desk at 1-800-228-2744 
• Submit the required information and your companion will be added to the flight. 

Forms to be Filled: 

When you want to travel with pets on United under this category, fill out certain forms. These forms will attend to their safe transport:

• The U.S. DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form
• United States Department of Transportation Service Animal Relief Attestation Form
• Submission of other details based on a country’s domestic animal policies 

Checking in Pets On United Airlines 

As per the United Airlines pet policy, for checking in your animal: 

• Reach the airport within the check-in time limits given at the time of booking. 
• Go to the nearest United check-in desk. 
• Present your and your animal’s ticket confirmation number. 
• This number can be found in the confirmation mail received at the time of booking. 
• Once it is checked in, it will be given a label and bag tag.

Note: You may or may not be required to pay any pet travel fee based on the destination you are flying to. 

Relieving Your Pet After Check-in: 

You will not be allowed to relieve your companion once you have completed checking in and boarded the flight. 

• Make sure to relieve it before the flight at the “pet relief areas”. 
• These areas will be located in the airport. 
• You can use the mobile application to see where these centers are located. 
• Pets on United Airlines cannot be relieved in the general stalls. 

Can Animals be Transported as United Airlines Pet Cargo? 

As per the recent updates in the United pet cargo policy, it no longer accepts animals in the hold. The only exception will be given to Military personnel. 

• Personnel can send their pets as checked baggage on United.

• The animals must be registered for travel at least 10 days before the flight’s departure. 
• Only bookings made through militarypetsafe[at]united[dot]com are eligible for this feature. 
• The reservation for the owners should have been made already. 
• The PCS orders, health certificates, and other required documents should be submitted. 
• A maximum of 2 or 4 companions will be allowed based on your arrival destination. 

Weight And Size Restrictions: 

Although this cargo transport feature is only made available to the military, it is not without a weight or size limit: 

• The maximum weight of the cargo animal should not exceed 99.9 pounds or 45 kg. 
• Size restrictions remain the same as those for animals inside the cabin. 
• Each crate can carry one or more animals if they do not exceed weight restrictions. 
• United Airlines cargo pets should meet the conditions of the IPATA shipping agents. 

Other Restrictions: 

This airline has the right to prohibit your animal from traveling as cargo luggage when: 

• The necessary requirements of the United Airlines pet policy for cargo are not met. 
• Travel is limited if your itinerary includes:
  • Other flight segments 
  • And, these segments prohibit cargo travel
• United Express flights cannot use this feature. 
• Codeshare flights are restricted from using the United pet cargo facility. 
• Passengers without advance reservations cannot fly their animals. 
• When you are unable to clear the customs regulations, you will not be allowed. 
• Certain destinations may not allow cargo transport. 

Note: When you have queries regarding military animal travel, connect with United’s agents on mail. 

How Much is the United Airlines Pet Fee? 

Should you wish to carry companions in this carrier, you will be subject to the payment of the United pet fee: 

• You will be charged USD 125 for:
  • Each way for in-cabin animals 
  • If the flight’s layover time is more than 4 hours on domestic flights 
  • International flights when the layover lasts for more than 24 hours. 
• A separate service charge can be incurred on bookings made using the offline mode. 
• The fee for certain destinations can vary depending on their domestic policies. 
• Cancelling your pet reservation without revoking your own booking is not free.

Help for United Pet Travel Queries via Social Media 

The main sources of contact for this carrier can be busy during the high-demand seasons. Under such circumstances, you can utilize social media platforms to get answers to your United pet care or travel questions: 

Recent Updates to the United Pet Policy 

Importantly, the rules for this pet policy of United Airlines can keep changing due to upgrades in the domestic policies of various countries. 

• Dogs traveling from countries at high risk for rabies are temporarily prohibited: 
  • South Africa
  • China 
  • Columbia 
  • Ecuador 
  • Ghana 
  • India 
  • Jordan 
  • Philippines 
  • Peru 
  • Dominican Republic 
  • El Salvador 
  • Belize 
  • Guatemala

To/From the United States

For dogs traveling from the US to any of these high-risk countries, these requirements are given: 

• Submit the rabies vaccination certificate. 
• Their age should be older than 6 months. 
• They need to have a microchip.
• Dogs should be healthy and meet the CDS regulations. 
• A CDS import certificate should also be obtained from these animals. 
• The pet fee on United for such animals can slightly vary. 
• Owners should be safe and sound as well. 
• All the required documents should be acquired 2 months before the date of travel. 
• The return of a dog from a high-risk country to the US will be the liability of the owner. 
• Certain connecting flight segments may reject these animals. 

When it comes to traveling with your furry friend, it’s a must to have accurate information on your booking. United Airlines understands this, and their United Name Change Policy allows you to update pet details if needed.

Everything considered, the United Airlines pet policy makes sure that the safety of no animal traveling on board is compromised. It ensures that registration is easy and the travel conditions are comfortable too.

Frequently Ask Questions